You’re going to see me write some of the same statements over and over throughout my Myths and Misconception series. My answer to this myth is one of those statements. It depends on the instructor and the practitioner.

Is your instructor named Sensei Creese? Is your name Johnny Lawrence? Then the answer is yes, martial arts promote violence. Is your instructor’s name Mr. Miyagi? Is your name Daniel Larouso? Then no, martial arts do not promote violence.

Obviously, that’s a joke, but you get the idea. The instructor and the practitioner are everything when it comes to this myth. The art can have an influence in this myth as well, but rarely. Think of Tai Chi, for instance. A practitioner and instructor of Tai Chi is probably already a non-violent person to begin with. On the other end, MMA (mixed martial arts – sport fighting) is probably going to be practiced and taught by someone who wants to fight on a regular basis.

This leads me to the first thing that must be addressed. There are essentially three categories when discussing martial arts. Traditional, combat/sport, modern self-defense based. Each of these categories holds different reasons to answer the question, “Do martial arts promote violence”.

Generally speaking, none of these categories of martial arts promote violence. One universal reason I find often, is that most people don’t seek out martial arts training to become more violent. And if they did, most all instructors would turn them away. Let’s break down the reasons for each category.

Traditional martial arts. One of the best ways to describe traditional martial arts is to explain that they are a vessel for developing human potential. Mentally, physically, spiritually, it can all be developed through traditional martial arts training. Many styles have a code of ethics, tenets or an oath of some sort that they follow.

As an example, I have the student oath and tenets of Teaekwondo listed on my wall. The oath involves never misusing Taekwondo, helping build a more peaceful world, and being a champion of freedom and justice, just to name a few. The tenets are Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. Clearly things that would pull someone away from violence.

Physical training is obviously a large portion of training. But it’s clear that it’s catered towards self-defense and not attacking. That doesn’t mean there are no offensive techniques mind you. Punches, kicks, joint locks, throws and such are all taught. All things that could be used to harm someone. However, virtually all traditional martial arts begin by teaching footwork, balance, stability, posture, evasive movements and blocks.

If someone was looking to sharpen their attacking skills, they would be quite disappointed until they progress higher into the ranks. As the student progresses, sparring becomes more and more important. One of two things happen as a student begins sparring. For most, they learn that they are awful at fighting. Taking hit after hit, while landing none. It’s a big ego destroyer of those who thought they were good fighters and were just going to sharpen their tools.

For others, they learn that they can do more than they thought they could. Mind you that most students that join traditional martial arts these days are seeking self-improvement. For many, that’s involves boosting their confidence in their physical abilities. Most traditional martial arts schools don’t attract star quarterbacks. We create them in a sense. This is why I mentioned above that martial arts develop human potential.

When it comes to combat/sport related martial arts, such as MMA, the answer is the same but for different reasons. Note that I’m referring to those attempting to become professional fighters as opposed to competing in a local martial arts tournament. Most that compete in local martial arts karate style tournaments are generally those training in more traditional martial arts and are just interested in adding some competition to their martial arts journey.

It’s very reasonable to believe that those who fight professionally are training to be violent. Essentially, they are. But we must recognize the fact that letting this violence spill over outside of the ring will dramatically affect their career in a negative way. Potential injury that can pull them out of a paid fight. Legal issues that would also pull them out of a paid fight. Both things can lead to their coaches kicking them out of the training facility. Not only do they lose money, but that’s bad public relations.

One possibility where combat martial arts can be perceived as promoting violence is post fighting career. We see this on occasion in the news where a former MMA competitor is in a domestic violence situation or has gotten into a stupid street/bar fight. There are a couple things to remember. It doesn’t seem to be any more likely than the average person doing the same. Potential brain damage from numerous hits to the head could change one’s behavior. This is true though, however, in every contact sport. Football, soccer, hockey, etc.

One of the biggest factors that would lead a former professional fighter to being violent, is that they were violent to begin with. If a violent person wanted to begin training, they are more likely to gravitate towards combat sports. This is a good thing as compared to not entering martial arts at all. The training process tends to keep them out of trouble while in it. Therefore, post fighting career, they can potentially revert back to those violent tendencies. Yet, this violent behavior still doesn’t seem to be greater than pre-martial arts training.

