What’s your motivation to study the martial arts? What do you expect to gain from training?

Question

Do you care about the philosophy behind the art you are studying or are you only into the physical aspect of it?

Is your goal to become a better overall person or to become a better overall fighter?

Do you prefer newer modern styles that focus on ‘results’ or do you prefer the more ancient arts which focus on long term study?

Do you intend to use you skills for monetary or other personal gain besides that of spiritual growth?

What specifically are your long term goals in your studies?

Answer 1

I study traditional martial arts, as this is the aspect that I appreciate. I am not 'in it' for endless sparring, although I do compete occasionally. My motivation is that it's 'better late than never' to start (I am 36 years old, started karate 3 years ago). As far as expectations are concerned, I constantly strive for self-improvement and enlightenment (physical, mental and emotional). I do care about the philosophical side of the arts as I believe that the old masters have a lot to offer us, even in these modern times. My ultimate goal is simply to (hopefully) endeavour to become a better person and become as good an instructor as possible, instilling enthusiasm in my students. I intend to use my skills in teaching, and encouraging my students to reach for their goals. I teach (in an assistant instructor capacity) for love, not money. My long-term goals are simply self-improvement in all aspects of the martial arts and my life, generally.

Answer 2

I have been studying on and off for 10 years.I started with wrestling and kickboxing.Then got into American Kenpo,JKD,Kali,Silat,Muay Thai,Grappling, MMA.Those are the ones I liked butI tried anything I could and I can honestly say that after 2 years (kick boxing wrestling) the kicking butt aspect was not important and the last 8 years have been about personal growth and development.I see it more as a part of who I am now and thus have preferences towards practical for myself.I have found that the arts of Indonesia and Phillipines are the most in depth and have a long term commitment for true skill.Just a brief opinion hope it helps.

Answer 3

In my youth, it was all about kicking butt. The philosophy was only an excuse to justify my need to kick butt. Then years and several fights later, I realized real fighting in real life was more about survival than victory. After watching friends get shot, stabbed and beaten to death, those fancy moves one learns to love so much becomes irrelevant. No matter how good you are, a real fight has no victors, only survivors. You survive by the edge of your teeth or by sheer luck. After that, the martial arts takes on a whole new meaning for you. It's no longer about fighting other people, it becomes about fighting your inner self, the part of you that blindly glorifies violence. If there's one thing I've learned, it's the difference between a fighter and a martial artist. A fighter is all about winning, a martial artist is all about surviving. When facing life's endless storms, a fighter beats his fists against the wind confident and determined to stop it, while a martial artists wisely seeks shelter to weather out the storm. In the end, it's all about who is left standing, doesn't matter if your attack was overwhelming or not.

Answer 4

I study traditional Tae Kwon Do. Without philisophy, it would just be Tae Kwon & would be just a pale shadow of what I study. Those who only focus on fighting are missing most of the value. I haven't been in any real fights & hope to keep it that way. If all I gained from Tae Kwon Do was fighting skill, it would be a waste. I am an instructor, but I'm not exactly getting rich from my school. I do it because I love teaching, especially children.

Answer 5

It seems to me that most people on here study "how to kick the crap out of somebody"--not martial arts. I find this sad because during my time spent in the martial arts community, I met some of the most honorable and respectable people I have ever met in my life. I doubt I would find the same at some UFC-style, MMA school. They'd probably be a lot those guys you see on "Real Ultimate Fighter" or whatever that reality show is called, yeah, real stand-up citizens those guys.

Me on the other hand, I study mainly for a physical reason, but not to learn how to beat the crap out of somebody in the ring. On the contrary, I train to develop my speed, agility and my ability to kick people in the head (fully padded, of course :)

I also study to relieve stress and to, hopefully, be more at peace with myself and others. As mentioned earlier, I also like to be around the fine people I've met in this community.

Oh, and can't snowboard in the summer so I need something else to do.

Answer 6

At the beginning, it was a way to recover from my low self esteem. I was tired of being the scrawniest guy out there, always getting sand kicked in my face while I read comic books.

My initial attempts were all failures. Instead of breaking boards, I was spending a lot of time in the emergency room. Then, a Chinese-German master named Fu Schnicken took pity upon me and began to teach me the ways of martial arts.

There, in his mountaintop retreat, I learned all of the most important styles. Flying Crab. Chortling Monkey. Squid-claw. And on course, the deadly Three-Finger Looey. My master was killed from eating a poison taco before I finished my training, but I learned so much that summer.

Now I insist that all of my evil henchmen know certain martial-arts basics before they even come through the door. This is mostly for insurance purposes.

The way I see it, if world domination doesn't pan out, I always have the ability to open a chain of karate schools.

Answer 7

javan if you have never been 2 an mma school then i recommend you don't judge people before you know them come down sometime and you'll see we are not all stuck up wanna b bullys. but i train at a mma school that also is a christian based gym so we pray alot and we do bible studies as well so i don't know if that would b considered the art or anything like that but i do that at the gym other then that it is an art as well just well versed

Answer 8

I enjoy the physical outlet. I do Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. I fight. Yet, i still appreciate it for being an art form. Seeing a phenomenal Jiu Jitsu match between two equally matched black belts is an amazing thing to watch. The grace and athleticism being exhibited is awesome. The same thing for Muay Thai, two people in combat, but obviously in harmony with their body and movement. Amazing.

Answer 9

infiniti77 nailed it on the head. But then again, I'm an fight/adrenaline junkie with a wicked smile. I just love it. I'm at peace. My mind is at peace.

Answer 10

Physical; fun and companionship in that order I love it