You raise some interesting points here, Shinobi.
I want to preface my post by saying that I think that your post addresses the very heart of the matter, though I must respectfully disagree to an extent with you.
Still_learning, I think what he's trying to say isn't that self-defense depends on athleticism,
Actually, that is almost the entirety of his post. The activities that he suggests require such a degree of athleticism to do, especially rings, that there can really be no other conclusion.
but that to be a true martial artist (not a martial <i>hobbyist</i>), one must be athletic.
And what is this true martial artist that I see spoken of often and yet never see a definition for? Does such a thing even exist?
If it does exist, then the "True Martial Artist" is in the extreme minority amongst those who practice a martial art, so much so that his or her example is largely irrelevent.
And as for the comparison of this mythical "True Martial Artist" with the lowly hobbyist, most of us here, indeed 99% of those in MA, likely including you and the OP, are indeed hobbyists.
Unless either of you are school owners, professional instructors, professional fighters (or working very hard to be professional fighters), olympic hopefuls, or movie actors who specialize in MA movies, then yes, martial arts is your hobby.
After all, if you're going to devote your life to something, you should do it right, and the martial arts are a physical activity, so like any other physical activity, you want to be at the top of your game at all time. For example, the man who doesn't play baseball professionally but does play on a team with his friends works out and makes sure he's in shape by lifting weights and running, not just by playing baseball all day every day.
And here is the crux of the issue: "If you're going to devote your life to something, you should do it right."
And I completely agree with this: if you dedicate your life to something, do everything that you can to do it the best that you can.
But, with the exception of those who seek to be school owners or national champions, or perhaps hope for a movie career, very few who study a martial art do so with the intent of dedicating their life to it. Most have a dedicated profession or have dedicated their life to something else that is their passion.
Even the people who originally developed martial arts were not "martial artists." They were individuals who's lives required that they be able to fight in some capacity. Mostly soldiers. For the soldier, martial arts were a job skill, not a life's dedication. And as anyone in the military can tell you, there is a whole lot more to soldiering than just fighting and training to fight.
Even the renowned Shaolin monks' primary dedication is prayer, meditation, and whatever else goes along with monk-dom. Their martial arts were developed originally to keep the monks fit so that they wouild better be able to fulfil their lives as monks. Later, they were used to defend their monastery, which falls under the category of
'individuals who's lives required that they be able to fight in some capacity.'
By the same token, the social worker who's profession takes them to bad parts of the city feels the need to be able to 'fight in some capacity,' namely to defend themselves against an attack. Her life's dedication, however, is being a social worker and trying to improve the lives of those to whom she is assigned.
They took up a martial art to either
A) defend themselves in case of a mugging,
B) to get into shape because the local TKD school markets themselves as a fitness alternative to the gym,
or
C) because they thought that it would be cool to do it and maybe get a black belt.
In addition, most people have a day job that takes up the majority of their time and obligations at home that take up more.
The guy who plays baseball in a local league (but not professionally) stays fit because if he does not, he will likely get injured and miss work. Baseball is still just a hobby, and by no means what this guy has dedicated his life to.
Also, baseball in and of itself, involves mostly standing around waiting for something to happen, a brief flurry of intense action, then more standing around. You will not get fit by playing baseball and nothing else.
Most MA classes involve fairly constant movement, and while they really are not designed as a fitness class, they will have a greater impact in and of themselves than baseball will. Martial arts classes generally include a section of strength building as well. Thus, if you practice regularly, for simple fitness, the weight room is not a necessity the way it is in baseball.
Lastly, there comes a point in most people's lives where even with weight training, they will not be physically superior or even the equivalent of the attackers that they may face. They may also, due to age and injury, be unable to engage in activities such as the OP described. If their entire self defense repetiore depends upon physical strength, then they have effectively placed an artificial time limit on their ability to be effective in self defense.
Make no mistake, I am very much in favor of strength training and exercise outside of the martial arts. That must, however, be ballanced by practical consideration. To do ring gymnastics in particular, let alone all three, will require enough energy, time and effort in addition to professional and familial obligations that for 99% of those in martial arts, there would be nothing left for the martial art.
Daniel
