Are traditional martial arts 'useless'?

Rogers (Canada)

A big problem with most traditional martial arts is their terribly unrealistic training programs. Most practitioners end up asking themselves, "I wonder if what I am learning would work in real life?" Boxers don't ask this. Muay Thai practitioners don't ask this. Brazilian ju-jitsu fighters don't ask this. Why not? Because they don't have to. They KNOW what they are learning will work, because they regularly train against actively resisting opponents under highly realistic conditions. This is what MMA fighters frequently call "alive" training. If a martial art isn't built around "alive" training, you might as well be tap-dancing.

Shaolin students perform kungfu on Zhengzhou International Shaolin Wushu Festival's opening ceremony on Oct 19, 2014. [Photo/IC]