Why are Eastern martial arts fought more brutally than those in the West?

Question

Western martial arts tend to be quite strict with the protective gear that’s required (head and groin guards etc) and how strikes are often limited to above the belt.

Yet some Eastern martial arts, such as some Thai boxing classes and combat sambo, often restrict the use of head and groin guards, and allow full contact strikes anywhere above or below the belt.

I have even Googled this beyond my own experience and found many examples of this to be true.

Is it the case that Eastern martial arts are more focused on practicing a ‘real life’ kind of training experience, whereas Western martial arts are more concerned about style and technique? Which is the better way do you feel? Thank you.

Datboi65 · Accepted Answer

Depends on the martial art. I have a black belt in Shotokan Karate, and what we did was mostly touch fights. If you have seen the fighting tournaments in Karate, you have 4 referees with 2 flags (blue and red) in each corner of the stage, and the fight itself is based on points with no real hits. I didn't think it was serious enough, and I quit because I didn't like it.

There are some martial arts that are more practical like BJJ or Muai Thai, but I find out that most of them are just for show and the controlled environment makes it seem like it works, but in real life a lot of what you learn is useless.

Western martial arts on the other hand are a lot more practical. Boxing, kickboxing and wrestling is far better at neutralizing a threat than Taekwondo. The reason behind the effectiveness is endless sparring with varied levels of intensity, which allows you to develop your skills further. The lack of a controlled environment gives more room for adaptability, and I also like the fact that there's no hierarchical system like belts to keep everyone humble. The new guy who started learning how to box 2 months ago can KO a dude who's been boxing for the last 3 years, so it can bring you back to reality a lot faster to never underestimate anyone. Lastly, head movement and footwork are prioritized over blocks. In Karate I was taught 6 different blocks, but the problem with that is the lack of practicality. Why block when you can move out of harm's way?

Now if you ask me what the most effective way of fighting is, without a doubt I would say it's Muai Thai. What makes this style unique from all the other eastern fighting styles is the lack of standardization. You don't have the "kata" as in Karate and you don't have to memorize a billion different kicks like in taekwondo. You mainly use your elbows, knees and kicks but also your hands. It's called the 8 limb sport for a reason. Leg kicks are used frequently, and these can destabilize someone effectively because the opponent cannot fight if they can't stand. They use the same kick for the most part, which is the side kick. Bruce Lee once said "I'm not afraid of the man who has practiced 10000 different kicks, I'm afraid of the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times". Practice makes perfect.

s35bonanza · Accepted Answer

Some gyms allow more than others depending on their philosophy and approach to liability. At the gym where I spar we have a good mix of guys and girls of all different abilities and experience levels. The official gym policy is that groin protection is optional at the discretion of each fighter, and hits to the groin are officially “not allowed”, this is the agreement we sign, however the tradition at our gym has been that guys never wear cups when sparring with girls. It is considered weak and disrespectful to your female opponent to hide behind artificial protection. There is no penalty or point deduct for contact with the groin, you are expected to defend your whole body with your own reflexes and quickness, and not rely on a cup or rules to keep vulnerable targets un-naturally protected. If you cannot continue the fight for any reason, including taking a kick to the balls, you lose!! Guys are fine with this rule as they learn to defend really well while developing faster reflexes and a healthy respect for their female opponents! We also don’t want to deprive our female competitors of one of the most satisfying and thrilling ways to defeat a bigger stronger male opponent! Guys take some pretty hard nut shots but there has never been any serious or permanent injuries. Testicles are very sensitive, but much more durable than that sensitivity leads you to believe, you aren’t going to be made sterile from a few hard nut shots, it takes a lot more than that. Our approach to the rules makes it thrilling for both competitors, very even and fair competition, and very entertaining to watch!!!

Wellebelle · Accepted Answer

I honestly just feel like if there was no rules or protection in fighting then anyone that competes would go blind, have hair patches pulled out, no teeth and there nutsack would probably just be a bag of pulp. So I'm not sure how many people would decide to play it as just a sport or hobby if that were the case lol.

laraWM · Accepted Answer

Maybe because we tend to pratice it more as a hobby than a street fight I think people wouldn't want to get hurt for that

TheorionMage · Answer

Eastern martial arts are rooted in unarmed survival and incapacitating physiological damage; they rely on practiced 'muscle memory' Kata forms. Their pragmatism for injury... attaches genuine concern for injurious long-term consequences, NOT 'sport' ... as its primary purpose.

