Difference Between Martial Arts, Martial Sports, Martial Combat Systems, Martial Physical Trainining, Self-Defense and the like

Please note this post will updated with latest and more detailed info... (when I have more time...)

A huge number of People all over the world who use the word "Martial Art" (or think they practice it) are unfortunately not, as they are ignorant & unaware of what Martial Art actually is.
In today's world the word Martial Art is used synonymously for and confuse it with totally different Things being practiced under the name/label of "Martial Art", They are all different from MA as they all have Totally Different Goals:-

So lets us first see what MA actually is
Martial Art:
Goal:

• "Peace"

How it is Achieved:

• Through perfection of ones own Character. Cause if your are a good human you will think before you Speak or Act and will not do anything to trouble anyone else or to get into trouble and will learn to be aware and get out of danger's way, when others are planing to trouble you..
• By having to Defend One's self Physically; Only when one fails to defend himself/herself Spiritually and Mentally.
• If forced to Defend Physically, then defend oneself
• Using Ethical Means, Not Hurting anyone Weaker, No Back stabbing, No Cheating, One to One, Armed to Armed, Unarmed to Unarmed, Not hitting a fallen person 
• Giving Respect to the Opponent (his family or dependents) and 
• With a constant concern for his/her well being, Defensive Force used Proportionately or less Than Opponents Offensive Force unless unavoidable.

Next we shall see the Various other things that are practiced, sold in the name of Martial Art.

Martial Sport:
Goal:

• "Victory" (Its only temporary till the day one meets his/her match)
• "Competing to win Money, Recognition & Fame" (What use is the money, that is stained in the Blood of Others or earned by beating others. What use is the Fame gained by defeating someone weaker...)

How it is Achieved:

• By Defeating Others (It is Meaning Less cause One can Defeat the Other, ONLY if the Other is Weaker [even by a small margin, even if momentarily] - Spiritually, Mentally, OR Physically.)

Martial Combat System:
Goal:

• "Self-Survival"

How it is Achieved:

• At any cost by Hook or Crook and is a Free for all.
• There are NO RULES, NO ETHICS, NO COMPASSION, NO MERCY.
• Purely Offense & Counter Offense Oriented.

I would like to end by saying what I always say...

"A Martial Combat Teacher Will Teach You To 'Fight', A Martial Sports Teacher Will Teach You To 'Play Fight', But A Martial Arts Teacher Will Teach You HOW TO, NOT GET INTO (NOT START/ PREVENT/AVOID) A FIGHT..."

But why is this an Issue?

Because Traditional Martial Arts that were created and practiced in the East are very pure, sanct and are spiritual art forms that are getting a bad name because of these other activities...
Because of which Martial Arts are considered to be Violence and Martial Artists are considered to the Brainless Violent, Stunt men who others should be ware of...
Not to forget the countless everyday who are being fooled into believing in that what they are being taught and are practicing is the real Martial Art.

Understanding Martial Arts and its Philosophy

 Please Note: This blog post was later published in the Editorial Section of Complete Martial Art Magazine, Sep-Oct 2010 issue.

Countless people practice martial arts all over the world, but very few know its real meaning and true philosophy. This ignorance has lead to the absolute perversion in the understanding, practice, evolution and spread of these arts today. The very word “Martial Art” brings to mind pictures of violence, brutality, dominance and vulgar displays of power & strength and invokes various negative reactions from both martial and non-martial artists. These ancient art forms and disciplines, which truly are a “Way Of Life”, are the secret to the complete development of an individual’s Body, Mind and Spirit. Today the image of a “Martial Artist” has been transformed from a person who is revered and idolized by all for his of great character, personality, discipline, compassion and humility to name a few, into a person not many would ever want to be. Martial Artists are often looked at like dangerous, deadly, ill tempered, arrogant and violent people, who need to be feared and thus respected. Unfortunately even in India, the land that is believed to be the birthplace of martial arts, a majority of the people have lost all love and respect for it and are no longer interested in it, as for them it’s a dangerous “sport”, which is a waste of time, energy and money. 

Through this very brief article, I hope to be able to shine some light on martial arts, its birth, evolution and its real philosophy.

It’s the law of nature that, “Only the fittest can survive” and ever since man has existed, he too, has had to Fight for and Defend himself, from the "Wild Forces Of Nature", "Wild Animals" and "Wild Men", to Exist, Survive and Multiply. But thanks to evolution, and the metamorphosis of human beings, it has brought about a new paradigm among us that, even the weakest have equal rights, to exist, survive and multiply. Thus today, we have a highly evolved society in which physically, mentally and spiritually strong humans protect and help, not only other weak helpless humans, but also animals and other lower forms of living organisms, from the dangers that would otherwise destroy them.

