Growing up through the martial arts over the last 35 years has brought me a lifetime of lessons. Back in the day of the “Dojo Wars,” if you did Karate, your art was superior over all others. Your entire world and everything you knew came from your martial arts school. You were taught a culture, pledged your allegiance to a style, and had faith that it would work.
Then along came the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC in the early nineties. I recall watching the first UFC live on Pay Per View, where I saw Royce Gracie dismantle the competition. When this happened, of course, it proved that Brazilian Jui-Jitsu is the one supreme art, because nothing else would work against it. As time passed and a few more UFCs debuted, we saw a changing of the guard as wrestlers inched forward to dominated the octagon. Their athletic ability, stamina, grit, and takedowns proved to be the winning factors, so naturally, it was the best style to practice over all other arts. Then Maurice Smith placed the strikers back into the driver’s seat with his “round kick that was heard around the world.” Of course everyone surged towards Muay Thai and more striking because it was the best art.
Much like history, this battle of art versus art has shown that there is more depth to every situation. A perfect example is which one of these is better, a fork, or a spoon? You might have a preference, but the answer isn’t that cut and dry. What if you said fork, and someone gave you soup? What if you had a steak and could only use a spoon?
These examples paint a picture of how things are not just black or white. They bring up our awareness of what is known as “the gray.” When painting you have two primary choices for getting the color you want. You can purchase a color of paint, or you can bring it to life by mixing multiple colors. If you were looking to purchase some gray, then it wouldn’t be long before you would realize that there is not just one gray. There are Achromatic Grays, Off-Grays, Cool Grays, Warm Grays, and more to consider. Within each one of these types of gray, there are shades ranging from 10% to 90%.
As the struggle continued in the UFC to find the best art, there was a handful of people in the UFC that we considered “the gray.” They weren’t strikers, nor were they grapplers. They were the painters that chose to create their own colors. They were true mixed or blended martial artists that understood the importance of having a well rounded game. These Mixed Martial Artists paved the way for the future of the sport you see today. They brought technical insight, understanding, and athleticism to the game and showed everyone you have to be open to all perspectives to perform well in this new world that had evolved. They showed us that it would no longer be strikers on the left or grapplers on the right that would prevail. They also proved a point that Bruce Lee would make time and time again. It isn’t the art that makes the practitioner. It is the practitioner that makes the art.
As an artist, creating your very own colors is the most liberating concept and feeling. When you can mix colors, you will create the perfect way to express yourself. This evolution will give you insight on how to remove all extremes from your mind and open the doors to endless possibilities. It will help you find what works best for you as well as give you the understanding that your truth isn't someone else's truth.