As a retired Veteran and L. E. officer, we were taught judo and Akkido and schooled in LETHAL attacks and counter-moves as a 'last resort'; ... temple strikes, larynx crushing, bone breaking and dislocation. Think Israeli Crav Maga or Russian Systema.

This ISN'T you and your kid brother or friend screwing around as to whom is 'better' for bragging rights.. At this level, IF you survive, I may not 'win' BUT... your body WILL remember ME "every time it rains" . for the rest of your days~
Predatory sharks don't WANT to hurt you, ... they want to EAT you while taking as little damage to themselves as possible.
You don't INITIATE combat, you END it as decisively and quickly as circumstances permit! In 1982, the 33rd BRC of the Vermont police academy's resource manual read: "Shoot to 'stop' '" Avoid 'collateral damage'. DEAD is stopped~

jshm2 · Answer

They aren't. Rankings are different between the two

In the West it's more about weight and division. Whereas in the East it's more about experience and skill level.

It's why there is such a gulf between martial arts in the two.

A blackbelt belt in the West would probably not even be a green or yellow in the East. But at world events they use Western rankings, hence leave Eastern competitors at a disadvantage.

As for full contact. You're confusing amateur with professional.

W0nderb0y · Answer

I do tae kwon and hits below the belt are definitely not allowed. Sometimes I get hit there during sparring anyways especially if it’s a girl I’m sparring with, but they always say it’s an accident so the instructor doesn’t treat it as a big deal. Personal I don’t think it’s fair because some girls “accidentally” hit there a little too much. I don’t know how the east is but I would assume that in the past martial arts were more dangerous and used for actual warrior. The east has stuck to tradition were as the west has moved forward. Personally I’m glad I get to were a groin protector, the times that I didn’t end pretty badly

Googlemyahoo · Answer

Probably has to do with liability. People in the west tend to sue for anything. Like there’s people who sued McDonalds because they spilled their hot coffee on themselves.

I could see someone suing for being kicked in their kickboxing class. My son didn’t like it because they organized by weight. He was only 13 and adult size & paired him likewise. I just said it will make you stronger fighting adults.

slay_girl · Answer

I feel the eastern martial arts are much better. I prefer it be more raw and brutal. Guess some guys just don’t have enough balls to fight raw and brutal so they need to protect it lol.

Brando10222 · Answer

Eastern wants to give and teach a real life experience (best way to learn something). Western knows those things won't be much needed so focuses more on safety.

If you've learned it eastern style it will be really helpful when it comes to your safety in real life.

Guardian45 · Answer

I lived in Japan for 3 years. While there I did participate in Kendo & Iaido. From what I experienced martial arts are real combat training, but they have a much stronger philosophic components than in the West. They are strict, and heavily disciplined. My impression was that additional "protective gear" was unnecessary!

Phoenix98 · Answer

Tradition and because it works.

Really the only kind of gear I wear is a cup and fingerless MMA sparring gloves so I can still grab on to people, do throws, locks, etc.

I do mainly eastern martial arts but I do train in a few western ones to.

jbasch · Answer

Eastern martial arts don't have guards for head+groin? I definitely would not participate in any martial arts that did not have groin protection lol

ChiBears2022 · Answer

aren’t there a lot of head and groin injuries without padding? We wear padding for both in Krav Maga

Levin · Answer

TBH, there's lots of bullshit in martial arts. Take so called 'knife' and 'gun disarmament' in the likes of krav maga.

Berethor · Answer

Bruce Lee said that boxer and wrestler would beat any classical chinese martial artist.

Furious_Revelation19 · Answer

I think its less about the brutality of it, and more along the lines of the rules applied.
It is like saying Rugby is a more brutal sport than American Football due to the pads and helmets. Which is also not true obviously.

Why are Eastern martial arts fought more brutally than those in the West?

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