Taking Back Martial Arts – MMA Emerges
When you think of Martial Arts, the first form that comes to mind in China is Chinese Kung fu. And while the art of Kung fu is a respectable one, there are many other forms out there. The most current form on the scene and all over the world and throughout Asia is called Mixed Martial Arts or MMA.
So what is MMA?
Well, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the blending point of martial arts, much like Shanghai is for the world. As you can find representation of almost every country in Shanghai, the same can be said about MMA. MMA encompasses so many forms of martial arts and combines them into one. MMA includes the arts of Kung Fu, Karate, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Boxing, and Kick-boxing, just to name a few. MMA plays a vital role in sustaining each form of martial arts by getting students to cross-train into different styles of martial arts. And the beauty is that students from each martial arts discipline, from all over the world, can finally come together to compete.
Is MMA a brutal sport?
Any type of martial arts can be viewed to contain some sort of brutality or fighting just in the shear nature of hitting. However, MMA itself isn’t a street-brawl style like some may think. To be a MMA fighter you have to have constant training of skills and techniques of different types. The fighters in the arena may look like they are just beating each other, but in all actuality, it is all about skill and technique, much more like a physical chess game than street brawl, just like any other form of martial arts.
Why is it important to Shanghai?
In Shanghai 1909, a Chinese fighter by the name of Huo Yan Jia participated in the one of the first ever publicized MMA-type battles against a British boxer named Hercules O Brien. With his fame and victory Huo Yan Jia went on to open the first ever martial arts school with his legends being immortalized into movies staring Bruce Lee and later Jet Li. So how does he relate to Mixed Martial Arts? Well, even though his official training by his father was Kung Fu, for many years his father refused to teach him the skill and he was left to learn on his own. The different fight methods he learned led to the versatility that is known in MMA. So while other countries and cities take claims to the acclaimed sport, Shanghai deserves to reap in the benefits of the sport that it helped put on the map.
Where in Shanghai can I find it?
Well, as that is still the question of the hour, we do have some hope for future fighters and spectators. As there is already a fight organization in Beijing called Art of War, there is a new rise in Shanghai through Fighters Unite (FU) and through the charitable fights of Brawl on the Bund.
Links for Information:
www.fightersunite.com
www.naafs.tv
www.mmachina.com
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