Post by bbqpit on May 10, 2013 9:46:41 GMT -5
Ok, it's been a while since I've been in a traditional martial arts dojo. Probably close to 12 years actually (my background is that I started off in wrestling, did TKD for 9 years, then switched to MMA for about 8 years, and now I'm currently taking Goju ryu and Judo... two separate dojos, not at the same one) and during my Goju ryu training, I am reminded of why TMA annoys me so much.
Every time we practice our blocks we do this STUPID thing where we "cross" our arms and then execute the block. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=992-liYcF9Y) And every time we throw a punch, or block, or anything, the hand not executing the technique gets "chambered" to our side. I HATED doing this in TKD and I actually forgot how much I did until I started taking Goju ryu.
What the heck is the point of this? To make matters worse, the Goju ryu instructor, is constantly saying, "Now in a real fight you wouldn't block like this...." or one time there was a new student trying to spar and blocking like that and the instructor stopped him and essentially said, "No, this is real time now, you don't block like that in real time". So in other words, we're spending at least 1/4 of class time learning something that is not only stupid but doesn't even work.
I don't want to hear some excuse like, "Oh, we block like that because if someone grabs your wrist, it is simulating how to break the wrist-hold"... NO! Because if someone grabs my wrist, I'm not going to just start making crosses with my arms, as there are so many other effective ways out.
Oh and that's another thing, why is everything "hidden"? I've always wondered why in TMA we don't just learn the techniques the way we would use them in a fight. That's why I like MMA's training methods. We train the way it WOULD work. We don't spend hours learning a technique only to say, "Well, now that it's time for the real thing, forget everything you've just been taught". That's stupid.
And Judo teaches stuff that isn't practical too. Since I have six years of collegiate wrestling experience and 8 years of MMA, I've always been used to gi-less grappling... and a lot of the leveraging with the gi in Judo isn't realistic.. but it doesn't bother me as much as the stuff in Goju ryu... well because I look pretty badass in my Judogi so at least there is a good reason to have it.
Every time we practice our blocks we do this STUPID thing where we "cross" our arms and then execute the block. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=992-liYcF9Y) And every time we throw a punch, or block, or anything, the hand not executing the technique gets "chambered" to our side. I HATED doing this in TKD and I actually forgot how much I did until I started taking Goju ryu.
What the heck is the point of this? To make matters worse, the Goju ryu instructor, is constantly saying, "Now in a real fight you wouldn't block like this...." or one time there was a new student trying to spar and blocking like that and the instructor stopped him and essentially said, "No, this is real time now, you don't block like that in real time". So in other words, we're spending at least 1/4 of class time learning something that is not only stupid but doesn't even work.
I don't want to hear some excuse like, "Oh, we block like that because if someone grabs your wrist, it is simulating how to break the wrist-hold"... NO! Because if someone grabs my wrist, I'm not going to just start making crosses with my arms, as there are so many other effective ways out.
Oh and that's another thing, why is everything "hidden"? I've always wondered why in TMA we don't just learn the techniques the way we would use them in a fight. That's why I like MMA's training methods. We train the way it WOULD work. We don't spend hours learning a technique only to say, "Well, now that it's time for the real thing, forget everything you've just been taught". That's stupid.
And Judo teaches stuff that isn't practical too. Since I have six years of collegiate wrestling experience and 8 years of MMA, I've always been used to gi-less grappling... and a lot of the leveraging with the gi in Judo isn't realistic.. but it doesn't bother me as much as the stuff in Goju ryu... well because I look pretty badass in my Judogi so at least there is a good reason to have it.