Comments on TKDTutor HOT TOPIC!: HOT TOPIC #5: Glove Touching

Note: In UFC 91 in November 2008, Nate Quarry lost...

2009-01-25T13:34:00.000-05:00

Note: In UFC 91 in November 2008, Nate Quarry lost a fight against Demian Maia. After the fight, they hugged and kissed on the lips. The kiss appeared to be an accident while they were trying to do cheek kisses, but maybe it will also become a new sign of respect to use in the MMA instead of the traditional martial arts bow.

The reasons you give for glove touching are valid;...

2009-01-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

The reasons you give for glove touching are valid; however, they are the same reasons why we perform the bow. If the bow has become instinctive and meaningless, then it is because of a failure of instructors to instill its true meaning of the bow into their students, and it is a failure of the students to uphold the basic principles of their arts.

All behavior is learned. We learned to perform the bow; we learned how to touch gloves. If the bow has become meaningless since we have performed it so much, then, after a period of time, the glove touching will also become meaningless. Then what happens; do we bow, touch gloves, and then hug?

People are attracted to a martial art because of the “martial” part of the martial art, usually because they want to learn to protect themselves; but self-defense may be learned in relatively short time. The reason that most people stay in a martial art for a most of their lives is because of the ”art” part of a martial art; the part that is steeped in tradition and ritual. We spend countless hours practicing patterns, whose movements and techniques are practically useless in a self-defense situation. We train for years to perfect using weapons that are useless against modern weapons. We do all this, not because of the usefulness of what we learn, but because of the mental and physical demands it places upon us to achieve this perfection of an art form. If you eliminate the “art” part of a martial art, then you are left with the “martial” part, which is simply two people fighting, as with the MMA. Fighting and self-defense is instinctive in all animals, what makes humans different is the world of fighting is our perfection of it as an art form. Without the art, we are just—animals fighting each other.

If you stop using the bow because it serves no useful purpose, then why replace it with the glove touch that serves the same purpose. If the bow no longer serves its original purpose, then why keep it and add the glove touch to serve that same purpose. It is better to start teaching students the true purpose of the bow and stressing that purpose at every usage than it is to introduce some new ritual that is foreign to the martial arts.

I think we do bow to show respect, but I think tou...

2009-01-10T01:20:00.000-05:00

I think we do bow to show respect, but I think touching gloves is just a sign of good sportsmanship. Just like the occasional handshake/hug thing. You've already shaken the person's hand to show a good-match, why hug them? I think of it as the same principle. I also think touching gloves dictates a decent amount of honesty and trust, as to say you are letting your guard down just for a second, to show good sportsmanship.

I think with a lot of students the "bow" becomes a standard, becomes almost like an instinct. They are so used to bowing they just do it, but touching gloves is learned, not just because they see it on tv, but because it shows they are ready to have a good, clean, and fair match.