Robert Parmakovski
Chief Instructor, JKD Academy
Robert Parmakovski has been teaching Jeet Kune Do and kali full-time since 1999, when he was certified as an instructor by renowned California-based guro Paul Vunak. Prior to teaching Bruce Lee’s system, Parmakovski taught Shotokan karate, in which he’s ranked 3rd Dan. He now runs the JKD Academy in Thomastown, Melbourne, and continues his training under American grappling expert Sifu Roy Harris, as well as Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW) founder and decorated former MMA fighter Erik Paulson.
Contrary to popular belief, traditional martial arts are not dying — they are rising up to the challenge. People are starting to understand that half of the UFC stars have had some 10-to-15 years of traditional training — for example, Shotokan karate, Kyokushin and judo. Even UFC fighters are changing and becoming more boxing/kickboxing oriented. In the past couple of years, even the submissions have dropped dramatically, which means even MMA is changing.
Traditional martial arts were dying at one stage because of the climb of MMA and pupils being misled into thinking you could become a fighter in a few months, with two months of boxing, a month of grappling, three months of kickboxing and a little wrestling being sufficient enough. Then, most quickly realised we really need the etiquette of traditional training, and the basic techniques and a strong work ethic to do the 1000 reps needed to make them work.
Today we’re seeing MMA fighters expressing their traditional styles with pride and still training in them — fighters like [UFC champions] Lyoto Machida with Shotokan karate, Georges St-Pierre wth Kyokushin karate, Karo Parisyan with judo, etc.
Mixed Martial Arts is not a new idea; it’s been around for thousands of years and the roots derive from traditional training. The same goes for religion: you can start your own religion by mixing up a few different belief systems, putting aside the traditional religion, but eventually to learn the foundation, people will travel back to the source to discover their path.
The world is changing dramatically and becoming more violent, and self-defence is needed more then ever, with an increasing number of attacks with weapons and assaults committed by multiple attackers. So as violence takes over, people are trying to find a peaceful way of self-defence through the traditional martial arts — some choose a hybrid mix with no belts systems or gradings, just hardcore training, but some still want some kind of warrior code to transcend their lives. Traditional styles will always be around, as they are the roots of martial arts and are here to stay.
Craig Harmer
Instructor, Lai Taekwon-Do
Craig Harmer has been training in taekwondo since 1992 and received his 4th Dan from Mr Roy McNair of Lai Taekwon-Do, the club he now runs under the guidance of Senior Master Robert Lai. An international instructor and examiner with the Australian branch of the International Taekwon-do Federation, Harmer has also enjoyed competitive success, winning several national titles in forms, power breaking and sparring, as well as representing his country at the 2007 ITF World Championships in Slovenia. He is a former police officer and has also served in the Australian Defence Force.
Combat sports are experiencing never-before-seen coverage and are enjoying great popularity, with TV shows like The Ultimate Fighter, UFC events, The Contender and Human Weapon, to name a few, showing viewers a multitude of techniques, with skilled martial artists blending various styles of fighting with the fitness of Olympic athletes.
Of course, most of these fighters started out with one traditional style and although they have learned other techniques, each would still call themselves a grappler or striker, etc. To the uninitiated, MMA looks to have streamlined martial arts into a fast way to learn a comprehensive approach to combat, and at a glance it would appear so.
However, what the viewer does not see is all the years of preparation and training prior to becoming an MMA fighter. They do not see these fighters practising patterns or kata that develop strength, power, dynamic flexibility, co-ordination, focus, mental training and body awareness. There are also the traditional conditioning exercises such as striking a post and knocking exercises that condition the body to give or receive a blow in actual combat. These are just a couple of training methods used in traditional martial arts and there are many more, but the viewers and fans of MMA don’t see these so they think they must be outdated practices, or the martial art must be outdated.
So I ask you: are the traditional martial arts outdated and are they going to die out because of the MMA boom? I think no; traditional styles won’t die out but some aspects must change for these styles to enjoy good membership. Modern concepts must be adhered to, such as sport science, etc. These methods, along with traditional methods, are just going to make the system better without compromising the style itself.
The world needs traditional styles more than ever before, with violence an almost daily occurrence for some and the degradation of morals in our society. Traditional styles offer both real self-defence and moral guidance. They have always perpetuated that practitioners can benefit from good discipline, fitness, co-ordination and self-defence in a positive environment. These are the qualities that parents want for their child, and unfortunately some perceive MMA fighters to be tattooed thugs and thus not many parents would want them for a role model. Obviously, not everyone with a tattoo is a thug, but place them on a TV show with graphic shots of knockouts, etc. and this is going to affect people’s perception of the sport.
Traditional martial arts, regardless of style, will be around for a long time to come — but instructors should remember to keep it fun, as you may be teaching the most effective techniques in the world but if people don’t have fun doing it, they won’t keep coming back to class.
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