Well guys for school I have had to write a short paper, and I decided to do it on why I belive Martial Arts particualy Eastern Martial arts Tae Kwon Do Karate etc etc that have been portrayed in media have become ineffective over time.  Now I do NOT claim to be a writer, it is just something I had to do, and infact from the time I started school my weakest points have always been grammar, spelling and english.  Even now in college it still is.  However I really hope I got the basic premise across in it.  Here it is: ( Sorry the Formatting from Microsoft Word wouldn't carry over so it might look weird) 

                                                               Why Eastern Martial Arts Have Become Ineffective

                Martial
Arts, the mere mention of the name conjures up images of warriors flying through
the air, taking out multiple opponents with their secret techniques and their lightning
quick reflexes.  Movies, television
shows, books, and magazines have popularized the Eastern Asian martial arts
such as kung fu, karate, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Tae Kwon Do. However is the
media depiction at its core, accurate? Can one man become an army by learning
the ancient combat arts? Are Martial Arts really that effective in today’s
environment? Over time Martial Arts have become ineffective and obsolete, due
of the evolution of both technology and society itself. 

            In order to understand the basics of why Eastern Martial
Arts have become ineffective over time, it is essential to know how the various
arts originated. Okinawan Karate is one of the most popular styles of Karate,
consisting of short choppy blocks, Spear hands * and quick, linear front kicks.
Okinawan Karate developed at first on the seas, when sailors needed to defend
themselves from Japanese pirates. From this point on Okinawan Karate developed
over a period of time from the 14^th Century-17^th Century
both on land and at sea.  In the 1500’s a
Law was passed prohibiting the common people to carry weapons.  Because of this they were left to the mercy
of the Samurai. “In 1609, the Satsuma Samurai Clan attacked and swept the
Okinawan defenses. The islanders used turtleshields and short [stabbing]
daggers, but they were of very little use against horsebacked, swordcarrying
samurai or bows. The only instruments the farmers had were their simple farming
tools. The unique martial arts of Okinawan karate and kobudo were born from
this background.” (A History of Okinawain Kubudo) 

The
Hwarang were an elite group of young warriors that fully developed during the
Silla Dynasty over 2000 years ago.  They
had a codified system of combat that they were taught, involving extremely fast
kicks and punches, jumping kicks to knock opponents of horse back, and powerful
thrusting punches to break through the wooden armor of their opponents. (World
Hwa Rang Do, 4) The system of the Hwarang spread to Japan where it heavily
influenced the Japanese arts and the development of the Samurai System.  Essentially all eastern arts that have been
heavily popularized by the media have an influence from The Hwarang at some point
or another. 

            With talk of the Samurai comes Jiu Jitsu, a Japanese art
that focuses on joint locks and throws. 
Jiu Jitsu was developed both from the techniques brought by the Hwarang,
and situational development.  Throws were
designed to play to the disadvantages of the Samurai armor.  Such as the Shihonage throw, the Shihonage
throw in Jiu-Jitsu involves the attacker turning his opponents elbow in towards
his body by twisting his wrist.  The
attacker then pushes the elbow up towards the face of his opponent and steps
under the arm so that his is facing the opposite way and his opponents arm is
pulled over their shoulder, with their hand pointing at the ground. To finish
the throw the attacker then pulls down on his opponent’s wrist, sending the
opponent backwards.  (Erik Draken,
Shihonagi Waza Throwing Technique, 1) This catered to the Samurai because while
wearing armor the shoulder pieces made it extremely hard to turn out of the
throw, making it a much higher percentage move**.  (The Samurai Armor Anatomy,1)

The
time period in which these systems of combat developed vary, however what they
have in common is they developed when swords and armor were the main implements
of choice.  When someone wears armor it
slows and restricts the movement of the wearer, swords and other implements
were not fast moving, but had definite slashes and thrusts.  Due to this, empty handed techniques made in
this time period were designed to parry and block slower moving swords and
spears.  Another big factor was that battles
took place in the open and on a large scale most of the time.  Even if the battles were individual, there
was time to prepare and much respect was shown during the fight.  Due to this factor adrenal responses were
probably less likely, so the combatant was more likely to have gross motor skills,
cranking up the amount of complex moves he/she could apply. 

Now
in modern times things have changed a great deal, firearms and small knives are
the most common weapons and people don’t walk around in metal, wood, or leather
armor.  With the popularization of
western boxing and the invention of fire arms, ancient martial systems have
decreased in effectiveness. The modern mindset is very different from the older
one, and there has been a loss of information over the ages.  Martial Arts have been modified for sport and
because of that, have lost their street effectiveness. 

The
modern opponent is very different than ancient counterparts, relying on dirty
tricks, and more often than not a group of friends who also use dirty
tricks.  Modern opponents are not on a
battle field in the opposing army, but behind you around you and in front of
you.  You honestly do not know who could
be looking for a fight, money, a thrill or any other confrontation.  The modern opponent has no honor and their only
goal is to come out on top no matter what the reason, be it pride or
money. 

            Weapons in modern times are not
swords spears and shields, but short knives, pistols, revolvers, and improvised
weapons.  No one carries around a Katana
or Chinese spear, dragon staff or Naginata anymore.  The legal blade length while varying state to
state is rarely over 6 inches meaning small concealable blades.  Concealed firearms are common for people over
21, and can hold up to 15 shots in a standard magazine.  Improvised weapons such as broken glass
bottles, sticks, chairs, keys and other such items are quite common.  These weapons are much faster and are used at
close range, as compared to the medium distance or long distance required for
swords, spears and other such implements.  

