Limits

Sport competition messes up martial arts.

Any competition has to have rules for safety. These safety rules make the entire exercise suspect.

Take boxing. A dandy way of punching people. Allow all the things that boxing bans, and it doesn't work anymore. The distance is all wrong if the other guy can kick. The stance is too high and the feet too close together if the other guy can throw or sweep.

Take Taekwondo. A swell kicking method. Put back in the things that Taekwondo sparring restricts, and it doesn't work so well. They ban face punches, so they don't defend against them at all. They spend a lot of time on one leg, and would be very vulnerable to getting dumped.

Take Karate. A good general art, but the competition bans the ground. Karate people feel happy on their feet, and are terrified of getting taken down. Only straight punches score, so Karate people don't throw hooks.

How about MMA, which seems to take any technique from any art, and use them all in a no-hold barred scrap? Wrong. They have zillions of rules, and must fight within them. On the ground they often turn away from an opponent who is pounding their face in, to present the back of their head instead. That is an illegal target and they can't be hit there, but this is exactly where a real life opponent would love to strike. They are great at arm bars, but wrist or finger locks are illegal, so they don't do those at all.

Competitive martial arts can be very valuable. They teach distance, speed, strategy and much more. They also cultivate bad habits due to the rules they impose.

Keeping this in mind, and they are a training tool. Lose sight of this, and they can lead you down the Primrose Path.