Why do you love the martial arts?

[Lizard]

I like the challange trying to squeeze that little bit of extra power into a move.

"Perhaps if I turn my hips more? What happens if I step further? Why was that one more powerful than the previous one?"

Then after a while you can compare it to the first time you did the move and feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that you have improved the technique. You can also test your moves and fantasise about what would happen if you did it to an unsuspecting opponent "Wow if I did that to someone and they weren't ready for it they would go flying!"

[zghfd]

Like alot of people I have talked to I started a MA (Muay Thai) because I wanted to keep fit, and learning how to defend myself was also a plus. Now what I like most is that it lets me challenge myself on a different level to most sports. Like most sports it has the fitness aspect but what I enjoy most is challenging myself mentally, to see how tough I really am, and how much i can improve.

[sk12879]

The challenge, the fun, the sweat. Knowing that I could never come close to mastering everything there is....I can always execute that block, punch, kick, etc better and faster.

And knowing that I have a better chance of defending myself in a street fight if I ever need to.

[fighting_angel]

The challenge and the confidence it gives you, being fit, having fun and training with some great people and doing something for me no matter what others think of it

[jcolvin]

I started to post to this a while back and did not and since then I have been thinking about it.

For me it has to be a couple of things. First, the discipline of MA is unparalleled with any other sport. When I say MA I mean from Thai Chi all the way to Muy Thai. The ability to teach your body to move a certain way in different situations.

Second, MA is the ultimate test. If you don't improve you can only blame yourself, not the rest of the team. It basically for me comes down to a competition between your conscious and subconscious (forgive the spelling). One wants to train harder and the other wants to quit.

Third, the self defense thing.

Fourth, I grew up watching Kung-Fu theater and I always wanted to learn.

[Tom Yum]

The reason why I'm involved in MA is that it is real. There is virtually nothing that stops your potential, xcept funds. But other than that you can't fake sparring, and you can't fake skill. You build good, long-lasting friendships, maintain excellent physical condition, self-confidence and skill sets that could increase your chances of surviving a confrontation.

Some people in other walks of life will never understand this. They will stand from far away and think, "he likes kickboxing; he must be some kind of barbaric idiot" Shallow people have shallow thoughts. Others will think that martial arts is for wimps. One of my MA colleagues (w/out experience) who just started can bench over 300lbs; another is a corporate lawyer, yet another is a police officer...it draws all kinds of people who are strong, intelligent, and most importantly open hearted.

The ultimate martial artist is the one that steps in the gym for the first time, with excitement and awe and gives it their best. She has a shimmer in her eye and never gives up. She may be the only one of her kind in the class, but she still loves what she is doing and it reflects in every aspect of her life.

Still, some people will never understand this.