The
Modern setting as compared to the old ones are rather constricted, such as bar
rooms, alley ways, and bathrooms, as compared to fields and streets, etc.
because of this, many, many of the techniques people learn are ineffective
because of in-adequate room when the fight starts.  Fights tend not to happen in with the same
level of respect, and decency, but with instant brutality and low “dirty”
tactics.   For example, the statistics on
the average sexual predator.  73% of all
rapists know the victim, such as a friend, ex-boyfriend etc.  50% of all rapes, happen within 1 mile of the
victims house, and often enough happens in the victims house. (The Offenders,
1)  So as you can see the statistics
indicate it would be a small area, were the gap is easily closed by someone the
victim knew.  Range is not needed because
no-one uses a sword, which requires distance to work effectively.  The first thing most people will do is get
close enough to dirty box and grapple, not jump-spin-kick.

            Due to the unpredictable nature of
conflicts now, and the tendency for sucker punches, pushes from behind
etc.  The adrenal response limits gross
motor movement, making the defender more likely to lose the ability to pull of
complicated moves, such as a multi stage wrist throw, or a jump spin kick.  Adrenal response or the “Fight or Flight”
response happens when your body senses that you must either fight or flee for
survival.  When this occurs blood rushes
to your muscles, and your eyes dilate, breathing rate increases, and all your
senses are heightened and you lose gross motor movement.  This does not lend itself to learning and
using a complex art. 

Another
factor was the loss of information before the systems were widely taught to the
general public.  The tradition of
teaching was often oral only, from one master to a few students.  It was up to the master what he would teach
his students, and if the Master died before passing on all the information, over
the centuries a great deal of information presumably was lost.  Because of this what might have been a more
effective combat system got less effective on its own over time, simply due to
the natural process of deterioration. 

However,
possibly the biggest reason that some martial arts have become less effective
in modern times, is the modification for sport. 
By adding rules and regulations and banning certain techniques that
could be lethal or more harmful than a punch, martial systems have lost much
realism.  Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu,
and Muay Thai have all become for sport, instead of the lethal battlefield arts
they were designed to be.  Kicking below
the belt is prohibited in many of the traditional arts.  In some even hitting to the face was
prohibited.  Even with the growing sport
of MMA which allows kicking below the belt (but not the groin), and striking to
the face.  Yet even in MMA there are very
strict rules for the safety of the combatants such as no striking to the back
of the head or spine, no downward elbows etc. 
Because almost every art has been modified for sport there has been even
more loss of information, causing arts to become less effective, trading
killing and maiming power, for speed, and flashiness.   

If
all this is true then what are some effective combat systems?  There are some very effective schools of
combat, and almost all of them have been created recently, or were designed
where close quarters combat was common. 
Styles that are effective are not bound to codified techniques, but
rather develops an ever evolving skill set. 
The most effective arts are ones that take the positive aspects from any
art it comes in contact with, and then combines it with its own. 

One
example of an effective combat system that teaches gross motor skill combat,
and by far the most popular is Krav Maga. Krav Maga is an Israeli system of
hand to hand combat, utilizing mainly elbows and knees.  Krav Maga is defined by the mentality that
the students are taught, one of intense violence, kill or be killed.  A few other styles that have developed
recently are Keysi Fighting Method or KFM, and Jeet Kune Do which was developed
by Bruce Lee.  There are many others, but
these are all rather new, and the mentality is very similar.

Martial
Arts over time have become ineffective and obsolete, due to the factors of both
the evolution of technology and society. All the factors that have been
presented tie in to give the result that you see nowadays, opponents, time
period, weapons, battlefield, sport etc. 
Martial Arts are doomed to fall into complete obsoleteness unless people
take action.  In order to be effective
Martial Arts must adapt to the new environment. 
Martial Arts must become not about tradition but about survival. Nothing
is wrong with the ancient arts, however the traditional principles must be
applied all new ways if Martial Arts are to become completely effective once
again.

“How
we wage war is a constant, ever-evolving process. You cannot argue with the
notion that because of this, we can now destroy stuff on a level that the not
even the ancient Greeks thought their gods capable of. Because we continually
adapted and evolved our style of warfare, we have made it extremely capable.”
(The Problem with Styles, 1)

            *A
Technique in which the tips of the fingers are used for striking like a
spear.  

**A high percentage or low
percentage move references how often a technique can be applied successfully in
real combat.  If it works very well, it
is a high percentage move if not it is a low percentage move. 

Works Cited

"History." Hwa Rang Do® World
Headquarters. N.p. n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2011.
http://www.hwarangdo.com.

"The Anatomy of the
Samurai Warrior Armor- MilitaryItems.com." n.d. Quan
Engineering. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. http://www.quanonline.com/mili…..armor.html

Draken,
Erik. "Shihonagi Waza." Aikido Waza Journal. Web. 02 Mar.
2011. http://wazajournal.com/.

Okinawa Kobudo
History.  n.d. Kobudo D'Okinawa.
Web. 02 Mar. 2011. http://kobudo.okinawa.free.fr/…..index.html.

"The
Problem with Styles." n.d. Bad Martial Arts. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. http://www.badmartialarts.com/…..styles.php.

“The
Offenders”.  RAINN  Rape, Abuse and Incest
National Network. Worth Magazine. N.p. n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. http://www.rainn.org/get-infor…..-offenders.

Thanks Bro. I ran out of time so I had to submit it.