assessing if u r a true M.ARTIST

Ah, but the OP wants to know if you are a true martial artist. Have you subdued an attacker with pastels? What about charcoal? Clay? What is your sculpting kata like? How are your still life's, ever practice them?

 

ok... i once subdued and op with gum and a box of matches

 

Both my teacher and my coach were smart men, and they both teach/taught me valuable lessons about life. Often times, the lessons came from opposite ends of the spectrum, which makes them even more valuable.

 

Agreed. Sorry. I meant to say that they both sounded smart. It's just that the way the MMA coach framed his thoughts sounded better to me. I see both of their points though. The "let the style define you" thing, though, isn't the way I'd ever choose to frame my practice.

But I think that's more a question of communication style than anything else.

...

Whew! Backpeddaling is hard!

 

No worries man . . . no need to backpedal. I'm not trying to be aggressive.

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say it's an issue of communication? I don't personally see it that way.

 

Oh I know. I'm just poking fun at myself.

Sorry. I mean that it's probably not an actual difference in view. But a difference in how they describe the role.

Presumably the MMA coach wants you to perform well. So he'd fully support you both taking your practice seriously and internalizing the concepts associated with grappling and striking. He presumably wants you to be able to perform your "style" effectively. He's just not choosing to use the verbiage "internalized principle" for instance.

By the same token, I doubt very seriously that your SPM teacher would genuinely expect that your kung fu practice would hold a position higher than that of your family or even your job. Despite his choice to use the language "let it define you."

Bottom line, I expect that both people recognize martial arts' overall importance within the bigger context of a life. But how they express that role differs.

Does that make more sense?


Stuart

 

MA should compliment your life, not define it

 

Yes, I understand what you are saying.

Right. It's actually part of what he teaches us: balance. He teaches it us in class, and he wants to apply it to the rest of our lives by spending the necessary time with our family, attempting to succeed in our jobs, cultivating social lives and other skills.

 

Yeah, see that's what I figured. Two wise men in your corner. You're a lucky bloke.

 

You know it!

 

I do like Martial Arts, all kinds,... ahh... pretty darn good!

Kew-Do

 

I consider myself a martial artist because I:

a) wear black pajamas
b) can climb trees like a cat
c) hide in bushes and jump out to surprise joggers jogging by
d) am pretty good with a bo-staff
e) keep nun-chucks in my locker, and ...
d) have an awesome finishing move


http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ecu_-a9msE&mode=related&search=

 

Thread over.

 

lolllllll,i take the topic off guyzz,nice one :woo:

 

Then, by that definition, I'm not a martial artist. I'm just a girl who takes TKD lessons. Because, there are times when I'm NONE of those characteristics. Sometimes I get so stressed out, or frustrated, or whatever, that I burst into tears.

 

I'm not a martial artist... I just happen to be some average joe schmoe that took some lessons in how to fight a little bit better than the rest and practice whenever I get the chance.

I'm with Yohan.. I'm a partial artist. I take what I like, leave what I don't, and take what I got and work it till it gets a little bit better.

 

I am not a "true" martial artist though I am an artist (drawing an such) and have a little martial skill. Dosn't everyone have a braking point for their priciples? Wouldn't martial art's have to be your form of enployment and pay the rent if you were a "real" martial artist? I mean if you spend your time at a job all day and practice in your spare time I gess your an unemployed artist :bang: . It's hard to find a job these days were martial art's are supposed to be on the resume but good luck to you.Try bouncing at a bar or acting in the movies maybe !

I do think that the "Book of Five Rings", the "Art of War", the Tao(Dao), and of course budisum or the eight fold path have much in them that can be aplied to every day life. The thoughts of a wise teacher (or friend) should be listened to and asked for about more then just fighting, but I bet you know this.

P.S. that was some wicked urban ninja action Mr. Mcgee!

 

^^^ Nice.

No offence intended to anybody, but IMHO the majority ofpeople that tend to ask the question 'I am a true Martial Artist?' are either needing to prove something to themselves and/or very insecure.

I stand by that as I consider it a 'phase' that many young male MAists go through (yes, even me ).

 

I used to be a professional musician, and a good one at that. I defined myself by being one. First and foremost, I was a musician. Then, thanks to 9-11, SARS and Mad Cow disease, the music industry in Alberta tanked. Lost 40% of my income almost overnight. So I was forced to do something else, or live on the streets. I chose to do something else. You know what I realized? I was still the same guy... but not only a musician or a jazz musician, but a man. Nothing more, nothing less. That was a revelation, that I'm not what I do. The same thing with swordmanship. I certainly consider myself a swordsman, but I'm still just me. Even though I spend my time poring over historical swordsmanship manuals from the middle ages and renaissance, training perhaps five nights a week, and thinking about this stuff all the time, I'm still just me, asides from all the stuff I do. If I didn't do swordsmanship, I'd still be me. Whether I'm actually a true MAist (whatever the heck that means) doesn't really matter. I'm pretty good with a sword, better than some, worse than others. That's about it.

Best regards,

-Mark

 

I dislike the idea that some people are "true martial artists" and others are not. It's like when I first started getting into rock/metal as a teen, there were so many groups who listened to certain specific bands and looked down on anyone who listened to anything else as a "wannabe" who just wanted to have the image of a metalhead without listening to "real" metal; the truth is that the "wannabes" were a lot less bothered about their image as they didn't claim to be hardcore and just liked the music.

In martial arts I've come across many people who try to label themselves as "true" martial artists in order to feel superior to others and/or as an excuse for ineffective training. It's all a load of pretentious crap spouted by the same people who, in the previous breath, were talking about respect and humility.