The importance of toughness?

[Darren]

Do you like to read? Only asking because it's pretty deep stuff.

Love to read!!!!

 

[windwalker099]

What value do you put as a martial arts on mental toughness?

What value do you put on doing hard things?

What activities related or unrelated to martial arts do you do to develop mental toughness? To test your grit? To increase or measure you ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable?

Is this important to being a well rounded martial artist?

Should this be learned on and off the mat?

some might not need a mat...

"Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?"

"Lemme see your war face"

[

"Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Today, you people are no longer maggots. Today, you are Marines.
You're part of a brotherhood. From now on until the day you die, wherever you are, every Marine is your brother.
Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back.
But always remember this: Marines die. That's what we're here for.

But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.

 

[Holmejr]

Is there anybody here familiar with Taoism?

Only in relationship to Christianity. Generally speaking in Taoism, the goal is to live in harmony with the great way of nature or the TAO. A Taoists feels that’s he/she can achieve this on their own. Christians on the other hand, understand people to be flawed to the point of needing a savior who lived, died and rose again to bring them into a right relationship with GOD. Christians believe they are saved by grace apart from their flawed nature. Hope this helps.

 

[drop bear]

By the way the hard chargers I hang out with are generally in to stoicism.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

its the same,,,did you have a question

Only in relationship to Christianity. Generally speaking in Taoism, the goal is to live in harmony with the great way of nature or the TAO. A Taoists feels that’s he/she can achieve this on their own. Christians on the other hand, understand people to be flawed to the point of needing a savior who lived, died and rose again to bring them into a right relationship with GOD. Christians believe they are saved by grace apart from their flawed nature. Hope this helps.

How does Taoism relate to christianity exactly? I missed it in this pot somehow.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

By the way the hard chargers I hang out with are generally in to stoicism.

That isn’t so very different from Taoism. Virtuous Harmony, the Way, Courage, Patience, Self control. These are at the core of Stoicism as well.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

What value do you put as a martial arts on mental toughness?

What value do you put on doing hard things?

What activities related or unrelated to martial arts do you do to develop mental toughness? To test your grit? To increase or measure you ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable?

Is this important to being a well rounded martial artist?

Should this be learned on and off the mat?

I'm not sure I know what toughness is. We say a person is tough, but what do we mean by that?

Do we mean they are strong? Pugnacious? Belligerent? Do we mean that they show courage in the face of adversity? Do we mean they can endure great physical or mental or emotional pain or suffering? Do we mean that they are steadfast?

I think all of those characteristics have been described as being tough at one time or another.

I don't think I am tough, by any means. I think I have the character trait of perseverance. I did not always have it; I used to quit things that I was not effortlessly good at. There were a few things that I persevered at. I wanted a newspaper route; my parents assented but made me sign a six month contract with them that I would not quit, would not whine, would not complain. I did it. I joined the Marine Corps. Boot camp was incredibly difficult. I did not quit, I did not complain, I did not give up. One of my drill instructors took me to get new uniforms prior to graduation; I had lost a lot of weight. He asked me why I had not quit, given how hard he had been on me. I didn't know. I just didn't. Probably I didn't think quitting was an option, so I just never gave it much thought.

During boot camp, we fought with pugil sticks and simulated knives. I got whopped in the head a couple times, learned it wasn't killing me, and began to counterattack with ferocity. I wasn't a champion by any means, but nobody wanted to mess with me after that day in my platoon. I earned the nickname 'Maddog'.

Is that tough? I don't know, but I don't think so.

In our dojo, I started as a white belt at age 46. Of those who were adults starting around the same time as me, none remain. I see old photos of myself as a green belt, brown belt, and all those people who were there are now gone. Am I tough? I don't think so. I think I just kept showing up, kept trying. I know I suck at karate; I just try to suck a little less over time. So many of those who started with me had great ability right from the start. They didn't have to struggle with the training or with their weight or with their health or with their age. I envied them their natural athleticism and ability. But they all stopped coming. I can't say they didn't have good reasons to quit; life gets in the way sometimes. It doesn't mean they're not tough, whatever that is.

In the end, I don't know if I'm tough or not. I know that I don't like getting hurt, pain sucks, but I'm willing for reasons I find valuable. I am willing to keep trying to get better. I just call it perseverance. If I could say I am proud of any characteristic I have, that would be it.

 

[Darren]

Only in relationship to Christianity. Generally speaking in Taoism, the goal is to live in harmony with the great way of nature or the TAO. A Taoists feels that’s he/she can achieve this on their own. Christians on the other hand, understand people to be flawed to the point of needing a savior who lived, died and rose again to bring them into a right relationship with GOD. Christians believe they are saved by grace apart from their flawed nature. Hope this helps.