In today's world it is considered to be:
• Heroic - to protect the weak and helpless from danger.
• Saintly - to nurse and cure the dying and sickly.
• Kind, Loving and Big hearted - to look after and adopt orphans, abandoned children and elderly.
• Generous - to donate / give food, clothing and shelter to the poor.

It is only because of a few such good, peaceful and life loving human beings that the balance of life is still being maintained. These people have always been looked up to, as Heroes and Perfect Human Beings. All over the world, civilized societies and cultures have always loved and respected people with one or more of these virtues and have their own definitions for a perfect human being. It is these values, characteristics and principles that many people try to inculcate in order to gain love, respect and admiration from others.
In spite of having people with such higher thoughts, we unfortunately are still surrounded by countless "Wild Ones", who do not wish to change. They are evil, destructive, greedy, selfish and jealous of others and will do anything to destroy the balance of life. These “Wild Ones” attack us, not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well. It is because of these evil ones that there are wars, pain and suffering. They are the main reason, why we need to fight for our rights, defend and protect ourselves, our loved ones and everything that is rightfully ours. They have forced us to Fight, Mime and Kill each other in endless wars, resulting in the simultaneous destruction of the lives and the future of the countless, helpless innocents dependent on us directly or indirectly which is “A pretty expensive price to pay for Peace”... In fact it is Peace that should be the only goal in a war, as it is only reason that can at least remotely justify some of the evils that are related to and are a result of it.

The countless wars waged by these dangerous people against us for centuries, have forced us to train, strengthen and forge our body, mind and spirit, in order to become indestructible and invincible warriors. This necessity to be able to defend & protect ourselves has given birth to the different arts of war that we call "Martial Arts".

After witnessing the evil, the destruction, the pain, and the losses caused by these wars, a few warriors, who have survived them, have become enlightened. These "Enlightened Warriors” have untiringly studied the causes, the process and the consequences of these battles, throughout their endless struggle to become the best warriors in the world and who have shown us the path to become “The Ultimate Warrior”.

Over the ages, these Enlightened Warriors have learnt the truth of war and life and have realized that.
• "The True Goal of War is Peace".
• "Martial Art without Philosophy is the same as Street Fight".
• "Martial Art is for Defense Only".
• "The Ultimate Warrior is an 'Enlightened Warrior', who knows the art of Defending without Fighting".
• “An Ultimate Warrior is one who is a Perfect Human Being with a Perfect Character and the one who strives to maintain, the peace and balance of life”.

Unfortunately the path tread by a warrior is dangerous and often confusing to him (especially if he is not enlightened), for example: he can easily get carried away by victory or defeat in a war and finally lose complete focus of the goal attained, which is: “Peace” (which was the reason, why he became a warrior in the first place.) and will end up becoming a “Wild One” himself, fighting and waging war with others for supremacy, superiority, false honour, domination etc.

Most of us as martial artists strive to become the Ultimate Warrior, but only few know that we can become one, only if we are enlightened with the truths of Life, Love and Peace just to mention a few.

I would like end with the words and reflections of, some of the greatest Enlightened Warriors the world has ever known:
"The Ultimate Aim Of Karate Lies Not In Victory Or Defeat, But In The Perfection Of The Characters Of Its Participants".
– Meijin GICHIN FUNAKOSHI (1868 -1957), Founder and Grandmaster of Shotokan Karate-Do

"In True Budo, There Is No Enemy Or Opponent. True Budo Is To Become One With The Universe. We Do Not Train To Become Powerful Or To Throw Down Some Opponent, Rather We Train In Hopes Of Being Of Some Use, However Small Our Role May Be, In The Task Of Bringing Peace To Mankind Around The World."
– Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969), Founder and O Sensei of Aiki-Do

"To Win One Hundred Victories In One Hundred Battles Is Not The Highest Skill. To Subdue The Enemy Without Fighting Is The Highest Skill."
– Sun-Tsu/ Sun Tzu/Sun Wu, Ancient Chinese Military General, Strategist and Philosopher. Author of the ancient book “Art Of War”

"The Fastest Draw Is When The Sword Never Leaves The Scabbard, The Strongest Way To Block, Is Never To Provoke A Blow, And The Cleanest Cut Is The One Withheld."
– An Annonymous Warrior

"Master The Divine Techniques Of The Art Of Peace And No Enemy Will Dare To Challenge You."
– Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969), Founder and O Sensei of Aiki-Do

An Interviewer of an Airline company who claimed to know it all...

