We recently posted on the community board of our YouTube Video Channel about the hostility toward other Martial Arts shown by our subscribers on our videos showing Martial Arts styles other than their own. This was prompted by the overwhelming comments we see everyday in our videos on YouTube. For some reason, people are compelled to defend their own style as the only way to “win a real fight” while criticizing all other styles of martial arts. These comments are with complete disregard for why “someone train in martial arts in the first place?” But this raises another very important question about why we train in martial arts – another topic for another day! So below is our actual posts from our YouTube Channel Community:
So let’s talk about why we see so much hostility toward different martial arts styles, Karate, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kung Fu and so on. We see this regularly in the comments of videos, with viewers criticisms of any martial art but their own. So what is the problem?
We can explore this by using an old analogy of climbing a very large mountain. The base is very large and we have a number of martial arts exponents of different styles at the bottom, which means they are far apart from each other. Slowly they begin to walk up the mountain. Over the years as they move toward the top of the mountain, the martial artists get closer – they can see what the other person is about. More years go by and finally everyone reaches the top of the mountain – they reach the same goal. While their paths may be different their goal is not and each style will achieve the same results for that person. Some martial artists do it to help with focusing their life so they keep on a good path. Some do it to overcome shyness. Some train for competitions and winning. Some train for competitions just to participate. Some train to meet people and travel. Yes, some train only for self defense. Some train for all of these reasons.
People train in a certain martial art for reasons which you will never discover if you choose not to climb the mountain and meet them at the top. It can take many years but once you get there, your mind will be more open and free of prejudice. Until then… enjoy your martial art whatever it is.
We see hostile comments usually aimed at a martial art that is misunderstood like Kyudo (Japanese Archery) or even popular styles like Aikido and Shorinji Kempo. At Empty Mind Films we have been fortunate to be exposed to most of the World’s Martial Arts over our 25 years and through this we come to regard it as a treasure. There is plenty of space on this planet for all the styles we have seen. Yes critique by all means – we love a healthy debate about the merits of technique – but do not be abusive. That’s all we ask.
