The Future of Martial Arts - Part 3

Alright, then. (In my Carl de Billy Bob Thornton voice)

So we have explored the issue of age and of character as they relate to martial arts training. Now, let's jump into the universe of technology. After all, it changes the training, the thinking behind the application of techniques, and even creates opportunities to get ahead of impending or potential dangers.

Primitive implementations such as sticks, blades and fisticuffs vary per culture. The mindsets are different, and the advancement of their applications came about as times changed. They gained in effectiveness until they gave way to tools that negated their impact on warfare. Yet, the limbs that wield them are global. The minds that fashioned them and fine-tuned them continue to grow.

The idea of exponential effect increased our reach and power, bringing about faster and more devastating weaponry. This could take our discussion so far as to include weapons of mass destruction, but we will stay on topic by limiting ourselves to that of armed combat on a one-to-one basis. That is not saying that one man cannot destroy or absolutely defend himself against multiple opponents. It does, however, speak to the fact that only one person can only truly battle one person at a time, even as he faces multiples.

Anyway, in this day and age, we learn martial arts in a school that teaches us the basics by drilling in the techniques. We learn to string them together in the form of step-sparring or forms, which leads us deeper into understanding of the concepts that make them effective. Then we stretch that understanding so that we can use our tools or weapons while applying those concepts and techniques even more efficiently.

Here, we see that the technology is closely aligned with the concept to extend the martial artist's abilities into the realm of mastery. But technology gets a bit more complex as we look at the various styles and arts that are available to the average person. Therefore, it stands to reason that one of the things that changes (as far as technology goes) is the method of teaching and learning.

Since the advent of video technology, we have seen a magnitude of instructional videos come onto the market. Of course, there is validity to it as a reference source, and just as there are many who have studied them to improve on skills and understanding, there are those who proclaim themselves to be learned based on the gleaned knowledge. I am not here to judge, one way or the other. In fact, as a young man, it was my desire to have a library of instructional martial arts books that would rival the Smithsonian collection. When video came along, I expanded my library (imaginary, though it was) to include them all.

When I matured, I realized that I would not have been able to study them all well enough to master much of it, at all. Even more importantly, I could not HOPE to afford all the videos that caught my attention as I planned for martial arts supremacy. I have videos that I collected much later in my life, and at a much higher level in my training that I still have not viewed. The fact is that I may never get around to it.

I bear this all in mind whenever I come across a younger martial artist who thinks they need to have all such knowledge that is available. It comes from the older me and the elders who spoke it into my understanding when I tell them it is better to study what you are learning, instead of digging higher. Did you catch that? Digging higher..  That's like taking your shovel and just shoveling the dirt that has already been displaced from the ground, hoping to get deeper. Not going to happen.

Again, there is a place for it. Knowledge is out there to be gained. But the right approach to learning information is to avoid the temptation to gain it all, yet understand very little of what you aspire to learn. The term the older masters often used to describe this is "Mile Wide, Inch Deep."

With this as the basis of my discussion of this subject, let us prepare go more into the speculative side of the matter. In my next entry, we will get to what I hope is the point of this discussion. After all, when we look at where we have been and where it is, currently, some things are evident about the future of martial arts. Right?

The Future of Martial Arts - Part 2

Alright. So, I have already prefaced this subject matter by stating that I appreciate the eventuality of aging affecting the usage of martial arts in battle. Let's go a little deeper. Let's discuss the fact of escalation, especially as it applies to martial arts. After all, the common concept of never bringing a knife to a gunfight is one that has validity in ANY era of humanity.

Age factors even into that kind of notion, because sooner or later, reflexes play a part in how fast you can get the guns going. Let's say that this relates to a scenario where all things are equal, otherwise. But let us take the technology to another level. For instance, let us say that a middle-aged martial artist has an altercation with an older one and they both are equally skilled. The younger has carpel tunnel syndrome and the elder has arthritis, and they both opt for guns. Who would win?

All the factors may play a part, but appreciating that the risk is just as high for one as for the other is key, here. The wisdom of the elder with a hair triggered weapon might cancel out the faster coordination and harder kick of the younger man's weapon. It could just as easily go the other direction, as well. The point is that even an unskilled child with a gun can be dangerous to a veteran in the wrong situation. That's where the wisdom might save his day. It is that wisdom that we should strive to achieve.

Further down the rabbit hole:

In a world where there are so many unskilled people with guns, does it negate the effectiveness of martial arts training? Does the current body of martial arts properly deal with the factor of random violence from out of range? What are the real benefits of martial arts, given the sense of uselessness that everyday news stories about the darkness of humanity tends to make it seem moot?

Sure, the typical school has a list of tenets that show it has its heart in the right place. However, lip service does not equate to outcome. And when the culture of the school (not the same as the cultural leanings or ties) is one of cash flow, as they must be in order to keep the doors open and lights on, it is often just part of the marketing strategy. That is to say that the message gets lost in the shuffle of compromise. It's a sad reality.

Of course, it still sounds nice. In fact, it is always a positive note when the occasional student pays respect to his or her club after a level of success, attributing that success to those tenets and to the mentorship they have received as student. So the question, going forward, is whether or not we can keep even that level of character building as we head into the higher tech that awaits us in the future.

When watching one of my favorite movies, The Matrix, it prescribed a possible manner of martial arts education via instant downloads. Not an inkling of mentorship was alluded to in the science of it all. I guess when AI gets to be intelligent or conscious enough, it may become feasible to believe the same can be inserted into a person. I don't think it will, but who am I to say. I only write the science fiction I can imagine, on occasion.

So that is the spiritual aspect, if you will. In my next entry, I will go a little more into the technological side of this subject.