I Just happened to go for an interview last month for the Job of a Flight Attendant in a lesser known Airline company called Paramount Airways in Chennai.

With most of the required qualifications and requirements being pretty satisfactory for the job, except for the the age and experience requirement (I am 5yrs on the higher side, Though I could easily pass of as a 23yr old in spite of being 32yrs [Thanks to Karate my aging has become really slow...]). I knew that getting the job was kinda dicey, but still as it was something I really wanted, I still decided to go for it.

For my bad luck the guy who interviewed me was in a really bad mood... He had this ugly angry frown on his face and looked like a Pit Bull ready to bite...

I entered with a confidence, then smiled and greeted him.

After asking me my CV, he started out by trying to massacre me, because I dared to attend the interview, in spite of my being over aged. I tried to explain to him that I came to know of the opening through a person who worked in Paramount and that i was told that i could try even though I was above the age limit, as the combination of my youthful looks + the mental maturity because of my age + my being a martial artist, would rather be a plus, for my role as Flight Attended, but he was not one bit impressed, so I helplessly agreed to him and was expecting him to permit me to leave. Yet instead of terminating the interview and asking me to leave, he continued to interrogate me.
Up till there it was fine... but on asking me why I teach Karate and also do freelance software development at the same time - I said that Karate for me is a way of life and software development is for my financial security. On hearing the words "Karate for me is a way of life", he looked at me, really weirdly and replied, "Now don't tell me that if a Sumo Wrestler comes and says that Sumo is a way of life, I should believe him".
Seeing his obvious ignorance, I very politely said that he may not be aware of, why it is a way of life, for millions of Karatekas, all around the globe and attempted to explain... but he was such an egoistic homo sapien, that he lost his temper and said "Don't you underestimate the person in front of you especially if is he the person you have come to ask a Job from."

I just smiled and said Thank You.... and left...

Kuro Obi (2007) - Lessons to be learnt

Shibihara Sensei: All your strengths should bundle and operate from inside. Because you'll mature this way. If you attack you'll never reach the perfection... and the highest level of art.

Shibihara Sensei: The colour black never becomes dirty, the same goes for the belt. The color of the Kuro-Obi is the colour of willpower.

Taikan: I think we'll get ahead... only with a duel, because it makes us stronger.
Shibihara Sensei: What's the use in defeating someone weak? Such a victory serves only your arrogance and makes you weaker.

"No Activity Can Or Should Ever Be Called A Game/Sport, If It Encourages And Rewards A Human/Animal To Intentionally Focus On Directly Or Indirectly Hurting Another Human/Animal/Plant/Being And Worse Take Pride In It." - Sensei Michael A. R.

For ages Great Grand Masters of Traditional Martial Arts have always stressed that Martial Art is not, and should never be considered/practiced as a Sport, Unfortunately people today have irresponsibly and disgustingly perverted It into a Sport and everything else other than a Martial Art for their obvious personal gains.

It is interesting to note that even Animals who many consider as brainless or lower forms do not Fight for Fun/Entertainment, they fight only for their need to exist, survive and reproduce. Unfortunately Homo Sapiens are the only creatures on earth who actually enjoy, violence and gore and so since ages, have enjoyed Fighting each other and enjoyed watching others fight. Sadly when they learnt to control and tame insects, fishes, birds and bigger animals they even trained and forced them fight each other for no reason. That's why one can see Mantis, Siamese Fighting Fish, Cock, Dog, Bull, etc. Fights in addition to all the Ugly, Bloody MMA and other Full Contact underground fights that Homo Sapiens consciencelessly indulge in.

In fact the Truth is that, no activity irrespective or whether its is consensual or forced can or should ever be called a Game/Sport, if it
# Encourages and Rewards (through Public recognition, Awards, Trophies, Medals or Certificates) a Human/Animal/Being for Intentionally >
# Involves Intentionally and Deliberately, Directly Or Indirectly >
# Makes one Take Pride In/Feel a sense of Achievement In >

Hurting Another Human/Animal/Plant/Being Or Group Of Humans/Animals/Plants/Beings.

Thus a person seeking to learn real Martial Art must steer clear of the following perversions in the name of Martial Arts
# Sport Karate, Sport Taekwondo, Kickboxing etc.
# MMA - Which is actually MMCC - Mixed Martial Combat Competition. (Even if someone were to Mix Traditional Martial Arts to form MMA it will still not become a Mixed Martial Sport because all true Martial Arts are never a Sport.)

Hope people reading this will realize the Truth and stop indulging and supporting such hideous activities in the name of Sports or worse Martial Arts.