AboutMike Casto Expertise My primary area of "expertise" (for lack of a better term) is in Filipino and Indonesian martial arts. However, I've been involved in the martial arts since 1978, trained in several systems and been exposed to many, many others. I've also done a fair amount of reading about martial arts in general and about various systems. I can answer questions about Filipino and Indonesian martial arts and I can often answer questions about martial arts in general. Feel free to ask me any question about martial arts. Even if I don`t have an answer I can often point you in the right direction to find the answer.
Experience I've been involved in martial arts since 1978. I started in Tae Kwon Do and, when my instructor quit teaching, I began training in Okinawan Goju-Ryu. In 1995 I was introduced to Filipino Kali/Arnis/Eskrima and Indonesian Pentjak Silat. I've been training primarily in them since 1995. I've taught private lessons, classes, seminars and workshops all over the United States, in Europe and in China. I have also trained with a wide variety of martial artists in different disciplines. Between hands-on exposure to various martial arts and reading about many others I have a very well-rounded knowledge of martial arts in general.
Expert: Mike Casto Date: 5/2/2008 Subject: Martial art vs Sport?
Question My name is Alex and I enjoy studying about the martial arts but find it confusing to see the huge range of the various types. I wanted to ask someone who knows about the martial arts the question of "What make it a Martial Art versus a sport?". I read your previous answer post about most MA styles are sport and focus on the physical rather than the spiritual or mental. I think I agree on that part. Is a style more of an art if it contains a more traditional approach to learning? For example, I consider the Olympic Judo more of a sport than a martial art because of the break away from the traditional forms (allowing formless throws to score like a simple pull down) and the show of emotion afterwards such as a victory yell or the loser crying. Do you have any advise for me?
Answer Interesting question.
I would say that spiritual/mental aspects are indicators but not really the difference.
The "traditional" aspects are even less of a differentiating factor.
As one instructor that I highly respect said, "You can tell a sport by looking at the top guys - the guys everyone else is afraid to fight. If it's a young guy then it's a sport martial art. If it's the 80 year old man eating dinner in the corner it's a combative martial art."
Sports, by their nature, are focused on speed, strength and stamina. These are primarily the domain of the "young." This is why sports competitors - by and large - are considered "over the hill" by the time they reach 40 (and, in many sports, it's by the time they reach 30). There are exceptions, of course, but they are the exceptions, not the rule.
When working with some of the "real" players that I know, guys who have been around for a long time and used their training to survive life threatening situations ranging from guys trying to kill them with blades to working, literally, in combat zones. These guys don't talk about speed, strength and endurance except as sidenotes. They focus on things like timing, position, flow and economy/efficiency of motion.
There's also a mindset difference in training. People training for sport train to "win" - whether they're wanting to win money, trophies, recognition or whatever. They train to play by rules and worry about getting disqualified. People training with an eye toward surviving a "real" encounter worry about doing what it takes to get home safe at night.
I think sport competition is useful as a training tool and has its place in more combative training. The trick, if you're not training specifically for sport, is to not let yourself get caught up in mindset that "sport = fighting."
The best analogy I have for the difference between sport and "real" is this. When you step into a ring for a fight you have every reason to expect that you'll walk out of that ring. You may get injured - in fact, you may get injured more seriously than you ever would in a "real" fight - but it will be in the category of an accident. The guy your fighting is trying to "win" - not trying to maim or kill you. Stepping into a ring to fight is like crossing the street. You know you're putting yourself into a risky environment and you might get injured. But you also know any injury will likely be an accident. There is a certain level of stress to that type of situation. But it's a whole different type of stress when the guy behind the wheel is actively trying to run you over.
Hope that makes sense. Sport fighting is, as I said, a useful tool. Short of going out and picking a fight (and risking jail time or worse) a sport fight is the closest thing you can find to a "real" fight so it has its place. But people do get caught up in it and assume that it's the same thing.
