Combat Sport VS Self Defense VS Martial Art
I’ve always been interested in Martial Arts. From Karate, to Judo, Capoeira, Taekwondo and Wing Chun, I’ve learned a lot of techniques and customs since these arts are Japanese, Korean, Brazilian and Chinese and very different from one another. And I start continue to learn more about them, and coach people who do different forms of “fighting”, the questions arose of what is the difference between Combat Sport, Self Defense and Martial Art.
Sometimes we use them interchangeably but they are most definitely the same. And just like you’ve heard me talk about in fitness, it is important to understand what you’re doing exactly. It’s the best way to make your training efficient, because if your goal is X but you train in the way that it’ll only give you Y, then you know to adjust what you do, instead of waiting around for some different outcome.
But knowing the best tool for the job is a game changer when it comes to achieving your goals. So here are the defitions:
Combat Sport: This is training aimed to make you competitive at fighting people who train in the same style you do. This is the typical scenario that happens in any Martial Arts academy. If you go to a BJJ class, you’ll end up doing Jiu-Jitsu against people who also do Jiu-Jitsu. If you do Muay Thai, you’ll end up striking agains another person who trains Muay Thai. Therefore what you learn and what “works” is usually specific to this scenario. This is what used to make the UFC exciting. Back in the day we had Masters of one style going against Masters of other styles and fights really didn’t end up looking like what we saw in traditional Martial Arts gyms.
Self Defense: This is training aimed to make you effective at defending yourself against a non-skilled attacker. You usually are put into scenarios where you are at a disadvantage (opposed to what happens in regular fighting, where we start in a neutral position), and are taught how to get out of that bad situation. It is assumed the attacker doesn’t have any Combat training and the moves are meant to either incapacitate or escape.
Martial Arts: This is mostly the training that happens outside of fighting. This might be controversial but personally, I consider Martial Arts to be the customs, traditions, forms, names, rituals and everything other than the fighting. The reason is that Martial Arts is actually concerned about creating a just, honorable and courteous man. If you practice an Art that has deep Martial roots, like Karate or Judo, and you don’t bow, don’t respect your Sensei, wear shoes on the mat, and only care about fighting other people, are you really a Martial Artist?
I believe learning how to fight is one of the most useful skills you can have. Not for the ability to dominate somebody else, but because of the lessons you learn along the way. It’s a really good physical exercise, it teaches you a lot of mental coping mechanisms, it instills resilience and patience. It can all be accomplished by any of these 3 options, but they are very different so choose the one that best fits your goals!
