The enjoyment of martial arts

[Grasshopper22]

Just out of interest, which 3 things do you enjoy most about training? For me it is learning self-defence, maintaining health and fitness and meeting new people on a weekly basis. Everyone's different, I just want to know which 3 aspects of training you most value

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Just out of interest, which 3 things do you enjoy most about training? For me it is learning self-defence, maintaining health and fitness and meeting new people on a weekly basis. Everyone's different, I just want to know which 3 aspects of training you most value

For me, it is the feeling of family I get when I am there; all my dojomates feel like friends and even more like family to me.
I also enjoy giving good effort and feeling I am making progress.
And I like going home tired and worn out; it's a good kind of tired.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Just out of interest, which 3 things do you enjoy most about training? For me it is learning self-defence, maintaining health and fitness and meeting new people on a weekly basis. Everyone's different, I just want to know which 3 aspects of training you most value

1) Seeing it connect in the eyes of the students when the are learning
2) Testing myself against others including the unexpected white belt
3) When you are in the zone. when you have attained clarity, when you are able to move and breath without thinking yet thinking.

 

[sfs982000]

Just out of interest, which 3 things do you enjoy most about training? For me it is learning self-defence, maintaining health and fitness and meeting new people on a weekly basis. Everyone's different, I just want to know which 3 aspects of training you most value

For myself, it's comradere with my classmates, the health and fitness aspect and constant learning that comes with training.

 

[puunui]

Just out of interest, which 3 things do you enjoy most about training?

I enjoy the physical workout itself; getting better or deepening my understanding about my art (I believe we should strive to improve at least 1% in something every class); and last seeing the look on a student's face at that moment when they truly understand something.

 

[Cyriacus]

The Striking, The Exercise, and the Challenge.

No one more than the other.

 

[Uncle]

1. The combination of the intellectual and physical exercise of improving my skills, my fitness, my whole self as a martialartsplanet artist; of improving all of that in order to surmount my adversaries and myself.
2. The relationship with my sifu and the select few of the other students who are really serious about their training.
3. The basic, simple pleasure of hitting and getting hit, working for better position to outstrike and out grapple my opponent.

 

[Danny T]

Just out of interest, which 3 things do you enjoy most about training?

1) The physical conditioning (though it isn’t need what I should be doing due to age and old injuries that have returned. At 58 I simply can’t do what I once could. I still enjoy the feeling of having left everything on the training mat having swing for the fence against others whom I greatly respect.
2) Testing myself continually and constantly polishing and refining my skills.
3) Working with those younger, stronger, & faster than me keeping me on my best.

Everyone's different, I just want to know which 3 aspects of training you most value

1) The passion I have for the martial arts
2) The friendships and love I have gained from my instructors to the many training partners and students I have had over the past 40 years.
3) The continually learning and gleaning of new perspectives / the constant growth of knowledge and skills. That my martial art like life is in continual change and one’s training will reflect such.

 

[Xue Sheng]

1) To crush my enemies,
2) see them driven before me,
3) hear the lamentations of their women

 

[Chikudun Henryu]

Very good thread!
Now, to the question.. this is interesting, because for me, it is pretty difficult to separate factors of martial arts training. It's almost like trying to separate and name every flavor and taste from a delicious birthday cake ) In other words, the entirety of martial arts makes me happy - kata, mokuso, kihon, sempais and senseis, dojo etc... I could go on with this list. Briefly, everything what you can find in MA training.
BUT, to answer your question properly I made a deep analysis and found three main factors that make my training enjoyable:
1) The development (mental and physical progress, growing up as a better person)
2) Learning techniques and their principles
3) The passion itself for martial arts

 

[Kozure Okami]

Very good thread!
Now, to the question.. this is interesting, because for me, it is pretty difficult to separate factors of martial arts training. It's almost like trying to separate and name every flavor and taste from a delicious birthday cake ) In other words, the entirety of martial arts makes me happy - kata, mokuso, kihon, sempais and senseis, dojo etc... I could go on with this list. Briefly, everything what you can find in MA training.
BUT, to answer your question properly I made a deep analysis and found three main factors that make my training enjoyable:
1) The development (mental and physical progress, growing up as a better person)
2) Learning techniques and their principles
3) The passion itself for martial arts

I will answer the same factors with small variations:
- mental and physical development, knowledges, growing up as a better human being
- being in a "martial family" relationship, learning from elders people and from children, from beginners to high-ranked, share, and probably the happiness to teach and to learn something everydays
- the passion for martial arts from my childhood, their techniques and principles, including Japanese history and passion for the Japan

 

[Cyriacus]

The Striking, The Exercise, and the Challenge.

No one more than the other.

I would like to render this answer null.

My new answer is hereby:
Fitness, and practicing hitting stuff and throwing stuff around and stuff.