The month or so ago I was helping a high school wrestling team train. We were going over moves, I started thinking about the world of sports entertainment. Many of the moves that you see in WWE are not legitamite moves, but instead they are exaggerations of what we see in armature wrestling. The real holds are less flashy or even barely visible.
Then I watched a jean Claude van dam movie. Honestly jean Claude looks less like a kick boxer and more like a ballerina!
Many martial artists get angry at the mention of sports entertainment.
They say "that's fake!" or "I could take him"
They feel as if they have had their fighting religions blasphemed!
But I feel that they have missed the old motto.
"imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
any good salesman has to be use exaggeration to sell the product.
To advance any martial art, you wantto have more practitioners to make more competition.
and keep some teachers employed.
A former master instructor of mine remarked how sales would go up when movies like "the karate kid" or "tmnt" were popular.
For instance amature wrestling and even old pro-wrestling was way to Hard on Hulk Hogan for bringing theatrics to the squared circle. I think making the disconnect hurt the real sport from advancing.
Honestly I was a little "hulkamaniac" and yes that did inspire me to take up amature wrestling.
I think Kung fu people have been smart not to be critical of wushu and jackie chan. You need good advertisement.
This works in other areas too. like video rock and rollers with classical music. Rocky with boxing and the harlem globe trotters with basketball.
Every great cowboy needs a rodeo clown!
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