A Thought
I dont know if I am entitled to start threads being I am not of MOH practice; Anyway; Acronyms. How many are used in martial arts. You have; KMA, CMA, JMA, PMA, TMA, MMA, JKD, TKD, TSD, SBD, KSW, MDK, JJ, JJJ, BJJ, JDO, KM, TCM, PP, TCMA, WMA, WC/WT/VT, AK, GKR, GRK, TCC/TJQ, MT, OK, I guess there could be more. I have been a martial artist for so long before such categories came along. From my perspective and so-called wisdom, all martial arts upon their creation were MMA. Each martial art creator created something from other arts that were studied. From those previous, they neither were nor even considered traditional. In other words, a martial art was created or developed to be effective within their era. And, with that, those didn't not even consider the preceding as traditional. One of the martial arts I had studied was both MMA and TMA. Passed unto generations as an art that kept evolving to meet each era of the day. In other words, keeping up with the times, yet remaining consanguineous. I am a MARTIAL ARTIST without the need to follow such boundaries; as such a martial artist SHOULD do - Not following boundaries. However, I must admonish that I am a controversial writer. I would take either side in order to study, be it the logical course or not. My opinions are easily swayed and yielding. Yet they can be forceful and circuitous. To some, they may term it as trolling. To me it is to innervate responses that could give insight. What could I bring to such a medium (forum) that wasn't already discussed before and on others? In reciprocal, what could I learn?

Hello 47MartialMan, You posted, “I dont know if I am entitled to start threads being I am not of MOH practice;” Sure! (You do know the secret handshake, right?) :-D You posted, “I have been a martial artist for so long before such categories came along.” I believe there are several of us who are in the same boat here. You posted, “…all martial arts upon their creation were MMA.” Also you posted, “From those previous, they neither were nor even considered traditional.” Yes, I would agree with that. A lot of the founders stories that I have read all have a common thread. They went their own way and considered themselves renegades. You posted, “One of the martial arts I had studied…kept evolving to meet each era of the day.” A lot of martial arts do that in order to remain effective. It has been my experience that those that do not, also do not survive as viable fighting arts. You posted, “I am a MARTIAL ARTIST without the need to follow such boundaries; as such a martial artist SHOULD do - Not following boundaries.” I believe that boundaries are there to help us define our progress and abilities. They should be stretched and questioned but not eliminated entirely. You posted, “However, I must admonish that I am a controversial writer.” We practice what some would call a controversial art (and I would have it no other way). You posted, “My opinions are easily swayed and yielding. Yet they can be forceful and circuitous. To some, they may term it as trolling.” Nah! I’ve seen trolling and this ain’t it. :-D It is a serious questioning of what we do, though. You posted,” What could I bring to such a medium (forum) that wasn't already discussed before and on others? In reciprocal, what could I learn?” Let’s find out! Regards, MrE2Me2

I believe that boundaries are there to help us define our progress and abilities. They should be stretched and questioned but not eliminated entirely. I dont consider those as boundaries, but goals :D

Hello 47MartialMan, You posted, “I dont consider those as boundaries, but goals :-D ” L.O.L.! Sometimes, stretching a boundary is a goal… And sometimes, knowing what I can do and what I cannot do…is reassuring. Regards, MrE2Me2

But, by definition, a boundary is a limitation. Stretching it makes it no longer a boundary..

Hello 47MartialMan, You posted, “But, by definition, a boundary is a limitation. Stretching it makes it no longer a boundary.” With all due respect, Stretching a boundary still defines how flexible that boundary is. Inflexible boundaries can be quite brittle, at times. For example: Water is very flexible unless it’s ice, in which case it is brittle. Regards, MrE2Me2

I disagree, boundaries are limits. If youre playing a sport, something goes past the boundaries....it is negated..... Boundaries cannot be stretched, for they are a set in a standard. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/boundary Expectations, dsire, a goals can be stretched....

Hello 47MartialMan, You posted, “If youre playing a sport, something goes past the boundaries....it is negated.....” Sometimes this is correct and sometimes it is a gray area with no clear cut lines. An example would be “The Blood ‘n Guts Days of Tournament Competition”. From here, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/boundary Part of the definition reads as follows: “Frontier… may also denote or describe the portion of a country adjoining its border with another country…also refers to the most advanced or newest activities in an area of knowledge or practice: the frontiers of nuclear medicine.” Again, no clear cut boundary is set into stone. Instead, a frontier would seem to denote an ever growing or decreasing area or set of activities. You posted, “Boundaries cannot be stretched, for they are a set in a standard.” It has been my experience that boundaries must be stretched or at least tested regularly. Partially, this is to assess if they are still valid. For example; “A woman’s place is in the home”. Partially, this is to assess what is morally upright and worth defending. For example, “I’d rather defend my wife against an assault than visit her in the hospital.” Also, you posted this, “Expectations, desires, and goals can be stretched....” These too, can be stretched but they are not the same as a boundary. Regards, MrE2Me2

I still disagree. In sports, lets not call a foul or it as "going out of bounds" (bounds-strange-boundary) Lets call it "going out of frontier" :roll: A frontier is a border, a mark of region, not a boundary,,,,,, Boundaries are ety, to keep, to bound, to limit. If you want to sub Boundary with Frontier, as a method to stretch limitations, then I could understand.... Boundaries are limits designed to not be broken...... Frontiers are areas left for exploring/discovery,and pushing the limits. :roll: Sorry, I am pushy with words, they are my frontier :D

Yes but frontier is a synonym for boundary is it not? Since when are boundaries set in stone and not able to be moved? Boundaries can be real or imagined, permanent or temporary, fixed or dynamic. Sports are a bad example as they are designed to be played by a fixed set of rules everything has to be judged right or wrong, inside the rules or out. For the most part life is not like that. Words rely on their context to give them meaning. If you take a word out of context you can say it has a certain meaning. You can get into the whole Bill Clintonesk, what is the meaning of "is". At that point I think semantics becomes your boundary.

Therefore, are we to ignore boundaries so that we could strectch them? Therefore why label anything a boundary if they are going to be surpassed? Why not plainly called them frontiers or goals? There are boundaries for example, in Science, but frontiers as well.

Hello 47MartialMan, You asked, “…are we to ignore boundaries so that we could stretch them?” On the contrary, boundaries exist so we may more easily define our world. Because they exist for valid reasons, they should be kept. But also because our world grows, these same boundaries should be flexible. And you also asked, “Therefore why label anything a boundary if they are going to be surpassed?” As I said, a boundary helps define where we are, as well as, where we want to move from. You asked, “Why not plainly called them frontiers or goals?” Sometimes we do. There was a time when kicking was considered a “dirty” tactic in North American streets. Nowadays, kicking is a viable tactic. And sometimes it is patently obvious as to why we would have a boundary. For example: defending elderly seniors who are attacked on the street. Placing one’s life and health in danger would be something many would risk to save the helpless. Yet these same people would see as juvenile, attacking others merely to prove one’s manhood. You posted, “There are boundaries for example, in Science, but frontiers as well.” Yes there are. And sometimes these boundaries are stretched or even broken with the advent of new technologies. Micronization (?) and digitalization would be perfect examples of this. On the other hand, ethical boundaries still are, and should be observed. For example: not using prisoners or the disenfranchised for medical experiments. Regards, MrE2Me2 Without prejudice E&OE