MMA

MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, has become immensely popular in the early 21st century. Dana White, UFC President, describes it as 'the fastest growing sport in the world'. The fundamental concept is simple: take the best elements from the best styles and combine them to create a new hybrid style. Currently the 'core' arts for study are considered to be Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. Well rounded fighters such as Georges St Pierre are able to excel in all disciplines, while others may specialize in just two (usually a stand up art, that is, one striking art, and one for groundwork, or grappling).

The origins of MMA lie in the Ancient Greek art of Pankration which blended what we now separate into Boxing and Wrestling. Although Pankration had its own roots in war it was also an Olympic sport.

The simple notion of mixing different martial arts is not itself new and is and has been a feature of both Western and Asian arts throughout history. Many of the modern martial arts described on this site, such as karate, judo and TaeKwonDo, and even some of the staples of MMA itself, most notably Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, are the end result of a blending of different styles tempered with experience. Where Mixed Martial Arts perhaps differ is that in contemporary society the study of any combative method is much easier, allowing for greater variation, and the emphasis that is placed on covering all the distances of unarmed combat. An awareness of the importance of this latter fact is often attributed to Bruce Lee who, through his concept of Jeet Kune Do, studied the different ranges of combat. While Karate, for example, is a blend of different arts, these arts are for the most part striking arts (such as White Crane and Whooping Crane kung fu blended with indigenous te techniques). Judo, by comparison, is a hybrid of various Ju Jutsu schools, but these again tended to specialize in throwing and grappling movements. A characteristic then of MMA is its intent to be effective at the kicking, punching, clinching and grappling ranges. The term is not commonly used to refer to, say, a blend of Karate and Muay Thai (both of which are for the most part confined to the kicking and punching ranges).

MMA and the UFC

A key factor in the development of Mixed Martial Arts was the activities of the Gracie family, originators of Gracie (or Brazilian) Jiu Jitsu. While no-holds barred fighting had taken place underground in Europe it was the Gracie fighters who had been dominating Vale Tudo events in Brazil. Vale Tudo was (and is) Brazil's version of no-holds barred fighting. The BJJ of the Gracie's had enjoyed immense success in such competitions and the family felt confident enough to organize the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in the US in 1993. This initial foray into full contact no-holds barred fighting was not yet Mixed Martial Arts. It was more style vs style, with the Gracie's keen to demonstrate that their style was the superior one. Royce Gracie, the family representative, swept away all competition despite his size disadvantage.

The sport at that time was not really a sport as such. There were very few rules and the early UFC tournaments were about fighting, pure and simple. There were no rounds and no weight classes, for example. After some initial interest all but the hardcore fans became less enthusiastic as many matches involved the fighters grappling on the ground with little apparent action for minutes on end. Contrary to expectations, the strikers were not dominant in the sport and it was the BJJ and wrestling experts who claimed victory after victory. While it vindicated the claims of the Gracie family, it was not good entertainment.

As the original business model went into decline the UFC was bought by Zuffa, a company owned by the Fertitta's, at the suggestion and encouragement of their friend, Dana White, who would go on to become UFC President of the new company and direct the growth of the UFC thereafter. Under new management, more stringent rules were introduced that made competition safer and gave some advantage back to the strikers (the referee would stop a fight and stand the fighters back up if there wasn't enough action while grappling and the end of a round also forced the fighters to stand and resume combat at the beginning of the next round). With these new rules it became apparent that to succeed the fighter could not specialize in just one area, or range, of combat, and so the arts began to be mixed, thus creating MMA.

Nowadays full blown MMA gyms are emerging, which combine all the core arts and teach Mixed Martial Arts as a complete package, whereas before fighters would find themselves rushing from one training facility to another to get a well-rounded education in the different styles. Mixed Martial Arts has also found appeal at an amateur level for self-defense and physical health reasons. It is also fair to say that MMA has in turn impacted many of the traditional arts from which it emerged, at least in the West. Karate students will engage in ground and pound practice for example, working on their striking from grappling range or from the clinch. Though their core style itself has not changed as such, they have begun to examine the applicability of techniques from different ranges (which in fact is how Karate was meant to be interpreted in any case, at least according to the 'Bible', the Bubishi).

