Martial Arts Question of the Month - Ironlife Magazine Issue #20

What was your original motivation for taking up MAs?
How long have you been at it?
Why do you still train in Martial Arts.. do your training reasons differ now from when you first began?

~*~

Quote:

Cesaro - Member @ www.GlobalMMA.com
Why did I start? - To be cool.
How long? - 2 years
Why do I now? - I don't train anymore really. The only reason I'd really start again is to get in better shape and go to Japan for training with my instructor.

Quote:

92StangMan - Mod @ www.ProActiveHealthNet.com
My original motivation to start grappling was because it 'looked cool' and interested me. It's real in that it can contribute to a real life fight. Back in high school, even though I hardly ever got into any confrontations, I was easily intimidated by others due to my size and lack of aggression. I'm a passive person but now that I have some added size and a decent ground fighting base, I am no longer intimidated by certain people or situations.

I've been at jiu-jitsu off and on for about 1.5 years. Total time of training is about 7-8 months. I quit grappling to focus more on weight lifting. Sometime in the future I definitely see myself getting back into it, as I miss it a lot, but right now I want to focus on one goal: to grow and become stronger.

Quote:

RdRookie - Mod @ www.Extreme-Athlete.com
I watched UFC 1 and saw a good friend of mine who was a wrestler beat up a lot of fellas just by taking them down, and he was only 160lbs.
I've been at it nearly 2 years.
Because once I started, I became addicted. Plus, it's GREAT cardio.
"Training reasons differ now?"

No and yes. Now I train more so because I want to constantly improve myself. But I also would like to fight eventually (in a ring). Plus, if I stopped training, I wouldn't be able to legitimately wear all my Full Contact Fighter and Tapout shirts! hahaha

Quote:

tru6968 - Member @ www.Extreme-Athlete.com
I started about 2 years ago! I got into it because all the movies I have seen and to learn how to kick some major ass! I am still in it for that reason. Oh yeah ,and for knowledge!

Quote:

Nick - Member @ www.MA-Skills.com
I've been practicing Thai boxing for about 2 years or 2.5 years. If I'm correct I started almost at the same time as Ronald did. The training reasons don't differ from when I first began. I'm still in love with the sport. I do notice that I started to appreciate REAL Muay Thai even more. At the beginning I wasn't so fond of it, since it lacked boxing. But right at this moment I enjoy doing MMA, Pancrase, K1, Kickboxing and Muay Thai.

BTW I also did judo, but I sucked at it. That was WAAAAAAAAAAAY back
Still don't like the full contact kickboxing style!

Quote:

Justinian - Admin @ www.MA-Skills.com
Good question! A friend of mine started practicing Judo when I was 4 or 5 years old. He kept bragging a lot about the fact that since then no one, including me, could beat him. Well… that motivated me to start practicing Judo as well I started training Judo when I was 5 years old and later on I started with Jiu Jitsu and MMA. I am 29 years old now, so I have been training for about 24 years.
Of course my motivation has changed. Nowadays I feel it helps taking stress/aggression away, it makes me feel better about myself and it keeps me in shape.

Quote:

Jeru - Member @ www.MA-Skills.com
I started when I was 6 with judo. Just because my parents made me
When I was 23 and out for 11 years I thought it was time to come back because I felt lazy. Started with jiu jitsu and later on kickboxing and judo again.

Quote:

redjuh - Member @ www.MA-Skills.com
I started judo at age 4 or 5... still do it every once in a while (just tournaments), Rickson Gracie Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing both for over a year now. Keeping the body in shape of course

Quote:

musashi - Member @ www.MA-Skills.com
Judo at the age of six, but only for one year. Then at when I turned 9, I started boxing, which I still do and since 8 month's Shooto. I started boxing because I used to love to fight (I still) and for some self-defense.

Quote:

sinister - Member @ www.nokaut.com
Original motivation would be curiosity. I started years ago with karate, quit, resumed again and now started with Muay Thai.
Lately mostly for self defense. so yeah, motives changed a lot.

Quote:

Angelco - Mod @ www.nokaut.com
I started karate when I was 7 years old, trained that for about 4 years. I took a break from MA for about 2 years (did in the meantime swimming), then I trained kickboxing for 1 year and 2 months. That was my last MA I trained but I'm thinking to start again after the summer, we'll see.

Quote:

Maxi - Member @ www.nokaut.com
Well what motivated me was that I wanted to learn how to use nunchuks. Then I began watching Bruce Lee movies, which made me interested in martial arts.

Quote:

weavil - Member @ www.IronLife.com
When I first started Martial Arts when I was younger I just wanted to kick and punch stuff, now I do it because it's fun and hell of a workout. I also train because I want to compete, but I'm not at that level yet.

