martial art as a hobby ?

[Shicomm]

For me it started as a hobby but quickly went another way...
That was quite scary ( still is... ) but some things just have to be...

 

[JohnASE]

Most everyone seems to be saying it's more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle, or something to that effect. But just because it's more than a hobby doesn't mean it's not a hobby too. I guess what most people are saying is that the word hobby doesn't adequately describe what martial arts is to them.

Is there any hobby that doesn't have hardcore people who think and talk about it all the time? Someone mentioned stamp collecting. Stamp collectors might not have dojos, but I'm sure they have clubs and forums, and a few probably think of stamp collecting as more than a hobby, maybe even a way of life!

I have some friends who do dog sports. Does anyone think this is a hobby? There are a lot of parallels with martial arts, but the people I know are even more hardcore! They live dogs! They go to classes and seminars. Some do Obedience which is controlled, kinda like kata. Some do Agility which is more frantic, kinda like sparring. Maybe that's stretching it a bit. They compete often and train all the time. Someone actually refused to sell a puppy to a friend of mine because she had a full time job and wouldn't be able to devote enough time to training!

I guess what I'm saying is it that it's all perspective, and like others have said, semantics. I think martial arts is a hobby and so much more than a hobby.

 

[tko4u]

I meant for it to be a hobby, but boy was I wrong. Once you get bit, thats it. Its all you can think about. I think all day of drills to put the class through. Then at night, I get so happy when they understand the drills and get better!

So to answer the question, no, it sir is an obsession

 

[kailat]

For me, Martial Arts was just a hobby a sport that I pursued n the beginning.

It became an Obsession that turned into a way of life 4 me. I lived, breathed, ate, slept martial arts. I realized it began to over take my life to a point where I lost my family, friends, my job over my obession of the arts.

I later got involved and a job as a police officer. I then realized that this was a place that i could enjoy my obession and put it to work w/in my job. But even then Im finding it comeing into a risk factor of my work. I have began to after realizing this again, have let my martial arts take a step bck to my life. I think as any addiction it can be bad. Even though MA is not a drug is an addictive nature that like anything can create problems if u let something overrun your life.

I could not have a satisfiable and long lasting relationship due to my MA. My ex wife left me because i spent more time and money spent training than w/ her and my son.

It's defenitly something i've come to see and made aware of. Im just like any recovering addict. Im breaking it slowly and from training 5to 7 days a week down to just 1 day a week. It seems to be working w/ me. I find that im finding other things to do to fill my time that I never had the chance to enjoy before, like fishing, hiking, and spending money on other stuff rather than thousands in seminars and training.. Now w/ my job, they pay me to train.. so thats the way it should be!

I wonder if anyone else has seen their traiing and obsession w/ MA get in the way of their life?

 

[Hyper_Shadow]

I wonder if anyone else has seen their traiing and obsession w/ MA get in the way of their life?

I was given my identity and sense of self from my dojo and my instructors. They made me what I am and still continue to infulence everything I do today. As far as it stands, MA is my life. When I wake up and scratch my head in the morning, I do it as a karateka, when I sit down for a meal I'm a karateka; there is no seperation for me because it's all I've ever really known. And you know what? I don't regret any of it, not even a little. The only thing I regret is not being able to find my dojo sooner.

My training gets in the way of my social life, only because it IS my life in the first place. To be honest I'm glad, it gives me a sense of discipline and self worth. Besides, I have good friends and family who put up with my insatiable martial lust and even better friends and family who encourage it.