What's MMA?

Question

I've been involved in martial arts for 6 years and I STILL don't know what MMA is. I have a guess, but can someone just clearly define it so I can understand half the questions on Y!A? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Mixed martial arts. :)

Answer 2

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground.

Modern mixed martial arts competition emerged in popular culture in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Initially based on finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors of various arts were pitted against one another with minimal rules or concern for safety.[2] In the following decade, MMA promoters adopted many additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors and to promote mainstream acceptance of the sport.[3] Following these changes, the sport has seen increased popularity with pay per view reach rivaling boxing and professional wrestling.[4]

Answer 3

MMA is a sport, where fighters use a variety of techniques to defeat there opponent, such as wrestling, brazilian jiu jitsu, karate, muay thai, sambo, etc. MMA stands for MIXED MARTIAL ARTS. Which explains my first statement. It is in no way an art form, it is just a sport. UFC is a popular MMA league.

Answer 4

How can you be involved in MA and not know?  Wow.  The first M stands for mixed, which means any type of MA can compete against one another.  This means Muay Thai, BJJ, wresting, etc. can all compete.

Answer 5

Mixed Martial Arts

Originally, "MMA" was actually the televised, for the first time in the U.S. "Gracie challenge."  The "Gracie challenge" had been around in Brazil for nearly a century, with the family's need to prove their system worked.  All early "MMA" was, was the Gracie challenge televised for U.S. audiences.  The Gracie challenge, is a challenge to martial artists of other styles to take on a Gracie, to see if their style can defeat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  The challenge, by the way, is still out there.  Since you appear to be a chick, Kyra Gracie may take you up on it if you can find her.  They get around a lot; they never stay in the same city twice.  The Gracies, thanks to new found wealth from their schools in Brazil, the U.S., the various books etc, spend their time traveling all around the country, and to south america so good luck pinning that girl down or running into her.

Originally style vs style, pretty soon guys who held black belts in several martial arts began competing, and as a general rule, the competitors who held more than one black belt generally met with greater success than the ones who were restricted to only one fighting style.  Although, grapplers dominated the early UFC scene (Ultimate Fighting Championship).  Because however, ultimately, multiple black belt, e.g. "mixed martial artists" ended up with the better win reccords, the name "mixed martial arts" has stuck since.

Even the Gracies are no longer exclusively Jiu Jitsu; the Gracie system, is, in fact, a modified version of Judo, made by Helio, which borrows from Russian sambo, especifically the "guard," and now it has incorporated western boxing and muay thai.  Gracie Jiu Jitsu has thus become an "MMA" style.  In the 1990's, "MMA" came to mean, someone holding black belts in several styles, and beating out people restricted to only one system.  In a modern context though, MMA means, taking a few moves from different martial arts, with grappling as the core, and stepping into a ring or octagon to fight for money.  In other words, MMA is the new prize fighting.

peace out.

Answer 6

A sport that's ineffective against multiple opponents, or any situation really that's outside of the octagon.

MMA is a system that uses the basic techniques from multiple arts improperly so that they can be used quickly and without the normal amount of training and dedication necessary to become skilled at the respective arts.

It's basically like WWF, except more 'extreme.'

If you wanna see actual Jiujutsu, go watch a Japanese demo team some time. Even the ACTUAL brazilian jujutsu is far more skill necessary and effective than what the MMA fighters call BJJ.

The upside to MMA, the only one in my opinion, is that if you LEARN multiple arts properly, you have a good knowledge of different styles and skills so that you're better prepared to deal with an encounter with other warriors.

This is not to say that MMA is a bad concept - most arts are a mixture of other cultures' arts specific to the region they're developed in. The problem with modern MMA is that the dedication to actual training is lacking, as is the mental and spiritual aspect that is necessary to develope past a certain point in ANY martial art. Taekwondo, for example, derived from Taekkyon, which is the Korean take on Okinawan Karate, which is a take on Chinese Kung Fu. However, the necessary factors to improve past novice, as mentioned above, are present.

People fail to understand that it takes years and years of practice and daily training, meditation, and focus in order to become exceptionally skilled in a martial art. It's not something that's gained in a year or two by running on a treadmill and doing kettle bell routines, then pounding on another fighter in a ring for public spectacle.

Answer 7

dmaud, that is probably the best explanation of MMA I have seen in this forum. While I am not a big fan of the modern MMA phenomenon, i.e., the new "prize fighting", as you described it, I think your explanation of the origins of the MMA craze is spot on. It's too bad that so many kids out ther today have no understanding of what it takes to be a TRUE "Kixed" martial artist, but instead consider "MMA" to be a style in and of itself. Great answer....dmaud gets my vote for BA

Answer 8

Well it matters who you ask.  Anyone can tell you MMA or that its all the diffrent types of martial arts in compitition.  MMA is a sport that puts real athletes aginst each other.  Now you have to be one crazy m**o to get in a cage or ring and let someone swing at you or try to break you.  MMA is the heart and sould of ever fighter that fuels there arggression, adrinalin, and there rage.  To fight you best friend and then go out and have drinks like nothing happen.  Its a sense of well being and knowing that your an elite type of athlete. Other people look up to you and want to be you even if your the guy getting you *** kick.  MMA is by deffinition what you feel it is in your heart.  Peopl who cant live with out it do it and people who can get there *** beat when they try to do it.  MMA is a dedication like being married without the bitching and the cleaning.