Quote:

Knee-2D-Face - Member @ www.IronLife.com
Reason has not changed, but my knowledge of it has made me train better. I do it for the rush, I just don't feel complete without it, it's my thing. People have playing music, or writing programs, or art, whatever, my thing is martial arts.

Quote:

Thaifighter23 - Member @ www.IronLife.com
I train because I want to take it as far as I can. Eight years ago I began after I saw my first UFC and since then I haven't stopped. After 16 fights now I still want to get better every day and pro fights should be soon. Heading to Thailand to fight on April 4th!!!

[QUOTE]Arne - Mod @ www.IronLife.com
Always wanted to do it..
still do it....
But as I learned more...
I knew I wanted full contact.. then more MMA
and perhaps Ill end up with Full contact stickfighting..hahahahah

Quote:

Thaifighter23 - Member @ www.IronLife.com
**** man. Full contact stick fighting is ridiculous!! When I fought in England they did this demonstration fight at intermission with only helmets on and just beat the **** out of each other with Philipino sticks. They were all covered in huge red and white welts, leaving me backstage looking out thinking,"I thought I was tough cause I fought Muay Thai... but these guys are the definition of hard."

Quote:

Crab_Louie - Member @ www.IronLife.com
When I was ten I wanted to be tough. Now I just wanna have fun.

Quote:

Krahzee1 - Mod @ www.IronLife.com
I started doing it because I am a competitor at heart and I wanted to move beyond wrestling. After a little while the guys that I was training under approached me and said that if I was serious they would train me for real and they knew promoters that would put me on a card. I sat around for three fking days going back and forth. When I was younger, training to compete was no big deal, but I have a family now and a real job, I couldn't devote myself to a level that would satisfy me to compete. So I backed off, and now I go in and out, for fun, when I really feel like I need a little contact in my life, and once I get my fill, I'm out again. I know it sucks, and some of you may think I'm a **** for being a spare-timer, but that's where I am.

[QUOTE]Mr Boogaloo - Member @ www.IronLife.com
I started to go to my local gym because I'm a big fan of the sport and I quite like feeling ****** exhausted. Starting to do reports, I thought that I should try and get more of an idea of what's going on.. So I moved to London Pancrase

Quote:

paradamed - Member @ www.IronLife.com
I started training BJJ 7 years ago because of Royce Gracie. Now it is Nogueira who inspires me to keep practicing! The Ultimate Fighter show is also a great inspiration!

Re: Krahzee1- Hey pal, the important thing is that you are still training and having fun, no matter if you train hard or not.

Quote:

Bighead - Member @ www.IronLife.com
I love competition and I love winning. Submission wrestling provides me with both.

Quote:

DaChinkOfSteel - Member @ www.IronLife.com
I began training in TKD when I was 10 because I saw a demonstration and wanted to learn to break boards and fight and stuff. Plus, I was a very sedentary, in additional to being a very individualistic, kid so it was a great form of exercise and recreation that didn't involve "team stuff" (like soccer, football, baseball, basketball...all the typical kid sports.) I trained in TKD for 12 years, but around 10 years into it, I started my own "path" and began cross-training with a lot of Muay Thai influence...which in turn, got me into MMA. Now I primarily still practice TKD, but adjust it for MMA-style fighting. My training partners all come from different backgrounds like Filipino Arnis, wrestling, and JKD...so I teach them how to kick and they teach me takedowns, ground control, and hand-striking. We're all relative noobs when it comes to submission wrestling because none of us have had formal BJJ/Sub-wrestling training, but we learn and practice what we can learning from books, instructional videos, and what we can observe from watching actual MMA fights.

I still train because above-all, I love the martial arts. I've learned a lot about myself, my limitations, and my abilities. Training in MA's has been more than just a physical experience, but also (not to sound corny) a psychological and almost spiritual experience, too. Obvious "side effects" are the ability to somewhat defend yourself and discipline...but I'm sure I've developed a certain amount of leadership skills, communication skills, self-confidence, and charisma from practicing MA's. I've just grown to love what I do and hopefully, someday I'll take over my instructor's TKD school and bring in my own curriculum that I've gotten from cross-training to transcend traditional TKD. I continue to train and have begun teaching simply because I love doing it and what it's done for me...and I like to spread the word and help others "find themselves" through the martial arts as well.

~*~

Thank you to everyone who responded. Your replies are great!

Til next month, stay safe~
~lacey

__________________
admin@ http://www.proactivehealthnet.com

mod@intensemuscle.com & beyondmass.com

Team IronLife.com Staff Writer
~*purrs*~