The world of martial arts has changed these days. As I read magazines, watch movies and televison I see it has less art and more sport like. Now some martial arts and fighting arts have always had a sport history. In the arts like mongolion wrestling and sumo, or in the striking arts like muay thai,or western boxing and pankration with their origions in the Olympic games or even the numerous styles of kung-fu. But all these things started out as military or self defense training and even exercise techniques in the case of tai chi quan. But now it seems martial arts has become more like sports in arts like jujitsu, taekwondo, the many forms of karate and kung-fu.

  These "Martial Artists" do not seem to want to learn the arts themselves as a whole, but want only learn them for their own personal gain. How to best show off their skills in front of some judges and or beat their opponents in tournement bouts. Now speaking as a former wrestler and boxer, I did enjoy competeing. But when ever I competed I always considered them to be "Martial" sports at the most because thats what they were. To me a martial sport is using combative techniques to compete in a sport like event, also keeps you in shape and nothing more. A martial art though similer you use the techniques for discipling the mind, body, and spirit in what ever it is you are trying to do, it shapes your life, not something you do just to show off fancy kicks or flashy weapons demos like in XMA or learn so you can just beat someone up like in MMA,(No offense guys).

  It's fine if you use your skills to compete like judo, sambo, etc. But remember what these skills started as. Combat arts all over the world, from the tempels in Asia, to the grasslands of Africa, even the many enviroments of Europe, were created for one thing, for combat, for personal defense, to kill, as ways to survive in a fight to the death, where there can only be one winner and the loser pays the ultimate price. But when you claim something as a martial art, you make damn sure which would be more important to your wants and needs. Is it something that you use just to show off and look cool, or that you dedicate your self to, something that becomes a way of life. For me, the soul should always be before the show.