In my opinion, the best thing a professional fighter can do once their career is finished, is to get into (or back into) the traditional martial arts. We can’t fight forever. It takes its toll on the body. But that desire to spar or be physical is many times still thriving. Traditional martial arts are a great way to keep those desires fed while controlling violent behavior and avoiding devastating injuries that plague professional fighters. This is a large reason why so many former military veterans seek out traditional martial arts training. It’s an amazing outlet that, in most schools, is quite safe and exhilarating. All while taming the beasts that may want to come out.

In my own experience of competing in martial arts I learned how easy it is to hurt someone. When I was younger, dumber, and getting into a few fights, I never thought anything more than a black eye would come from punching someone. After training in martial arts, developing proper technique and power, seeing how easy it was to destroy something with a punch or a kick was a little shocking. I very quickly began gaining better diplomacy in dealing with others that are upset.

Through sport martial arts competitions I also gained extreme confidence in my abilities to defend myself. Many non-martial arts trained individuals tend to have a false sense of their abilities, further pushing them into that fight. Most martial artists who have trained for a decent amount of time know exactly what they can do. That could be knowing they can handle themselves. Or that could even give them the understanding that this fight may not be easy. Giving them the confidence to move on and not enter that fight to begin with.

Lastly are the modern martial arts, or reality based martial arts. Many of these don’t necessarily have stylistic names, such as Karate or Taekwondo, but are self-defense programs that make use of techniques from traditional arts. Many times, this is coupled with modern weapon training such as stick, knife, handgun, pepper spray and so on. Meant to be quick, basic, easy to learn techniques to jump right into self-defense. Participants usually receive certificates of completion over belt ranks.

These are popular with current law enforcement and security guards. Or civilians looking for a crash course in the basics of self-defense without the process of traditional martial arts. These can also involve de-escalation techniques, environmental awareness, and preparedness of home invasions, car-jackings, etc. Sometimes this style of training is coupled with traditional martial arts classes. Other times it’s taught in a seminar or extended course.

Many people that train these modern, reality-based self-defense, martial arts are doing so to help sharpen their skills for their careers in law enforcement, military, and security. They are combating violence on a regular basis, not attempting to create it. Even the civilians I know that train these styles are simply looking to better defend themselves and their families.

One thing I learned through this style of training came from a discussion on what happens during a fight. Bleeding. It happens often. That may not seem like a huge issue to some, but I was asked an important question. Do you trust that person you are fighting is clean? As in, no diseases? Because the likelihood of swapping blood is up there. One dumb fight could lead to a lifetime of issues. And what if that person that you’re fighting gets knocked down, hits their head on a curb, and dies?

Living with the knowledge of being the reason someone is dead and possible jail time is a sobering thought. These are the things that get discussed in classes such as these. These are also discussions that aren’t generally had with those who don’t train in martial arts.

With all martial arts training comes gained confidence, physical and mental wellbeing. A sense of community and friendship. A sense of belonging. A support system. How many actively violent people out there have those things? Many people are violent because they don’t have those things. In fact, there have been several studies done on whether or not martial arts training promotes or dissolves violent tendencies.

Some studies focus on stress reduction from martial arts training. Others delve into the positive effects on youth. Still others look at the reaction to violent images and the results on the brain of a martial artist compared to a non-martial artist. In all these studies, there are positive results indicating that martial artists are less likely to have violent tendencies.

With all of that said, there are practitioners that dream of jumping into action to use their skills to stop a burglar or save a damsel in distress. I don’t know many, if any, martial artists that don’t take a little pride in their self-defense stories of fighting off a drunken bar patron that clearly started it. I believe this is one of the biggest factors in why this myth exists.

Does using trained skills in an appropriate time make you violent? I don’t believe so. I believe it makes you prepared. Martial artists are more likely to move towards an altercation when it’s appropriate to do so. Again, this goes back to the practitioner. The martial artist that interjects themselves inappropriately into an altercation, is someone that would have done so even without the knowledge of martial arts.

The practitioner that only gets involved when it’s absolutely needed, is the person that would not have gotten involved if they had not trained in martial arts. Martial arts gave them not only the skill, but the confidence to deal with such a situation. Assuming the outcome is desirable, of course this person would be proud of his or her actions. Therefore, gleefully tell this story for years to come. This doesn’t make them violent; this makes them good people that did what was needed to be done.

Do martial arts promote violence? No. Can it? Potentially, if taught incorrectly to the wrong person. Humans are naturally violent creatures. Martial arts help control this violent nature when taught properly. Martial arts are just a tool to unlock human potential, which is its only goal.