Practically a Martial Art

One does not spend more than a day among martial artists before the word "practicality" is thrown out like a padded MMA gauntlet.  Growing up in America, there is always a group of people in every situation who doubt everything ever.  My theory was that it was social "little man" syndrome; a feeling that since they knew less, they were less, so anything they didn't know was not worth knowing in the first place.

We all know their arguments: "but what if I had a gun?"  "yeah, but what if they just did ." "none of that will save you if the guy has like... giant arms".  

By this time, we're all preeety much just bored with them.  Denying the effectiveness of martial arts in the days of MMA is like claiming that dogs can't look up.  We've tested that theory daily.

But, this hang-up on "practicality" in martial arts circles is basically the same thing, but directed at other arts.  It's like being a martial arts racist.  I've yet to know of a style where someone who did a different style, did not question the practicality of something.

"Wing Chun doesn't hit hard."
"Muay thai let's you get hit."
"Karate is the Dane Cook of martial arts."

Granted, there is a degree of questioning one should do in every martial art as to "will this actually work?  I mean, I'm pretty sure it will, but I've yet to master the required Hadoken..."  Also, I've been at "demonstrations" where the proposed art did literally nothing.

I'm looking at you "guy who told me he could knock me out from across the room"...

I hear a lot from MMA fighters that their spor- I mean "art"... no, I meant sport, is "practical".  Frequently in regards to "conditioning", "technique" and "realism".  Which, is hilarious to me, to say the least.  Remember kids, MMA is a fantasy sport, where no one pulls knives, friends don't come in, and you never ate too much before a fight.

On the scale of "realism", MMA falls about equal with the SCA combats.  At the end of the day, if you took an MMA fighter and threw him to a gang of thugs, he'd last longer than a non-mma fighter.  Same can be said for any SCA fighter tossed to a group of sword-swinging knights.

Though I will state right now, that proportionately, the SCA fighter would out last their non-fighter, much longer than the MMA fighter would out last their non-fighter.  Because it's hard to run away crying in armor.

Now, is MMA a martial art?  No, it is a martial sport.  It's the equivalent of Mortal Kombat in real life.  A group of colorfully dressed people with strangely diverse martial arts, fight each other for a bit, but no one actually dies*.

*Because they're still available next time you select characters.

Is SCA a martial art?  No, it's live action MMO PvP.  We have goals, group dynamics, different classes (weapon sets), roles (commanders, scouts...), Moderators, and of course, respawns.

Both systems actually require a detailed knowledge of martial arts, I don't know a single fencer/heavy/MMA fighter who doesn't know at least six horrifying ways to murder someone that could never, ever be used in the SCA/MMA.

Are they practical?  Less than actually slitting throats.  Is it a martial art?  Not really.  What is it?  Martial Activity/Sport... and fun.


Side notes:  Things that happen at both types of combat events:
-Theme music
-Drinking/eating
-Hot girls in revealing clothing.
-Gratuitous man-hugging.
-Old guys debating theory while young guys beat each other senseless.
-Tattoos.
-Everyone is scared of the woman fighters.
-Barefoot adults.
-Armchair generals.
-Support teams.
-Folding chairs.
-Muscle-bound-non-combat men feeling immediately inadequate.
-Sweet after parties.
-People selling over priced clothing.
-Broken, bleeding fighters drinking beer and talking about "things".