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You can read it on forums around the net. Martial artists complaining and bitching about Mixed Martial Arts… constantly.

Some of the things I have read:

1. MMA is not realistic. There are rules, so it is not a “real” fight.
2. UFC fighters (or any other MMA organization for that matter) do not show a lot of technical skill.
3. You don’t want to go to the ground in a street fight, so the grappling seen in MMA is not realistic.
4. Training for sport is not the same as training for the “street”. Therefore training in a sport-type setting is a waste of time.

While some of these points are valid, taking them in the context they were presented is very short-sighted in my opinion.

Let’s look at some of the points presented above.

MMA is not realistic. There are rules, so it is not a “real” fight.

No shit Sherlock!

No one I know of has EVER claimed that MMA is a “real” fight. It has been claimed that it’s as close to a real fight as you can get with rules. It is also a one-on-one battle. You obviously don’t have to worry about his buddy kicking you while you’re on the ground, your opponent pulling a knife out, falling on a concrete floor, etc.

UFC fighters (or any other MMA organization for that matter) do not show a lot of technical skill.

This is just silly. Obviously there are varying degrees of skill presented, but to say that the majority of fighters do not exhibit a high level of skill shows ignorance on the part of those stating this. The level of UFC fighters has consistently risen since its inception. There was a short time when it seemed to be more spectacle than sport, but that was a loooong time ago.

You don’t want to go to the ground in a street fight, so the grappling seen in MMA is not realistic.

Not realistic? Again… another absurdity. While I agree that the ground is not the best place to be in a street fight, the reality is that sometimes you end up there. I would be willing to bet that the majority of MMA fighters have a much better understanding of grappling than many of these self-proclaimed “street fighters”.

Training for sport is not the same as training for the “street”. Therefore training in a sport-type setting is a waste of time.

As for the first sentence, I totally agree. But it falls apart in the second sentence.

The beauty of sports training is that you can train against a fully-resisting opponent. Something that you can’t always do when training techniques that maim or kill.

Can you simulate these techniques in sports training? Of course you can! And that’s exactly what you should be doing if your focus is on effective self-defense.

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The problem is, these people feel so threatened by MMA that they lash back at every opportunity. Instead of taking the good from MMA and adopting it to enhance their own training, all they can do is make excuses about their training and bitch about the quality and effectiveness of MMA/NHB.

On the other hand, I do see a lot of MMAers that mistakenly think that since they perform well within the confines of the sport, that naturally they can defend themselves in the street. While this may be true in the majority of cases, it could also lead to a rude awakening against a skilled “reality-based” practitioner.

My point in all of this is that the bitching should stop! Take advantage of the many positives that MMA training can afford the martial artist who focuses on self-defense. Adopt some of the training methods used in MMA. As long as you keep your focus on self-defense, you will be able to reap the benefits of both methods.

Two stellar examples of using sport training as a way of enhancing your self-defense training are:

- Straight Blast Gym - (Look at their weapons training and the ISR Matrix.)
- Senshido - Richard Dimitri has one the best programs out there for dealing with violence.

I know that MMA is in the forefront of martial arts these days. Hell, you can’t turn on the TV without some kind of MMA event being presented. Many feel threatened by this. Personally, I see this as a good thing. Get over it! Learn from it!

AND STOP YOUR BITCHING!!!

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