Why do people think Martial Arts is just about fighting?

The aim of Martial Arts training should fall into two broad catagories:


a. Lifelong training to perfect the ART with self defence as a by-product, (eg; Aikido, Karate-Do, Gung fu)


b. Training for self defence against unproked attack (eg; Jujutsu, Kali,etc)


Sport or competitive martial arts is a modern spin on the above because the westerners can%26#039;t help wanting to see who is best and promoters can make money on it. Where are all the real Martial Artists?|||the real martial artists don%26#039;t get the spot light because they have no love for senseless promotionalism.





They are out there, but are hard to find. Grandmaster Sin Kwan The is the grandmaster of Shaolin and owns a line of schools called Shaolin-do, which are dedicated to the true way of martial arts.





Good Capoeira masters also fall under this category. So do the practitioners of ki-aikido. At least the ones I%26#039;ve met.|||Sparring sessions had always been a must for improvements. To prevent irreversible injuries, many martial art came out with rules and protections for training. In the past, sparrings between schools also act as a form of measurement of skills among different schools. Thus i think that was also a form of marketing for their own school.





Learning martial art aren%26#039;t just abt wat u stated. I teach my students to understand their body using martial art. I try to impart my skills and values that my dad and grandfather taught me without charging a cent. Does that make me a good martial artist?





Martial artist making a living out of students aren%26#039;t bad. Martial artist teaching bad stuffs and making the students think they are good is bad:)|||i train for fitness and to increase the power of my spirit(chi/ki/mana etc)





:p





self defence doesnt even come into it|||You show very little knowledge of martial arts and their history here. If you want to make an assertion, for instance, you need to back it up.





You say the aim of martial arts SHOULD be a few things, but you don%26#039;t say why, and you have nothing to show what you say to be true.





If you aren%26#039;t alive, you can%26#039;t pass on the martial art, so the first aim of any martial art should be fighting. And if you don%26#039;t fight, then you aren%26#039;t learning fighting.





Period.





The real martial artists are putting it on the line to see if their stuff works, and fighting all comers in public.





The fakes are busy selling you a line about morals and values and %26#039;for the street%26#039;, and %26#039;too dangerous to spar%26#039; and 15th dan rankings, and Super Soke Grandmaster Great Poobah Fat Guy With Ten Black Belts.





Wake up.|||Many martial arts also teach moral values and provide guidance for children who join the ranks of those learning the art. Many arts require those who achieve black belt or the equivalent to take an oath restricting their use of their knowledge. Martial artists also receive specific instructions in mental and emotional discipline.


Its not just fighting and anyone who thinks so obviously knows nothing about the art