What are people's experiences with TMA?

Legit question because in all honesty I've met a lot of TMA fighters who pressure test and can keep up with MMA/BJJ/MT fighters. Everything from TKD/Karate, Kali, Wing Chun, JKD, Japanese Jujutsu and even taichiquan and xinyiquan. Obviously I've met the bullshido ones who think they're magical weirdos but I've also met a lot of old school TMA fighters who would wash mma fighters.

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I think I personally got very lucky I live in an area with a lot of TMA that is pressure tested heavily to the point where they compete in WKA, NAGA and other tournaments of similar stature but I am curious as to this sub's experience with TMA. It seems a lot of people have had weird culty experiences and I just got lucky enough to avoid the cultists and mcdojos.

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The only bad school I ever was in was a TSD place I went to as a kid but even then they weren't a mcdojo they just stopped bothering to teach us after green belt in favor of the blue/brown belts winning hard sparring matches and point kickboxing tournaments.

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So lets talk about it, what are y'all experiences with TMA? Since I'm clearly the odd one out who got lucky to avoid mcdojos and cults almost entirely, save for the occansional weirdo who thinks chi means psychic powers.