 A lingering point of contention found in today's world of martial arts is the bait between which one is better, traditional martial arts or modern arts, typically what you find in MMA. Now we already covered the whole debate between which one was better in a previous episode, but I think a big wild card in context falls on the definition we choose to apply to the word traditional. So what exactly is a traditional martial art and which disciplines fall under that banner? Is karate a traditional martial art? What Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kung Fu, kickboxing, which of these arts are we going to classify under the moniker traditional arts? What does it mean for an art to be traditional or not? Most of the martial artists in the world consider what they practice more or less a traditional system, but this term is quite controversial, especially applied to martial arts. People define traditional as belonging to or relating to the tradition, which is transmitted through it, that it follows the ideas, rules, or customs of the past. We get to find a traditional martial art as a martial art of a past transmitted from generation to generation. In this sense, many masters consider a martial art traditional and that it has at its foundation the transmission and preservation of the knowledge of the past, but honestly that's just a bunch of pedantic word salad. If we stick to such a textbook definition of tradition, then congratulations, we've answered the question. All marks are traditional martial arts, but the truth is this is more of a fluid concept and several factors make it difficult to establish a clear criteria that differentiate the traditional martial arts from those that are not. The uninitiated will probably focus their attention on the superficial aspects of an art, such as required uniform and patches, traditional belt ranking systems, the use of foreign vocabulary, the greedy rituals, etc. And what about the systems that start from a specific geographical location and are spread in recent years throughout the world, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu across Maga? Can or will they be considered traditional? See, these questions and many more like it make it very difficult, if not almost impossible, to distinguish traditional martial arts from those that are not, or at least establish a clear line of division. In reality there is probably not a line but a wide band of fuzzy edges in which traditional and non-traditional merge and aren't separable. It is very clear that there are very different points of views. For example, let's say that we define traditional martial arts as those that utilize a specific traditional uniform, such as a gi and color belt systems, foreign terms to use in the curriculum, and formalized greetings and school etiquette. Okay, well that easily applies to karate, kempo, judo, aikido, taekwondo, and even more exotic arts such as vova nam from Vietnam. Okay, that makes sense, until we point out that Brazilian jiu-jitsu also uses uniform gi's and belt ranking systems, and they even sometimes will use Japanese names as counterparts to the techniques that they've taken from judo. But if you were to ask MMA practitioners, most of them would probably tell you that BJJ is not a traditional art, but a more modern contemporary fighting method. Why would they say that? The most common reason I hear given is because MMA arts are purely fight-focused and don't spend time in kata or philosophy, but rather on competitive fighting. Okay, fair point that I would give to BJJ. They don't practice kata, and the focus of the training is actual hands-on resistance fighting and rolling. The same thing also applies to boxing, wrestling, and kickboxing. But what about judo? Judo is very popular in mixed martial arts for its competitive ability, and is in fact the sport version of a grappling system devised from an older traditional jiu-jitsu. But yet it also established the traditions of the dogi and the belt ranking system, so it seems to kind of have one foot in each category. But look back on older karate from Okinawa. It's very different than what we see in karate today. Original Okinawan karate was very self-defense focused and had grappling, throws, joint locks, and destructions along with the powerful strikes that characterized the art. But karate is a good example because we could split this even further into another perspective. Perhaps traditional martial arts refer to older disciplines versus newer ones. The comparison between Okinawan karate and Japanese karate highlights the differences between the eras of the empty hand. For example, in Japanese karate, formality and honor is extremely important, and they often take a regimented approach through cultural activities extending to the martial arts. There is a strict sense of etiquette, and Japanese dojos, for example, the requirement of bowing before and after class, and in response to instruction from the sensei. It is also considered bad form to question the instructor or the technique. The Japanese systems tend to be much more regimented focused on the specific technical details of a technique and taught in such a way to be taught to a large group of students at once. Uniformity is held in high regard. In contrast, the Okinawan system tends to be much less formal. Classes are smaller and instructors are inclined to give individual attention to each student and even go so far as to tailor the art to the individual. Questions and understanding are more acceptable as it's more about understanding why you're doing what you're doing more than simply making it uniform and proper. Japanese karate is also far more competitive focused than Okinawan and in many ways, leaves behind a lot of curriculum of the original karate systems. Kijin Funakoshi, the father of Shotokan karate and the man who popularized karate in Japan, adopted the gi and belt ranking system developed by friend and judo founder Jigoro Kano. Many people think of the belt system as an ancient ranking system that's been around for centuries, but it's a contemporary addition to the martial arts. Interestingly enough, the