In my last blog I talked about how I have a love/hate relationship with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). On one hand, I hate the fact that MMA is seen by the public as a barbaric sport that only tattooed thugs participate in. On the other hand, I love the fact that MMA has exposed much of the BS that is taught in many martial arts schools.
The more I think about it, the more I appreciate MMA for educating the public who watch it on what actually works in a real fight. Now, I know that many reality-based martial arts instructors will say that MMA is not a real fight because there are rules. They may have a point, but I will dare anyone to go up to Anderson Silva and tell him that he cannot defend himself.
The point is, MMA may not have made it completely clear what works in a street fight, but they have made it clear what does not and that is traditional martial arts or what some people call authentic, old-styled martial arts. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against people doing the traditional-styled martial arts as an art form. Believe me, I come from a traditional background and I know all about the skill it takes to perform a good Kata and I have a lot of respect for it. Just please don’t tell me it has anything to do with defending yourself.
Why would anyone wanting to learn how to defend themselves study a system of martial arts that would have them throwing punches in flat footed, immobile balances, while bringing their hands back to their hip?
I am so tired of seeing an 11-year black belt who can perform a cartwheel kick having the false sense of security that the martial arts he/she learned will help him/her defend themselves.
I know many martial arts schools try to teach both; traditional martial arts and modern self defense. They’ll teach the traditional Katas, or forms, so they have enough curriculum to teach students as they advance through the ranks. Then in the last 10 minutes of class, when the students spar, they’ll finally talk about keeping their hands up, moving, and developing a good fighting stance.
The truth is, most children who train in the martial arts only participate twice a week for 45 minutes to an hour. Just how much real self-defense can you teach when you dedicate so little time to it? Plus, most traditional martial arts contradict what it takes to teach a child what they really need to know when it comes to defending against a bully.
After taking a 5 year break, I’ve started teaching children martial arts again because I have a 5 year old son and I want to make sure he can defend himself. I only teach him and my other Elite martial arts students what I believe will work in the ring or in the street; that’s it. This doesn’t mean that our class is undisciplined. I still strongly believe in the traditional structure of the martial arts, with the student’s social behavior tied to their progress. I just don’t believe in the traditional techniques.
People will think that I’m ‘anti-tradition’ but in reality, all systems of martial arts were first created to improve a person’s ability to defend themselves. But, like everything else, times change and things evolve – everything that is except most traditional martial arts systems.
Hello World,
Jim Graden here, and I’m sending out my very first blog. You may be wondering, why is Jim Graden blogging? That’s a good question, so let me explain. My first and foremost goal, with this blog, is to cut through the BS that is so rampant in both the martial arts and fitness industries. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t pull any punches when it comes to what works and what doesn’t work in martial arts, fitness, real-life self defense, and nutrition. I plan on covering all those subjects, and much more, in upcoming blogs. I’ll tell you what I believe to be the truth, whether it’s popular or not.
Who am I to tell you? Another good question so please indulge me as I tell you a little about myself and give you a short bio. I have been teaching martial arts for over thirty years and martial arts fitness for over twenty. I have had the pleasure of being a member of the true inner circle when it comes to martial arts in America. I was trained and promoted to a 7th degree master level by a true legend and one of the founding fathers of martial arts in America, Joe Lewis. I’ve also been a featured speaker at all the major martial arts shows and have appeared on the cover of all the major magazines, including Black Belt and Martial Arts Professional. I’ve also been a part of the fitness industry, presenting and performing at all the major fitness shows. Plus, I created two major fitness programs; Cardio Karate and the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC).
The second reason for creating this blog is because there are thousands of people and families I have had the privilege to meet and share my talents with. The only challenge is this- depending on when you met me, you only know about what I represented at that time. If you trained with me in the 80’s, you knew me as Mr. Graden, a fighter in his 20′s who was a five time member of the World Champion US karate team, a World Kickboxing Champion and an owner of one of the largest martial arts schools in the Southeast United States. If you knew me in the 90′s, it’s probably because you took a really challenging fitness kickboxing class called Cardio Karate. You may have even been certified by me through the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA) Cardio Karate Certification Tour. I ended up certifying over 6,000 instructors. Since 2000, I have helped thousands of people lose weight and get in great shape with my martial arts fitness course, the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC), a program I created and am currently licensing in over 100 martial arts and fitness studios worldwide.
So, my goal with this blog is to try and s
tay in touch with all the people I have had the pleasure of meeting over the last thirty years. I also want to share my perspective when it comes to martial arts and fitness and to help people know what is real and what is not. I feel these two industries (martial arts and fitness) are in a major transitional stage. I mean, come on, where did mixed martial arts come from and what does it mean to the future of martial arts in America? Oh wait, sorry, that’s for a future blog!
Jim Graden
