Martial Arts, Martial Sports or Self Defense?

Martial Arts is the total embodiment of Do "the Way" and Jutsu "the Technique or skill"

Some systems focus on the way, some focus on the technique and application. In between there are many that mix and match as the instructor wants to focus. Some are equally balanced in both.

A true martial artist strives to understand as much of the martial arts as they can, the do, (Way) , the jutsu (technique) including true self defense.

Consider that the practical application of martial arts is also having the ability to determine a threat and defuse that threat with non-violence, or an act that does not involve a physical confrontation. That would be Do or The Way.

Consider that the practical application of martial arts is also having the ability to get a goal, make a plan to achieve that goal, stay on focus, and react to anything that could throw you off track, become successful and achieve the goal you set. That would be Do or The Way.

Complete study of Martial Arts can make a difference in all areas of your life. Not as a substitute for you religious beliefs but a tool to teach you better overall involvement in life itself. That would be Do or The Way.

Consider the life gains or rewards of training with a thirst for the total martial arts and not some subset.

Jutsu or the technique or skill is only half of the equation, but I believe that the skill of martial arts were created in the first place. Hoards were pillaging villages and temples and the people needed a way to successfully defend themselves. This need created the systematic study of various techniques that would save their lives when faced with eminent danger, thus "Life Protection Arts".

These techniques needed to be tempered as to not create just better trained thugs. That is where the Way or Do comes in. Kind of like having a government with a constitution so the government can not get out of hand and mistreat the people it governs. (That’s a whole other issue).

Self defense is indelibly linked to Martial Arts it was the core that might have been forgotten now days due to the blindness of the general public and the impression created the Martial Arts is now a baby sitting service that will help to create discipline in otherwise unruly children.

I believe that Sport Martial Arts is part of the reason there has been a exodus to “Self Defense oriented training” ie; Combato, Krav Maga, F.I.G.H.T. and other simplified practical systems of combat oriented training. There is nothing wrong with them. They are using Martial Arts Jutsu and focusing solely on saving you life in a violent confrontation. Just as the olden times in China or Okinawa.

Sport Martial Arts is a relatively new manifestation of the training basically starting in Japan after traditional karate went there from Okinawa with competitive tournaments. Once the Sport scene came to the US it took off and turned into Martial Entertainment / Sports and the True Arts have suffered. Arial moves and gymnastics routines designed to entertain and possibly get the performers into some karate movie at some time has changed the face of martial arts and how martial arts is perceived by the public. The problem is that the Movie Market is so small finicky and limited in nature that the chance of having a profitable career is almost impossible unless you become more than a martial arts actor.

The modern perception of martial arts is good in some ways, bad in most. How many adults do you have in your classes? What is the ratio of adults to children in your dojo? How many students do you have that are interested in the holistic approach to training? Do you have to offer Self Defense only classes to help pay the bills?

Public perceptions have driven dojos to have a cafeteria approach to training to generate more traffic through the doors.

Anyone can train anyway they want and can mix and match in any way they want.

Just remember, training specifically to win a tournament trophy or to be able to fly by wires and vanquish multiple weapon wielding foes in a movie will not give you the tools to save your life when the stuff hits the fan.

Training with Holistic Martial Arts mindset can keep you excited about your training for you entire life. That makes you a Martial Artist. Focusing totally on any subset of the martial arts will find you lacking at some point and you will loose interest, cast your training aside, and go onto other things, to your detriment in some cases.

You have some great answers by Sensei Scandal, Pugpaw, SiFu Frank and Stillcrazy. A few other did well too. I will not mention the names of the others. I'm not sure why some even bother to respond. I guess it goes back the Sensei Scandal question.

Since there are so many great answer I will keep my comments brief.

Martial Arts - Like Possum said it was designed for war or during the time of martial law. Self defense is included in it.

Self Defense - This is a term that people use to define something similar to a crash course on martial arts. You do not learn the entire curriculum you learn a few techniques on how to escape if attacked or grabbed. Often this is a class for women and or children. Some use this as a way to market the real classes. The student should realize that the training that they have is sufficient and they need to know more and that they need more practice. Unfortunately there are those that leave a self defense class and believe that they are equipped to defend themselves if necessary.

Martial Sport - This is not a term. In actuality it is just a sport. It is not budo. This a game or contest in which the athletes use a limited amount of techniques in order to win a contest or to build their ego. It has rules and a referee.

Can a style be more?

Within martial arts it should contain self defense. But there is much more repetition and training than is a basic self defense class. You will fine some techniques taken from martial art in the sport, but you lose the intent of the training. Sports intent is to win a trophy, medal, or contest and build your ego. Martial arts the intent is to survive by any mean necessary. Self defense class is to hopefully survive and promote your real martial arts class(recruitment). it is just a sample of the art.

A good question and to me they are different but yet in some ways related. Self-defense encompasses many more things than just martial arts type techniques. There are things like awareness and avoidance which isvery important in self-defense I think.

Then there are still other things that self-defense also can include like the use of a hand-gun or mace and other such personal weapons or personal self-defense devices that are available to the general public that I think should be included and that I consider when I think of self-defense. While some of those techniques in self-defense don't involve such devices or weapons and instead have their roots in martial arts techniques, self-defense is not a martial art.