Muay Thai

The origins of Muay Thai lie in the predecessor battlefield art of Krabi Krabong. This art encapsulated both weapons and unarmed fighting techniques and was practiced by the warriors of Siam (now Thailand). This battlefield art can still be studied today though it is far less popular than its sporting child.

More contemporary than Krabi Krabong is Muay Boran. Muay Boran is a generic term meaning Ancient Boxing and represents an evolutionary step between Krabi Krabong and Muay Thai. While some techniques were banned over the centuries (groin kicks, gouges, hair pulling and so forth) head butting was allowed (note that head butting is still allowed in Lethwei), which is banned in the modern sport version. Other Thai Boxing arts such as Lerdrit ('Extreme Power', the art used by the Royal Thai Army) were developed from Muay Boran.

Muay Thai and Muay Boran

One of the most interesting anecdotes in the history of Thai Boxing occurred during the heyday of Muay Boran. During the Burmese invasion of Siam in the mid eighteenth century a group of Thai were taken prisoner in a village and sent back to Burma where they awaited their fate. Hsinbyushin, the Burmese King, organized a festival in which various performances would be given, including a display of a Thai boxer against a Burmese Lethwei expert. A man named Nai Khanom Tom was selected to represent the Thais and he quickly demolished his opponent. He next faced nine more opponents and quickly defeated them with no rest periods in between. In return Hsinbyushin granted Nai Khanom Tom his freedom (along with the other captives according to some sources).

The still brutal art of Muay Boran went into decline in the early decades of the twentieth century and in its place, with new rules and codes of practice, emerged Muay Thai. No doubt influenced by the growing popularity of Western boxing, Thai boxers were required to wear gloves and groin guards and head butting was finally disallowed. With rules and better organized competition, the art has spread worldwide and is currently experiencing an even greater rise in its popularity as it is considered to be one of the four essential arts comprising the arsenal of many MMA fighters, along with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Boxing andWrestling.

The art utilizes punches, elbows, knees and kicks, with the low round kick to the thigh using ones shin to make contact being a staple of the art. Training works on these attacks, first singularly, then in combination against the heavy bag, focus mitts and the Thai pads as well as in various sparring drills and free sparring (which tends to be carried out in a safe, controlled manner with the heavy contact saved for the ring, but this will vary from school to school). Obviously professional fighters must walk a thin line between being injured and being unprepared for the contact they will experience in a fight. For the amateur enthusiast there is no need to train without protective equipment or controlled contract. Practitioners tend to focus more on aerobic fitness than anaerobic, and strength training is designed to be functional rather than being done to become buff. MMA fighters however tend to display far more musculature (and are therefore heavier) as they must also be prepared for wrestling and other groundwork.

Lerdrit

Lerdrit is Thailand's military martial art adapted from Muay Boran, or the traditional arts of Thailand that also spawned the more famous Muay Thai.

Muay Boran is an umbrella term used to describe the different regional fighting arts of Siam that gradually emerged into styles with different footwork, stances and even differing methods of wrapping the knuckles in hemp rope prior to a bout. In times of war glass shards or sharp shells would also be glued into the hemp rope to ensure a bloody result if and when techniques connected.

Royal and upper class interest in Muay Boran led to the creation of a new form:Muay Luang. This latter style was considered appropriate for the Siamese aristocracy but of course such people, and the royal family in particular, needed well-trained warriors to protect them and so these bodyguards also innovated their own style and this spread throughout the armed forces.

This martial art based on traditional fighting systems is used by the Royal Thai Army as its method of unarmed combat. The name means 'extreme power' and it is characterized by the use of palm strikes, kicks, knees and elbows as well as grappling in the clinch.

The wider variety of techniques compared to Muay Thai gives the practitioner more versatility and of course betrays its origins as a battlefield art, a history and combative culture to which it continues to adhere to. These techniques can also be applied to target areas declared illegal in the sport of Thai boxing. The groin, for example, is fair game. Headbutting is also included, but the system is notable for its lack of developed grappling techniques. Generally speaking grappling systems developed to give a warrior options if or when he lost his footing or found himself without a weapon and was forced to take his opponent to the ground to execute some kind of finishing technique. This suggests to me at least that this military form grew essentially from hand to hand fighting techniques rather than those strictly employed by the Siamese warriors.

Despite being related to traditional martial arts, the Thai army today cross-trains in various disciplines in order to continually update and improve their arsenal of techniques.