Originally Posted by Shoot

1. Fitness, 2. Entertainment, 3. Self Defense ( a far third). My main priority by far is being strong and cardiovascularly fit. I say "entertainment" is second in that I really use martial arts as a fun way to do cardio. I'd rather hit heavy bags, jump rope, do focus mits, and spar (including grappling) then jog on a treadmill (a lot of the time, but not all the time). The self defense applications are nice "side effect" for me, but then again, I'm really of the mindset that being fit aware of your surroundings goes the farthest in self defense, so I feel pretty secure in just being a strapping dude even without training under the heavy weight intergalactic mixed martial arts champion of planet earth. So, maintaining 6% bodyfat, having my best VO2 max, and being in the 99th percentile as far as strength goes is my most important goal. Martial arts is PART of my training program, it's not THE training program. Oh, and boxing (specifically two punches--the jab and cross) is my dominant art in my MMA "arsenal"--followed by wrestling--which in my case resembles in many ways rugby or football. I guess you can say I like my martial arts simple.