InFi and MMA

Some days ago, I had a chat with a martial art expert about individual fighting. After my first two sentences, he said, 'aha, then it is similar to MMA, isn't it?' Yeees, in some respect, it is, I said, but in many essential aspects, it is definitely not.

In columns, I list their attributes. What is more, I start with the well-known concept of freestyle to make the picture even clearer. None of them is a corporate style. I highlighted with green the similarities and with pink the differences from InFi. Each line represents the same aspects in all columns.

In summary, we could call MMA sport InFi or restricted individual fighting. But we must not name InFi as free MMA, in general, because the restraint in MMA is not only technical. The whole mindset is different. The essential discrepancies are in the third, fourth, and fifth lines (above), which are not about freedom or limitation. Of course, all MMA fighters have their InFi out of the contest, and their InFi must be pretty much similar to their competition style. Over and above, InFi is not only an activity. It is a concept, a phenomenon, or a property. Compared with the population, only a few people do MMA, but everybody has InFi.

YOU HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL FIGHTING STYLE 

Interest in martial arts is declining?!

There is plenty of evidence that the interest in martial arts has been declining in the last decade.

It is apparent, and I think the reason is the internet, globalization, and new trends. Those people who have an affinity towards combative activities, and want to find and improve their InFi style, cannot be kept in schools for long. They are studying for a while and leave.

The internet opens the eyes of the open-minded. You can see whatever you want on the web, and the masters cannot keep secrets the same way as 30 years ago. Consequently, teachers are not authority figures nowadays; they become customer service givers.

Changing trends is another issue. The popularity of martial arts is waving. MMA, Krav Maga, and Tricking are the new trends. It is simply a fashion, in my opinion. The popularity of these trends does not mean they are better. They are new, and strongly promoted through the media.

In connection with individual fighting styles, some traditional techniques can be helpful to watch or learn - others cannot. In particular, tricking is rather gymnastics than fighting. Kraw Maga is rather a self-defence system than a style. And MMA is simply a sport.

Individual styles behind traditional styles

Creating our (individual) style is a natural process. Everyone makes their style automatically. The statement is general but can be applied to any specific field. Martial art, combat sport, and self-defence are not exceptions. People who are practising fights, creating fighting styles. They are unconsciously (or consciously) creators of their fighting styles.

Whatever one is learning, only a part of it will be absorbed. The other part is going to be rejected automatically by selfhood. Moreover, every absorbed aspect will be accompanied by the person's uniqueness. The evolving individual fighting style is separated from the favourably practised traditional style. In other words, practising a conventional technique entails improving the invisible individual fighting (InFi) style.

For example, if someone is studying Wing Chun kung fu or Kyokushinkai karate, teachers control improvement according to the tradition. At the same time, behind the scenes, the InFi style is evolving automatically, according to the nature of the person in question. Then there will be two styles for each practitioner. One is traditional (socially directed), and the other is the natural individual fighting style. The conventional style is visible during the learning process or demonstration, and the InFi style reveals in unexpected situations only. For example, while a traditional style teaches 108 techniques in a rigid choreography, the personal style contains only 23 flexible techniques with their unique and personal taste and twist. Consequently, the individual styles are created, not learned.

But what if someone is making a new style from two or more combative systems with the intent of sharing, spreading and teaching, for example, for business. (Many traditional styles were born in this way.) That created style is not going to be InFi anymore. InFi style (personal combat style) is not reproducible since it is individual. Teaching one's style will be a corporate style with rigid rules and forms but not InFi. InFi is a living, ever-changing, and evolving personal style. Hence, in theory, there cannot be two same InFi styles - similarly as two men cannot be the same. In theory, the Individual Fighting style is inseparable from the owner.

In summary, my friends, think it over and be aware that whatever you are practicing (karate, kung fu, boxing, aikido, jiu-jitsu, krav maga, or mixed martial arts), it is on the conscious surface. It is the visible part. And behind it, there is your authentic InFi style evolving or dormant. InFi is not a school; InFi is your secret style. Nobody knows your InFi style better than you!