These days there’s a trend sweeping the martial arts community…the ability to become an all-around  “complete” Martial Artist – some might call it MMA.  Although this notion may be new to some, it has actually been around since as far back as the ‘60’s.  Back then people used to say, “To become a complete Martial Artist, one must be able to punch and kick.”  Throughout the late sixties into the seventies, we saw karate people augmenting their particular style with boxing.  That was the original impetus in the development of PKA (Professional Karate Association), of which Bill Wallace was clearly the king.  PKA fighters were very exciting to watch – their hands looked like boxers’; plus they possessed (and effectively used) high kicks.

Back then they believed that kicking below the waist was far too dangerous to the legs.  Then, some years later, Thai boxing started to become popular; and people slowly began to develop an appreciation for leg kicks.  At this point, the new and improved definition of the “complete Martial Artist” was someone who could box well and who also studied muay Thai, thereby possessing powerful leg kicks.  For several years, the boxer/Thai boxer was the gold standard for the “complete” Martial Artist…that is, until the Gracies came to town. 

 
The Gracie Brothers first came to America in the mid-1980’s and slowly started to develop a reputation.  In the early 90’s, the Ultimate Fighting Championship came along; shortly thereafter, Gracie Jiu-jitsu became a household word.  By the time the UFC II and III came around, the running debate was over who was better, the standup fighters or the ground fighters.  As the years went by, more and more no-holds-barred tournaments started cropping up, and eventually the definition of a “complete” Martial Artist began to evolve.  This new standard was a hybrid form of Martial Arts known as MMA where the student learned the standup and ground fight.  Although I agree that the definition of the “complete” fighter, or the “complete” Martial Artist has evolved;  there is still something important that is missing…weapons training!

 

According to the most recent government study of violent attacks, around 80% of street altercations involve weapons of some type (this statistic does not include guns).  The very second a fight breaks out, it is a visceral response to grab something – including pool balls, beer bottles, ashtrays, cue sticks, etc.  Anyone who lives in Los Angeles or on the East Coast knows that every gang kid alive carries some kind of makeshift weapon.  You can’t go anywhere in the Midwest and not see some good old boy with a buck knife.  How many times have we heard of someone in a fender bender, and the first thing the guy does on the side of the road is get out of the car, go to the trunk and pull out a flash light or tire iron.  With this in mind, please allow me to me illustrate my definition of the complete Martial Artist: Someone who can kick and box, and is also proficient in trapping (i.e. head butts, knees, and elbows); this person must be able to ground fight as well; they should be well-versed in all weapons; and must be well trained in two-on-one, three-on-one, four-on-one, biting, eye gouging, etc.  These are the principles that Bruce Lee espoused in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do; in fact this has been our precise curriculum at Progressive Martial Arts and our preceding academies, going back as far as 1986.  In conclusion, I believe adding the use of weapons to one’s existing game will not only make you a better all-around Martial Artist, but will also improve whatever your empty hand game is.