Traditional versus Modern

Does this mean there is nothing new to discover in the martial arts? No! Scientific study continues to discover new training methods that may be used in traditional martial art training. Scientific research analyzes body movements to find which movements may best be used to attain specific outcomes. For example, a sprinter uses different training methods than does a marathoner. Therefore, any traditional martial art may be enhanced by incorporating modern training methods into its training. There is no need for the art to be re-founded by some “master.”

So what is it that all these martial art “masters” are founding? Just as when a manufacturer adds blue dye to its old detergent and repackages it as “new and improved,” these ‘master” are not creating anything new, they are merely repackaging something old by changing some aspect of it, such as the order in which certain movements are performed.

For example, yoga has been around for thousands of years, and, just as in the martial arts, there are many versions of it. In recent years, Bikram Choudhury founded Bikram Yoga. What is Bikram Yoga? It is sequence of traditional yoga poses performed in a 105 degree room. So what is new about it? Choudhury says it is the order in which he performs the poses. Therefore, it follows that if you change the poses used or the order of the poses, or you change the temperature of the room a few degrees, you too may invent a new style of yoga. For example, Hot Yoga use different poses than Bikram Yoga and trains in an approximately 97.8 degree (body temperature) room.