How can martial arts be considered sports?
To me, a martial art is a system of combat for use in battle/war only put into an art form (hence the word martial). This means that martial arts can use any weapon, including the body. Martial arts are much more than self-defense, but can be used as such. Sports are games with rules and regulations for safety. Real martial arts dont have rules. Are you seriously going to say in a real fight "sorry, you cant do that becuase its cheating". What defenatly makes martial arts not sports is the fact of spiritual development. Real martial artists are beyond a mere athlete. Martial artists strengthen their spirit to increase their fighting potential. This MMA isnt a real martial art. All they do is grab their opponent and pound their face in. Thats an art? Many will say that martial arts wont work in a real fight because they dont know what real martial arts are. I am very frustrated on this topic because such a complex and beautiful thing is dying out. Please help me out here.