I will definitely be quitting my art, when my body gives up. Judo does that to people. Then I'll take up somethingless physically damaging. I've already started to box while I still can. When I hit my late thirties, early forties, I'll cut back further on those and begin some low-sparring kung fu style. As I get older still, I'll go the Tai Chi route.
Would You Quit Your Art?
- Thread starter 7starmantis
- Start date
Cruentus
Grandmaster
Rich Parsons said:
I think there are some good points here, because its not really just about the art; our individual skill comes to play. There could be someone from another art that beats me moreso because their skill is better, not because of the art. I would still probably want to cross train with them just because they are more knowledgable then me, regardless of what art it is, but I wouldn't nessecarily give up my arts because I know that within what I already study I have a lot more skill to attain yet.
OP
OP
I think this is the primary factor that has to be understood. If you are able to see that you still have skill left to gain from your system then that is what keeps you there. I do believe that there are systems where when you reach a certain point you are sort of at a "glass ceiling" if you will. Nothing left to realy learn, but if you still have skill to achieve, that is when you stay. That negates the being beaten, because you know that you are not as skilled as you could be.PAUL said:
Good Post Paul
7sm
Damian Mavis
Master Black Belt
How ridiculous, Rich Parsons is kind of close though. Uh, if you get beat by another style are you going to delude yourself and blame your art instead of accepting the cold hard fact that you suck ***?
Hey, if you lose you suck worse than your opponent, don't go into denial and kid yourself and blame the art. Thinking like that means my grandmother could kick everyones butt if only she trained in "such and such" art..... talk about silly. Some people are warriors... while others are just pretending, and both kinds are in EVERY art.
Damian Mavis
Honour TKD
Hey, if you lose you suck worse than your opponent, don't go into denial and kid yourself and blame the art. Thinking like that means my grandmother could kick everyones butt if only she trained in "such and such" art..... talk about silly. Some people are warriors... while others are just pretending, and both kinds are in EVERY art.
Damian Mavis
Honour TKD
You'd be surprised at the resiliency of the human body. Training until you are well into those "golden years" is not unheard of in even some of the most hard core styles. Barring any catastrophic injuries and assuming that you keep safety uppermost in your mind then you should be able to continue training in judo for a long long time. Don't buy into the idea that as you get older that you have no choice but to slow down or give up the things that you truly enjoy doing. Slow down? No. Get much more proficient at economy of motion? Yes.Bod said:
To answer 7*s question from my own perspective, I did quit my first style but not because I felt it was inferior. I felt the instructor was inferior and went on a "quest" for an instructor whom I could respect and learn from. In the process I found an entirely different style and am loving every minute of it. I cross train in as many different styles as I have the opportunity to for a couple of different reasons. I enjoy learning, first and foremost, I fully understand that no one art has every angle covered and crosstraining helps add another perspective to my primary art. So, no, I wouldn't quit if I were beaten by someone from another style. I'd evaluate what I did wrong during the altercation, find a way within my own art to correct it or look at other arts to figure out what I can incorporate into my primary to cover that angle in the future.
OP
OP
Everyone seems to agree that the art is not what is at question here, but the person themselves. Also, everyone seems to agree that no one art has every angle covered and is completely inclusive. Wouldn't it be true then, that thee are some arts that are inclusive and complete, its just the practitioners that are not complete? I mean, take hapkido or kenpo for that matter, if you trained enough couldn't you defend against virtually any attack with that skill and knowledge? That would hense be complete, no?
7sm
7sm
I believe any art that has stood the test of time and trial should be able to cover 99% of the angles. I don't think ANY one art has all of them covered. An individual can train all of his life and get as close to mastery of an art as it is humanly possible to get and still have that Achilles heel. To have ALL the angles covered would imply perfection and I just don't believe there are any perfect arts or artists for that matter. The perfect artist paired with the perfect art is not out there, friends. I'd love to be that man but I just do not believe he exists anywhere on earth.7starmantis said:
OP
OP
True, but wouldn't the imperfection be on the artist side rather than the art side? To have "mastered" an art and still have an achilies heel is an imperfection in the fighter, not the art. Its a technique that the fighter has trouble with, or a kick that the fighter hasn't practiced enough. Isn't that what makes the achilies heel?
7sm
7sm
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tkdguy1982
Guest
I wouldn't quit training if I got totally humiliated by someone else. I would just train a whole lot harder then what I did before, but I would never stop. Everyone can't win all the time.
Someone please describe to me these contests in which an art is being "tested." Is it a UFC matchup? Kick boxing? Judo match? A street fight? If its the latter, then the art isn't worth being "tested." Your life is on the line with those tests. Of course, that is how it used to be done, but not anymore. This whole conversation is starting to turn into something that really annoys me about MAists in general. I hate it when people confuse competitive fighting with real fighting. This concept of "testing" is nothing but testosterone driven blather. I think that people who have expressed that they find joy in their arts and wouldn't quit because they like what they do are on the right track.
I've changed my arts many times but I didn't let my arts just disapear, I moved on. I kept what was destined me. Martial arts naturally go together hand and hand. Kano and Funakoshi were friends. I wonder if they shared Ideas? Of course they did!
Martial arts were constantly improved upon to beat other styles as well as survival. To beat someone from another style we need to use technique that they can't defend. Use something that they don't know.
I think that the individual fighter just needs to add what is needed to make himself as a fighter more complete.
I don't think any arts really suck that bad. It was more likely the individual fighter that was weak.
:asian:
Martial arts were constantly improved upon to beat other styles as well as survival. To beat someone from another style we need to use technique that they can't defend. Use something that they don't know.
I think that the individual fighter just needs to add what is needed to make himself as a fighter more complete.
I don't think any arts really suck that bad. It was more likely the individual fighter that was weak.
:asian:
