Articles by Master Bill Mailman, Shichidan

From the Master (Issue 5)

**This article was written during the early days of the UFC, (circa the time of fighters such as Tank Abbot who won by sheer force and brutality) since the time of this article's birth many talented Martial Artists have stepped into the spotlight and fight in the UFC. Fighters such as: Lyoto Machita, Cung Le, Moricio Shogun Rua, and Anderson Silva.

Punks, Punks, Everywhere!

Perhaps you’ve noticed the recent proliferation of people with shaved heads and tattoos on their necks? Now, before I say something that appears to be prejudiced, let me say that not all people with shaved heads and tattoos on their necks are punks. But, what is this trend? It seems obvious that this toughening of image is a defense: if I look way bad, no one will bother me. Is our society so violent that we must dress to intimidate? I, for one, would hope not.

The trouble is, most of us don’t actively try to exert a positive influence. It’s up to us to stand in opposition when we see things changing for the worse, to actively participate in the direction-taking process of our society. Instead, we take the easy way out, sitting idly by and watching while our society disintegrates. I must confess, I too am guilty of acquiescence.

A little history here: back in the eighties and early nineties, I operated a small chain of karate studios in the greater Long Beach area. Business was good. Each of my studios grew to 150 or more active students with no need to even advertise. I taught then as I do now; to use violence only for the purpose of self-defense. I live by this philosophy: hurt rather than maim, maim rather than kill, kill rather than be killed. Not exactly non-violent, but at least not the aggressor! My students were ladies and gentlemen – good people, people I am proud of…. then the Gracies came to town!

Who are the Gracies? Technically, they are the founders of Gracie Jujitsu, a Brazilian grappling art; and the creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. But, to me, the Gracies are the worst influence on the martial arts, and by extension our culture, in the last 20 years. And yet, everyone says they are ‘honorable’ men. So, what’s wrong? Machismo, that’s what—and it’s consequences. Honor among the machoset is diametrically opposed to what I consider honor to be. Men touting that particular brand of ‘honor’ won’t attack you in a back alley; no, they will ’honorably’ challenge you face-to-face for no apparent reason. Certainly, self-defense does not figure into their equation.

When the Gracies first came to the U.S. to promote their art, they went from dojo to dojo in the Los Angeles area challenging the best fighters. Of course, they brought along a video camera and taped all of it. Once, they found one of the people they’d challenged at the beach. They proceeded to slap and choke him out, while filming the entire episode. The Gracies then had the audacity to claim their form of fighting as the real deal. No rules, they claimed. Works against all comers!

Let me briefly explain Gracie Ju-jitsu: it’s a form of grappling where a smaller person can subdue a larger one by getting down in the dirt and rolling around. You basically tie up your opponent by holding the technique until they submit. It’s called submission fighting because you both get up and walk away at the end—ideal for sport fighting, but what about a real, no rules, situation? We of the striking arts do not wish to poke a grappler in the eye to get him to stop choking us, because of it’s serious effect. We are constrained by not wanting to do lasting harm, not by our styles limitations. The grappling arts can be applied in limited fashion, but how can we limit a poke to the eye?

What angers me the most, I think, is the current consumer fascination with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships). In the UFC matches there is an octagon-shaped ring and only one man leaves the winner. These guys pound each other with knees and elbows and there’s blood flying everywhere. Usually, there is little technique involved. Frankly—it’s gross! Iwas taught not to use my skills to hurt others, unless I absolutely had to. This is the truespirit of the martial arts! These UFC guys think it’s fun to hurt each other; and the more the blood flies, the more fun it is! Sadly, everyone now watches the Ultimate Fighting Championships and marvels at how much blood is spilled. This attitude (along with the glut of violent video games shaping the minds of our children today) has the effect of deadening our society’s horror at such abject violence.

What ever happened to trying to do good? What ever happened to the honor of fighting only in self-defense or sparring just for fun? People today refer to the UFC and try to act tough. They shave their heads, get tattoos on their necks and practice hurting each other—reallyhurting each other. Is this way better? I say no—and I should have said it more emphatically back when the Gracies first started to poison our culture with their overblown machismo and it’s ultimate consequence — the decline of honorable martial arts and the degradation of our society!