The personality of Martial Arts?
There are lots of reasons to choose one martial art over another. Thee are lots of reasons to love one over another, or to develop a dislike for one style or another. A few of the most common reasons would be:
- Applicability. Can I actually use this.
- Safety. Can I learn this, have fun and get into shape, but without injuring myself or going to work with a black eye.
But another reason that I want to throw out is this: Personality. To what extent are people attracted to, or repelled from a style due to the personality that it and its practitioners portray? An easy example to look at for this is MMA. Many people may be drawn to MMA due to the edgy-coolness of it. But this is potentially also the very reason that some might avoid it. Not just because they might feel it’s rough, obnoxious and juvenile, but because they really don’t like most of the crowd attracted to it. (Note, I love MMA, so these are not my perceptions… dont’ flame me.)
Other folks are drawn to some of the more respectful, more traditional martial arts due to their structe, and respectfulness. In our Judo dodj we often have Dr. Chen attend. He is nearly 80 eyars old, Japanese, and crazy good at Judo. It’s amazing how many people are really drawn to not only his skills, but what he represents. There are really people who check out the class, and ask questions like, “Do you guys really call all of the moves by the traditional Japanese names? Is that little Japanese guy going to be here all of the time?”
I find the importance of that “personality” factor to be interesting. It’s like the difference between being on the football team, the chess club, the debate team, or band in high school. All of them might be equally rewarding, but certain people will be drawn to certain ones, not just because of what they do there, but also because of what they represent.
It’s also surprising how consistent it can be. If I’m in a gym and a Jiu Jitsu guy walks in, I can spot him most of the time. Not due to his cat-like grace, or the way he shifts his weight carefully from one foot to another as he walks, but because of his beanie, sunglasses, and the “I am freaking cool” look on his face. (bear in mind that I also practice Jiu Jitsu… Save the flames. I know that this is an over generalization, but still pretty common, and I think you get my point and know the people I mean.)
I think a lot of this might be why Karate is by far still the most popular class for people to enroll their kids in. It’s safe. It’s a known quantity. It’s the Vanilla ice cream of martial arts.
I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this.
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- Utah Martial arts and MMA classes and Dojos
- Adding Utah Martial Arts to Technorati
- Martial arts gear in Utah
I know what you mean. I’ve got a idea of the personality of taekwondo, tai chi, kung fu, and MMA guys before I even meet them.
Karate is the vanilla of MA – well said.
As for MMA, I hope that I quickly fall out of the preconceived perceptions of the muscle-whoring, aggressive blood drinker or immature beer loving bikini chaser MMA guys.
But what is the stereotype of of judokas?
The Stereotype of Judokas? Well, le me just say that sometimes I find it hard to be taken seriously looking like a GQ cover model… Everyone thinks I’m just another pretty face.
LOL… don’t I wish.
Judokas… Hmm… I don’t know. What’s your take on it?
This reminds me of my boyfriend trying out Muay Thai. He came to the conclusion that the people attending were rude muscle pumping dicks. I thought he was being prejudice and asked friends who had visited other dojo’s. But they shared his opinion; great style, lousy attitude.
Then again, this opinion comes from a group of aikidokas. And I’m pretty sure we’re often seen as skirt donning pansies.
No idea what the judo stereotype is. I think they occupy the neutral spectrum. Maybe a bit too commercialized in some areas?