Where Do You Think This Is Going...?

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I need your opinion...

Over the past several years, I have personally witnessed major shifts in the world of Martial Arts: the explosion and regulation of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)...the heightened promotion of more "practical" self-defense, not just as an "addition" to "traditional" Martial Arts, but as completely new systems altogether. (By the way, when did the straight middle punch become non-practical? I've always thought it was a fairly practical technique.)

There also seems to be more access to extreme styles that utilize high-level acrobatics, demanding stunts, and near "super-human" feats. As well, it is surprisingly common to see the Martial Arts choreographed into movies and T.V. shows, in stage productions, and in advertising and marketing. In fact, to watch any type of media without the influence of Martial Arts is, well...strange. The arts are also being used as springboards to nutrition counseling, natural health therapies, and various types of coaching (from cross-training in other sports to business model coaching). I also see the arts actively taking center-stage on humanitarian and outreach-related concerns.

Oh, and let's not forget the WWW. Access to the Martial Arts through sites just like this...www.Kickgen.com...is shaping the landscape for generations to come.

This is where you come in...

In a positive way and with consideration, I would like to know your thoughts about the future of Martial Arts.

Where is the world of Martial Arts headed? What will it all look like in another 10 years? Will the "traditional" retain its influence? Will the "new stuff" wear off? What effect will the media have on Martial Arts, or better yet, how will the Martial Arts affect media?

As a "future thinker", I am most interested in what you think the world of Martial Arts will look like in the not-too-distant future. I am also interested in your opinion about what our roles and responsibilities, as Martial Artists, will be in shaping that future.

I realize I may be opening the proverbial "can" here, but I just can't help but think that this amazing community of people has something significant to say about the future of what we all love so dearly.

So...hold on just a moment...

O.K., I'm ready (I had to put my headgear on)...give it your best shot. Post your comments and join the conversation about our future.

In the meantime, I am going to practice my left side-kick, while I watch my two-year old perform his double-crescent-high-flippin-over-the-puppy-dog-kick, followed by simultaneously exacting a one-handed cartwheel and completing Bo Kata #23 that he just learned from the Internet last night... :)

Whew!

Have An Extraordinary Day!
Doug McGannon
Kickgen.com username: KGDoug
http://www.twitter.com/dougmcgannon

P.S. - Go ahead and post your comments and thoughts, and by the way, I must give credit where credit is due. My son Michael (Kickgen.com username: Wyvern) assisted me in the writing of this post. Click on over and give him a left hook-punch to the cabeza...er, I mean, show him some Kickgen.com LOVE!