Why Wouldn't A Good Athlete Be Good In The Martial Arts

[Tony Dismukes]

Based on my experience, all other factors being equal, a martial arts student starting out as an experienced athlete will progress more quickly than a student who starts out without that background. Contributing factors include:

1. Kinesthetic awareness
2. Balance
3. Experience learning physical skills
4. Physical conditioning allowing more training time and intensity
5. Mental fortitude to push through physical discomfort and frustration
6. ... and many more

Of course, none of this means that a good athlete will automatically become a good martial artist.

If the athlete doesn't have the same motivation and dedication to their martial art as they did to their previous sport, then they won't get as far. If a great basketball player tries Karate, but finds it boring, then they won't become a great karateka.

The skills and attributes required by the prior sport can vary in how much they carry over to a given martial art. From my experience teaching BJJ, I'd say that rock climbing, gymnastics, American football, soccer, rugby, powerlifting, and strong man competition all give a significant advantage for new BJJ students. I imagine that a baseball player would have some advantage over a complete couch potato, but the benefits would probably not be nearly so great.

I say all this as someone who came into martial arts with minimal athletic experience or talent. It took me years to reach the point that some of my students reach in a few months.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I met a senior martial artist at a seminar years ago who said if he had his preference, he'd require 6 months of dance training before accepting someone as a student. For his art, this would almost certainly be a great start, but something like Rugby would probably make it hard for them to learn the extreme nuance he worked with.

I saw something similar with ling time Karate practitioners and taiji. It took them forever to relax in the form. But i once dated an ex-ballerina, that i meant in a long fist class. Her long fist and taiji were absolutely amazing. I would just sit there a watch her do forms

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I saw something similar with ling time Karate practitioners and taiji. It took them forever to relax in the form. But i once dated an ex-ballerina, that i meant in a long fist class. Her long fist and taiji were absolutely amazing. I would just sit there a watch her do forms

One of my 3 year students was a ballet dancer, she is progressing faster than the others.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

I saw something similar with ling time Karate practitioners and taiji. It took them forever to relax in the form. But i once dated an ex-ballerina, that i meant in a long fist class. Her long fist and taiji were absolutely amazing. I would just sit there a watch her do forms

This is similar to a recent discussion I had with a Chen-style taijiquan practitioner. In thirty years of teaching there were only two occasions of somebody learning the frame/form with unbelievable speed. One was an autistic guy who needed see the moves just once and could imitate them. The other was a young dancer who came to learn taijiquan before heading off to university, she was so used to learning dance routines that her mind and body could absorb movement patterns with ease.

 

[Xue Sheng]

This is similar to a recent discussion I had with a Chen-style taijiquan practitioner. In thirty years of teaching there were only two occasions of somebody learning the frame/form with unbelievable speed. One was an autistic guy who needed see the moves just once and could imitate them. The other was a young dancer who came to learn taijiquan before heading off to university, she was so used to learning dance routines that her mind and body could absorb movement patterns with ease.

I'm telling you, a ballerina doing long fist is a thing of beauty to watch.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

I'm telling you, a ballerina doing long fist is a thing of beauty to watch.

Yes, I am sure a ballerina doing long fist is a thing of beauty. Xue Sheng, your post was quoted and replied to when it was this one by Wing Woo Gar that actually inspired my response:

One of my 3 year students was a ballet dancer, she is progressing faster than the others.

This was the reason for mentioning a teacher's memories of two previous students progressing so speedily when learning the Chen style frame/form.

 

[HighKick]

One of my 3 year students was a ballet dancer, she is progressing faster than the others.

There is a dance/ballet school next door to one of our schools. People come and go both classes. The ballet students have always had trouble adapting to the stances and footwork in TKD. But their flexibility and core strength are usually off the charts good.
I had an 18-year-old girl make it all the way to the AAU Nationals in sparring. She did not medal but did go very deep in the bracketing.

 

[windwalker099]

Feel the main point is that they know "how" to train, and understand their bodies response to training.

The same qualities that make a person excel in one discipline—such as drive, discipline, and perseverance—all needed in any discipline can lead to success in another.

On one hand, these attributes provide a strong foundation. However, deeply ingrained reactions from prior training may be difficult to change or modify. This challenge is similar to martial artists transitioning from one style to another, where preconditioned movements and habits may not align with the new system.

Not everyone is able to make the transition due to the influence of their previous training.

I have met people who practiced Tango “dance “ and others who did yoga, started training to practice taiji, interesting to see what they bring to the practice—and what sometimes gets in the way.

I've heard of some people who are good athletes but who are not good in the martial arts. Why would that be the case?

It might depend on the level of the athlete—the deeper their training, the harder it may be to change the habits that helped them reach their current level.