older, traditional Okinawan arts didn't have a ranking system, but later the influence worked backwards and many Okinawan schools adopted the gi and belt system once its popularity spread in Japan. So in the topic of what defines a system as traditional or not, karate is interesting to study because you can see evidence of that overlap. There is a fairly clear division between Okinawan and Japanese karate, but there is also a lot of cross-influence with each other and when it comes to comparing it to MMA, karate as a whole often gets shoved into the traditional martial arts category. So is there a specific line that we can draw on the sand to define what is traditional or not? Is it based on philosophy, lineage, age? And since we're on the topic of Japan, let's take a look at how they attempted to distinguish the traditional classic arts from modern systems. In 1868, Emperor Meiji restored proper imperial rule to Japan, formally transforming Japan into a new era of industry and Western influence. This is known as the Meiji Restoration. During this time, it was declared that the older martial arts before this time be classified as Koryu Bujitsu or older martial arts. This includes many of the ancient arts and the arts of the samurai. Arts that were developed or formally established after the Meiji Restoration were referred to as Gendai Budo or new martial arts. Okay, so there we have it. It settled 1868. Anything before this is traditional and anything after is modern, right? If we're only that easy in that clear cut. Black Belt magazine had an expert pointed out how silly it was to make such a distinction. They asked, does this mean if a Japanese martial art was created on December 31, 1867, it should be classified as a Koryu art while a similar martial art created on January 1, 1868 should be considered modern? When put into that perspective, it does seem a bit trivial. To be honest, to argue over whether a martial art is traditional or not is a trivial debate at this foundation. The distinction becomes less clear when you change the context of the art. Let's take Muay Thai as an example. Muay Thai is one of the most popular arts seen in MMA. And in the context of the ring and competitive fighting, it is considered streamlined and purely combat focused. But that's in the ring. You know, that's in the octagon. As we recently talked about in the episode, the traditions of Muay Thai, the artist practice much differently when isolated on its own. It was derived from much older battlefield art of Muay Baran and has a heavy infusion of Thai culture interwoven with his training. Fighters not only learn techniques, but they place great importance on prayer and ceremonial head pieces as well as put a lot of effort into developing ritualistic dances to be performed before a fight. For some, it is considered a traditional art due to the weight it has within the entire Thai culture. How from a young age boys and girls want to be a champion in the art, the respect the seniors get for these practices and how it represents a great deal of Thailand's history. If we stick to the definition of tradition as a practice or knowledge passed from one generation to another with an important amount of spirituality, then yes, we can consider Muay Thai a traditional martial art. So to get right down to the root of the issue, the only reason this debate really seems to be any forefront discussion is disparage older systems for those that we see used in MMA competitions. I think people tend to get so tied up into which art is better versus what they can use their chosen arts for to make themselves better. And as I stated in several videos this year, one of our main goals in this channel is to unite the martial arts community and erase the boundaries we use to disparage each other to open doors and show you some positive aspects of other arts you may be able to appreciate, even if you do not choose to use it as your own. But if we had to take a stance and pick a definition here as to how we would classify a traditional martial art, I would like to refer to a quote I saw somebody post online, Cybing their sources black about magazine and that said traditional martial arts refer to the martial art that is rooted in the tenets set forth by the original master of the art. Subsequent masters are chosen to carry on the traditional teachings of that particular art. Often the traditional martial art is rooted in the country's history. As such, traditional martial arts training implies that students uphold the philosophical principles of the art and practice the techniques in a similar fashion to the founders or in their own styles, natural progression. So I would agree with that. I would say a traditional martial art follows a specific path in lineage as well as codifying a specific set curriculum. A formal syllabus and possible a ranking or hierarchy system. I also believe that a traditional system places equal focus on its philosophy, academic studies and personal growth as it does on strict fighting in the combat. I think that if we can generalize to that broad definition, it's a little bit easier to classify. But the truth is, does it even really matter? Just because something is older or newer or one focuses on fighting more than another doesn't make it better. We evolve from hand to hand combat battlefield days. And in our modern age, as many reasons as we can think of to join the martial arts and for as many goals that we might want to set, there are just as many solutions out there. Whether you want to be a cage fighter or learn self-defense or into tournaments or recover from an illness or injury or you just want to learn history, then there are plenty of arts out there for you. What really matters is that you know specifically what you want. Do your research, check some places out and then find a school that feels right. It's about making choices and using the martial arts for what they were ultimately intended for, making a better you. So I'm just curious, how would you distinguish traditional martial arts? Which arts do you feel are best for your goals? Let us know in the comments down below and thanks for watching.