I grew up in church, my father was a Pentecostal preacher with 48+ years experience, it is my belief that God does not involve hisself in human affairs!! God, Jesus are

Only in relationship to Christianity. Generally speaking in Taoism, the goal is to live in harmony with the great way of nature or the TAO. A Taoists feels that’s he/she can achieve this on their own. Christians on the other hand, understand people to be flawed to the point of needing a savior who lived, died and rose again to bring them into a right relationship with GOD. Christians believe they are saved by grace apart from their flawed nature. Hope this helps.

my father was a Pentecostal preacher 48+ years experience, God deals with his plain of existence and we deal with ours!! In all due respect, humility and kindness the response does not help! I therefore want to study and practice Taoism as it deals with our plain of existence! Thank you!

 

[Darren]

some might not need a mat...

"Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?"

"Lemme see your war face"

[

"Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Today, you people are no longer maggots. Today, you are Marines.
You're part of a brotherhood. From now on until the day you die, wherever you are, every Marine is your brother.
Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back.
But always remember this: Marines die. That's what we're here for.

But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.

My instructor did this to me once just like gunny did. What does this mean?

 

[Holmejr]

How does Taoism relate to christianity exactly? I missed it in this pot somehow

It doesn’t and it’s vastly different. The poster was inquiring about Taoism. I simply used the difference between Christianity and Taoism to explain Taoism. Sometimes people understand easier when contrasted with something else.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

It doesn’t and it’s vastly different. The poster was inquiring about Taoism. I simply used the difference between Christianity and Taoism to explain Taoism. Sometimes people understand easier when contrasted with something else.

It seemed to me it was an explanation and/or a proselytizing statement of the Christian faith as you define it rather than an attempt to explain or define Taoism.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Have I got the perfect movie that sums up the whole Daoist vs. Christian thing.

 

[Darren]

Have I got the perfect movie that sums up the whole Daoist vs. Christian thing.

Christianity does not do it for me!! Christian’s so called get saved is still apart of life and life SUCKS!! It is a change in thinking and living becoming one with nature and trying to be happy down here!! There is so much crap that goes on down here it just leaks to the other side!! Of all the experiences I have read of NDE’S(near death experience’s) they go through a dark tunnel toward a light well to me that is going through crap to get to crap!!! So anywhere ya go there is just crap!!!!!

 

[Darren]

It seemed to me it was an explanation and/or a proselytizing statement of the Christian faith as you define it rather than an attempt to explain or define Taoism.

That is what it thought(proselytizing) and I don’t need that!!!!!!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Have I got the perfect movie that sums up the whole Daoist vs. Christian thing.

 

[Dirty Dog]

ATTENTIONS ALL USERS:

Here at MartialTalk, there are a few ways to virtually guarantee that a thread will be locked, warnings issued, and accounts suspended or banned. One of them is political threads. Another, religious. You have been warned.

Mark A. Cochran
@Dirty Dog
MartialTalk Senior Moderator

 

[Jared Traveler]

I think a combative mindset means immediately accepting a negative, then instead of dwelling on the negative, doing something to create a positive.

That mentally comes from doing hard and difficult things.

 

[Oily Dragon]

True story, Victor Wong died of a heart attack in the early morning hours on September 12th 2001, watching the news and waiting to find out if his sons were alive.

They were.

Tough kid. Six Demon Bag!

 

[Darren]

ATTENTIONS ALL USERS:

Here at MartialTalk, there are a few ways to virtually guarantee that a thread will be locked, warnings issued, and accounts suspended or banned. One of them is political threads. Another, religious. You have been warned.

Mark A. Cochran
@Dirty Dog
MartialTalk Senior Moderator

Never ever mean to be disrespectful sir!! But warning is very heeded!! Thank ya.

 

[donald1]

As far as mental strength is concerned. Nobody talks about that in my class. I imagine its important but nobody to my knowledge, nobody comes to a karate class to gain mental strength. You wanna have it, but it's not something you learn in a dojo.

Doing hard/difficult challenges should be encouraged whole heartedly. You should struggle to a degree. We all have our limits and you definitely shouldn't be going over your limit but you want a challenge to pose some level of difficulty cause that's how you improve plain and simple.

I don't know any helpful tricks about gaining mental strength. Try not to overthink this. Just believe in your self. Don't worry about how fast or slow you're progressing. When your in the dojo and even out of the dojo, your trying to be your best self.

Being well rounded is always a good thing, right? Absolutely!

Why restrict yourself to learning in the dojo alone? You can learn a lot outside the dojo. Any helpful advice/training opportunity is still helpful.