Martial sports are martial arts with a sport and competition aspect to them and you have rules, judges, and a referee. Their primary purpose is to test ones skill, knowledge, and ability as it applies in that controled environment under those conditions that the those things establish. Not all martial artists are good at competing but that does not detract from their knowlledge, skill, and ability in martial arts. Martial sports is just a sideline or one aspect to martial arts that some choose to follow and pursue.

Martial arts is and means something with much more substance and depth to it than those other two terms. It even implies a way of life to some and even for those that don't consider it in that light it still without that is so much more than self-defense or martial sports. To me it also embodies the cultural aspects of the time and period from which it evolved and and those things that helped bring it about and form it. Understanding a lot of those things is key to understanding and being knowlegdable of your martial art. Besides this is also implies a system which means it has structure and the natural progression for most of these arts is from simpler to the more complex or more difficult.

When a person is able to operate, think, and do at those highest levels then they are a martial artist and embody what a martial arts is.

Actually I could write a book about this but in short,...

Martial arts: is a life style. It includes conduct outside the school and self improvement. Your training is more than a hobby you do an hour twice a week for maybe a year and then move on. Techniques are incorporated in everything you do. How you sit (check posture for example), stand, carry yourself, just to name a few. People should 'feel' you when you walk in a room and I am not talking about the way UFC fighters walk into a ring with all the pomp and glory.

Martial sport: teaches how to score and draw out a fight for a good show. I. e. pin a person face up so they can still defend themselves rather than face down like you would in self defense. There are rules to abide by so the fight can not be finished quickly.

Self defense: You must study attacks. There is a difference between a schoolyard brawl, domestic violence, a hold up when someone wants your wallet, or someone wants to kill you, just to name a few scenarios. These scenarios break down in even more categories like environment and weapons involved in the attack and from there the combination of scenarios are endless. There is much more to studying self defense than learning how to hit hard. You have to study yourself and be honest with yourself and your abilities in order to work on your weaknesses. If you can't stop an attack in 10 seconds or less you are in trouble. There is no honor code or rules to abide by. Anything goes including cheating and cheap shots, anything that will get you out of the situation with as little injury as possible.That is reality.

I think some martial arts styles were developed for self defense and then turned int sports and or health exercises to appeal to the masses, while other styles were developed for sports only. I also think that for that reason one can not just choose a style and then join a school that teaches that style. One must figure out what one wants to learn and then pick a school and teacher who teaches that area and not go so much by style. In self defense when you walk away from a fight with little or no injury, or if you have done well in a sports match or if you conducted yourself well in a difficult situation those who know little or nothing about martial arts will ask you what style you study first but those who know martial arts will ask you who your teacher is or where your school is first.

Alright... Just because everyone's taken all the good quality answers already, I'll just add this (with a slight amount of sarcasm):

Martial Arts -- codified systems teaching combat methods via interpretive dance (I add this last part to differentiate from what I call "Fighting Systems")

Martial Sports -- Taking two martial arts students (not martial artists), handicapping them with rules, and watching all the grace and principles be taken out of the art to entertain others (be it through points, judges calls, or "Hey, that guy's bleeding and not moving. Everybody run.")

Self-Defense -- What you plead when brought up on trial for using either of the above two without some government sanctioned entities approval.

Just thought I'd throw that out there :)

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RE:

Martial Arts, Martial Sports or Self Defense?

what do you consider the differences between these three?

or if you don't consider them different why not?

Can a style be in more then one?

Ill add my opinion at the end

Martial arts are the complete systems we study for self-defense. They are a way of life and a way of defending our lives.

Martial sports the systems we study for exercise or competitions and tournaments.

A self-defense system is something women learn at the local gym. lol.

I must say that I agree with Pugpaws2.

Sorry I haven't been answering as often as I used to. I've been really busy.

When you study martial arts you are learning Self Defense.

Many have capitalized on the term "self defense" to make some fast money creating abbreviated courses touching on easy basic techniques.

These are NOT self defense.

Self Defense is what you can do from long term study of Martial Arts.

Using Martial Arts as Sports is for me, a sacrilege. Even the two words being used together makes me cringe. To use martial arts as sports means you have to exclude the true martial content of the art. If you do this, all you have is punch/block/kick, and occasional sweep... whooptie - doo!

I do think that a style can be all 3.

How many fat, out of shape "black belts" would beat superior athletic opponent with less or no training in a fight or even a sparring match?

Like it or not, your athletic ability, speed, balance, endurance will go along way in determining the outcome of a fight or sport competition.

Technique will prevail only when the athletic differences are minimal.

The other factor is experience, and experience has a better chance to overcome athletic differences than technique does.

This is why you need "alive" training after the fundamentals have been learned.

I am sure there are exceptions, but I think my statement would be the rule.

Clowns example of Kendo is a great one, the same could be said about Judo or Tae Kwon Do, BJJ or MMA.

Contrary to popular belief, many "MMA" schools also teach "street" self defense techniques.

James

In the martial arts people are seeking to balance the mind, body and spirit into one cohesive unit. The same balance can be said of these three. It is alright to have all three aspects in martial arts as long as there is a proper balance in training pertaining to them. Fumio Demura Sensei once stated "Martial arts should never be more than 10% sport oriented though" so I would have to state that good balance of the sport aspect would be to have it less than 10% of the focus of your system and dojo at best.