Changed goals?

[SFC JeffJ]

Since you've started training, however long ago that was, have your goals changed? What were they then, and what are they now?

Jeff

 

[Steel Tiger]

Since you've started training, however long ago that was, have your goals changed? What were they then, and what are they now?

Jeff

I started training in my late teens and back then I was looking for a way to defend myself, pure and simple. I changed schools when I went to university and then I pursued a desire to know the intricacies of the forms I was then learning. Now, nearly twenty years later, I am seeking to understand and master the internal aspects of my art.

 

[Carol]

My goals have changed in a way I didn't expect. After just over a year in one style and setting what I thought was a strong goal to reach my black belt, I found myself in circumstances where I no longer lived or worked near my school, and thus had to make a change for a different style. My goal of earning a black belt was changed because my new school doesn't offer belt ranks.

I take my new training seriously and have no plans to leave my school. However, it made me realize what is really important to me. It's not a belt rank or even a certain level of proficiency.

What's important to me is to keep training, to keep trying, and to keep doing in a way that gives me the most possible mat time at the best possible school. That doesn't have the same specifity as "earning a black belt", but I believe that if I continuously work towards that goal, everything else will fall in to place. I hope that makes sense

 

[kidswarrior]

Since you've started training, however long ago that was, have your goals changed?

Immensely

What were they then

To pierce the mystique of the Asian arts.

and what are they now?

Have a huge sense of urgency to keep getting better and more knowledgeable in order to stay far ahead of my students--until I can't anymore because they've gotten so good they begin to catch me. Then, I can start to let the youngsters take over. My dream, anyway.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I started training in the Stone Age so OF COURSE my goals have changed. Back then I just wanted to be able to beat up other caveman and survive

I started MA a long time ago and when I started I was young (believe it or not) and my goal was a Black Belt and to be more like my Jujitsu Sensei.

Well I never got a Black Belt and it doesn’t really matter anymore but I still would like to be more like my Jujitsu sensei and I hopefully am… at least a little.

But my main goal now is just to train and be healthy and understand the arts I do as much as possible. I am really trying to focus on Taiji to the extent that I want to be able to respond to things like my sifu. To be that relaxed and be that patient in a confrontation to have things flow so effortlessly from one to another is an amazing thing to me and I hope someday to be that skilled. But then he has about 30 to 40 years on me when it comes to training Taiji so I have time.

 

[Yeti]

My goals have changed in a way I didn't expect. After just over a year in one style and setting what I thought was a strong goal to reach my black belt, I found myself in circumstances where I no longer lived or worked near my school, and thus had to make a change for a different style. My goal of earning a black belt was changed because my new school doesn't offer belt ranks.

I take my new training seriously and have no plans to leave my school. However, it made me realize what is really important to me. It's not a belt rank or even a certain level of proficiency.

What's important to me is to keep training, to keep trying, and to keep doing in a way that gives me the most possible mat time at the best possible school. That doesn't have the same specifity as "earning a black belt", but I believe that if I continuously work towards that goal, everything else will fall in to place. I hope that makes sense

I couldn't have said it better. I had a very similar experience. When I first started in MA - like a lot of people - I though attaining Black Belt was then end-all and be-all. There was nothing higher or better. Eventually, I found I no longer cared about rank but just wanted to keep challenging myself, keep learing and keep growing as a person. I surround myself with people who feel as I do - it seems to bring out the best in all of us.

 

[bluemtn]

Not especially.... At first, I had no clue what I really wanted out of my training, until I re- started, which is/ was self- defense.

 

[IcemanSK]

When I started, I was 14 & I wanted to protect myself. 25 years later (& having never been in a fight outside the dojang) my goals are to stay in shape & perfect my techniques for the sake of doing them. I also want to be a better instructor. That never crossed my mind at 14.

 

[Andrew Green]

It had something to do with the Ninja Turtles. Nothing has changed

Ok, seriously, I train because I have fun training, and I have fun coaching. That's really the only reason. Everything else is a side effect of that.

 

[searcher]

I have trained submission most of my life and I never really had any goals other than surviving my father's teachings.

Once I started training in Kenpo I wanted to be able to beat the crap ot of some guys that were ganging up on me at schools every day.

Now I just want to learn as much as I can and NOT get into any fights. I just love to train and want to be able to spend my time doing such.

 

[Cirdan]

I don`t really have a goal as such, I just want to train in order to understand and get better at the art. Getting and staying in shape is a secondary motivation. These have been my reasons for training from the start.

 

[terryl965]

To be honest with you back then it was about fighting and only fighting, today it is nore about the self journey of life in the Art.