TMA gets defensive

physicaltherapy

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I was at a local festival this weekend and they had a McDojo demonstration of a Silat style fo martial art. These guys were doing all sorts of Katas and stuff. After the demo, I spoke to some guy who was the head instructor. He was really trying to sell the art and get me to join. So in passing, I mention to this guy that I've been training BJJ for the past 2 1/2 years, I mean really casual. I swear I wasn't bragging about my art. IMMEDIATELY, this guy's tone changes. HE GETS REALLY DEFENSIVE:

"This art isn't grappling....it's fighting."
"We do a lot of ground work too."
"This isn't a sport it's true fighting."
(Now this was really insulting. But I let the guy talk.) "We don't always go to the ground. We assume there's more than one opponent."
"We HAVE adapted this style to sport and my instructor had 31 knockouts" (This comment almost made me laugh. Sadly, I neglected to ask who his instrcutor has knocked out....maybe Fedor.)

Now I don't mean this thread to be a slight on silat martial arts. I truly appreciate knife and stick fighting. But has anyone here had a similar experience? Mentioning BJJ or MMA to a TMA and have them get REALLY defensive.
 
Notice that folks only get defensive when they feel inadaquate, like they have to prove something...
 
Yeah, I get the same thing. Usually they attack the sport aspect of BJJ. I just nod mostly. If you let them talk long enough they usually back themselves into a corner.
 
The Sickness said:
Notice that folks only get defensive when they feel inadaquate, like they have to prove something...
Yup. As soon as he realised he wasnt dealing with some impressionable n00b that wouldnt buy his BS he started backpedalling.

I normally just nod & smile, say "thanks" and leave.
 
I get shit talk from TMA'ers all the time..I Have A friend whos Mother Owns A one of The ATA Karate For Kids Mc Dojo's(If you live in Vegas there everywhere) and I just went to pick him up and Bring Him To LVCC(Cause he wants to get away From The BS thats going on in there Dojo and wants to See How BJJ works)So when I entered the Dojo to Pick him up I didnt speak to anyone or Bragged about BJJ or Anything..and I was Getting Dirty looks from some of the Instructors cause I had A Fedor shirt on..so I sitted in the parents area and waiting for the class to be over..When Class was over My Friend said whats up too me and He Introduced me to the other instrctors and I was Polite and said hi to all them and shook hands too..They Asked me What Style I was in and I said Brazilian Jiu Jitsu..And they all started there Oh BJJ is just a sport its not Meant for the Streets and all and they got all defenseive and shit..for Some reason most TMAer's Hate MMA and all
 
My illusions were shattered when a local TKD or Karate club (cant remember what) gave a demonstration including breaking boards of wood at my primary school (I was 12 at the time)

Afterwards I took 2 pieces they didnt end up using, got my friend to hold them & broke one with a single untrained punch. My friend broke the other one on his head. The light dawned on both of us early on.
 
Oh yeah I just remembered this comment:

"We don't arm lock poeple. We gouge, tear and rip people." (I remember thinking: Jesus, I wouldn't last one day in that place. How the hell do you practice that safely?)
 
physicaltherapy said:
"We don't arm lock poeple. We gouge, tear and rip people." (I remember thinking: Jesus, I wouldn't last one day in that place. How the hell do you practice that safely?)
If someone trys to "gouge, tear, and rip me I'm gonna take 'em down and use the ol' knee on face, slap 'em about a bit like I think Royce did to a guy in Gracies In Action, then just put the pressure on till they tap. I find a lot of noobs to grappling will tap to the pressure.
 
They had such nice uniforms too.....Silk pants and stuff with colorful sashes......I felt like such a bum. I train with my rashguard with the faded underarmor logo and ripped up boardshorts
 
Yeah at a festival i went to a couple weeks ago, there was a demonstration of karate by some dojo, the funny thing was, is that this one kid couldn't break the wooden board after like 5 tries, they also had cheap 80's techno music as they all got in a line and bowed. lol funny stuff
 
Ybot said:
If someone trys to "gouge, tear, and rip me I'm gonna take 'em down and use the ol' knee on face, slap 'em about a bit like I think Royce did to a guy in Gracies In Action, then just put the pressure on till they tap. I find a lot of noobs to grappling will tap to the pressure.


Yeah TMAers are funny...like I don't know how to eye gouge....it's so easy. It takes no skill to bite and eye gouge. Let me tell you...if I can set up the twister......eye gouging is like 20 rungs below on the mental effort scale.

The difference is......that guy will be trying to eye gouge me inefficiently while he's in my guard. While I'll be eye gouging him while I'm on mount.
 
physicaltherapy said:
They had such nice uniforms too.....Silk pants and stuff with colorful sashes......I felt like such a bum. I train with my rashguard with the faded underarmor logo and ripped up boardshorts
man we bjj guys are such bums
 
infamous mattyd said:
man we bjj guys are such bums
No way man. Compare our Gi's to those worn by Karate or Tae Kwon Do guys. There stuff are like pajamas. Even their best stuff. I will admit that some styles are classy, I love the Hakama (I think it's called) that Aikido and Kendo guys wear, makes them look like real samurais. But most stuff, even the flashy pretty stuff, doesn't have the kind of workmenship that a good jiu-jitsu or judo gi does.
 
Ybot said:
No way man. Compare our Gi's to those worn by Karate or Tae Kwon Do guys. There stuff are like pajamas. Even their best stuff. I will admit that some styles are classy, I love the Hakama (I think it's called) that Aikido and Kendo guys wear, makes them look like real samurais. But most stuff, even the flashy pretty stuff, doesn't have the kind of workmenship that a good jiu-jitsu or judo gi does.

True....I prance around my apartment with my Gameness Gold Weave posing in front of the mirror going "This is my ARMOR baby!!!" Then my fiance rolls her eyes.
 
physicaltherapy said:
True....I prance around my apartment with my Gameness Gold Weave posing in front of the mirror going "This is my ARMOR baby!!!" Then my fiance rolls her eyes.
LOL. Keep goin like that & you might not make it to the wedding.
 
i remember my old kajukembo sifu saying to me "ah the gracies all you gotta do is break there knee and there useless"

looking back at it now....i wish i could time travel back in time and take myself outta that shit and enroll my younger self in boxing or something.
 
its too bad that guy had to get all defensive instead of just being cool. Its that type of attitude that gives TMAs a bad rep. Kung-fu schools especially seem to be real arrogant and defensive about that crap.
 
Sohei said:
its too bad that guy had to get all defensive instead of just being cool. Its that type of attitude that gives TMAs a bad rep. Kung-fu schools especially seem to be real arrogant and defensive about that crap.

Because they are the most ineffective they need to cover themselves up with more shit talk than most.

The best reply to any TMA theoretical "solution" to grappling is "show me". Ask them to spar. When they say no, tell them you wouldn
 
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