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by Shaun Devoy
In an effort to survive
all things must adapt. Those who fail to transform and
persevere through change fall the same fate of the dinosaurs.
The martial arts are no exception to this universal constant.
The unarmed combat techniques of the samurai are an excellent
example of this. Jujutsu in a little over one hundred years
has seen two of the most drastic changes in its entire
history.
The first being the shift away from
Kata (form) based training to more Randori (“controlled
chaos”/free sparring) based training pushed by Jigoro Kano’s
Kodokan Judo. This adaptation took training from the
theoretical to the practical; where a technique is only
effective to the degree it can be applied to a resisting
opponent. In essence the range of techniques also changed due
to the sociopolitical climate of a modernizing Japan.
Practical training was no longer focused on a combatant
winning on a battlefield using weapons against multiple
opponents; rather the range was redefined to one on one combat
using agreed upon rules. Specialization in this new range of
combat would grow rapidly and spawn many new techniques and
approaches.
The second drastic change was the
inception of competition between competing approaches, from
both striking (percussionary) arts and grappling arts. Many
pre-UFC competitions brought insight into what attributes a
fighter must posses in a one to one altercation in order to be
effective, but it took the larger scale of the UFC to gain
mass appeal. Kano’s Judo proved to be very successful (through
its eclectic modern version “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu” based on
Kosen tactics) against fighters of most disciplines. This
dominance was due to the relatively unknown techniques of
ground fighting (newaza), even among Judo practitioners who
(at that time) were training primarily in the area standing
techniques (tachi waza), particularly throws (nage waza).
Recent MMA (mixed martial arts) competitions have seen the
rise of “ground wise” strikers and “strike wise” grapples,
bringing back a well rounded approach to fighting. Those
practicing the techniques of grappling used for victory in
early style vs. style competitions are no longer effective,
due to the change in tide of the opponents. With the
abolishment of the gi (uniform) in the UFC, many techniques
requiring the control of the fabric are now ineffective. Thus,
the birth of new techniques and the universals of change
continue.
Modern one to one
competitive MMA deals with attributes from both striking and
grappling approaches. Three primary phases/ areas must be
mastered: free movement phase, clinch fighting phase, and the
ground fighting phase. Each phase requires different
attributes. No single “style” contains all the elements, so as
time passes by each martial artist will inevitably practice a
myriad of techniques and styles in order keep up with the
change.
References: Mastering
Jujitsu by Gracie and Danaher, Kodokan Judo by Jigoro Kano.
About the author: Shaun
Devoy has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and is a martial
arts instructor based in Utah. He has over 20 years of martial
arts experience, training throughout the U.S.A., Japan, South
Korea, and South Africa.
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