What do we all have in common?

[Lisa]

Lately you all have noticed threads about Honk if you like MT, etc. The overwhelming response to those threads both publicly and privately really made me reflect on what a fantastic site this really is and made me realise that while we all train for different reasons, in different Arts and for different goals we really are more alike then sometimes we take the time to notice.

So, I ask this question of all of you. In your opinion what is it we all have in common as martial artists. I think it is time to reflect on our sameness as opposed to our differences. We have common ground and threads that make us who we are. What is it that we all share?

[IcemanSK]

Lately you all have noticed threads about Honk if you like MT, etc. The overwhelming response to those threads both publicly and privately really made me reflect on what a fantastic site this really is and made me realise that while we all train for different reasons, in different Arts and for different goals we really are more alike then sometimes we take the time to notice.

So, I ask this question of all of you. In your opinion what is it we all have in common as martial artists. I think it is time to reflect on our sameness as opposed to our differences. We have common ground and threads that make us who we are. What is it that we all share?

I have to restrain myself from saying something like, "The desire to either inflict or absorb physical abuse.":)

I'd say that we all, in part, enjoy the physical exercise that we can't get any other way. I couldn't imagine playing basketball 3-4 days a week. But I love doing MA. There is also the connection it brings between folks who participate. If I talk to someone while doing business & find out they train, there is an instant repoir (sp?) even if we train in different arts. We train. Basketbal players probably don't get why we do it. But other MA-ists do.

Just a few thoughts.

[still learning]

Hello, One thing that came to my mind is..."We all like to chat?" ..also if we all show up at one place....we would all be friends? ...or enjoy the fights.....just kidding. ...Aloha

[donna]

Even though we all train in different arts and styles , we all seem to have a sense of respect for each other's way of doing things. It is not just physical exercise, more like a thinking persons exercise because your intellect is challenged too, and it is exciting to think that there are so many ways (arts) of acheiving the same end goal. You do feel a bond with all martial artists. We are all striving to be the best we can be and doing in in so many diverse and different ways.:asian:

[mantis]

Hello, One thing that came to my mind is..."We all like to chat?" ..also if we all show up at one place....we would all be friends? ...or enjoy the fights.....just kidding. ...Aloha

Lisa's question is simple and complicated. i guess we all like martial arts!! that's what's common....

yeah, you are right about 'we all like to chat'... if you look at threads with religion/politics you will find pages and pages of posts. but if you look at MA technicalities you will find 1 or 2 pages of posts.

[Lisa]

Lisa's question is simple and complicated. i guess we all like martial arts!! that's what's common....

yeah, you are right about 'we all like to chat'... if you look at threads with religion/politics you will find pages and pages of posts. but if you look at MA technicalities you will find 1 or 2 pages of posts.

so could it be said then that MAists are politically/religiously driven or just opinionated? ;)

[mantis]

so could it be said then that MAists are politically/religiously driven or just opinionated? ;)
you are pushing me to what I did not want to say!

it means that MAists have no lives it seems :(
or maybe they became MAists because they did not have lives to start with! :D

[ChrisWTK]

Even though we all train in different arts and styles , we all seem to have a sense of respect for each other's way of doing things. It is not just physical exercise, more like a thinking persons exercise because your intellect is challenged too, and it is exciting to think that there are so many ways (arts) of acheiving the same end goal. You do feel a bond with all martial artists. We are all striving to be the best we can be and doing in in so many diverse and different ways.:asian:

I think the respect for the different styles is evident here, but I've seen many other forumns where competition between the different styles gets out of control. MT seems to have collected a group of people who are generally friendly and love martial arts. Respect is usually one of the tenets that all styles emphasize, MT has managed to to keep that true out not only in the dojo but online.

[Gemini]

I think the respect for the different styles is evident here, but I've seen many other forumns where competition between the different styles gets out of control. MT seems to have collected a group of people who are generally friendly and love martial arts. Respect is usually one of the tenets that all styles emphasize, MT has managed to to keep that true out not only in the dojo but online.

I think this statements best sums up the difference between this board and others. We, as a whole aren't concerned with who's art is better, but more how does it work and what make it work for you. Kudos, ChrisWTK!

[mantis]

I think this statements best sums up the difference between this board and others. We, as a whole aren't concerned with who's art is better, but more how does it work and what make it work for you. Kudos, ChrisWTK!
yep.. you're right
as long as you admin kung fu is the best

[Hand Sword]

I would go with "We are unique gentlemen (and ladies).. in that we forge our bodies in the fire of our will!" --Han in Enter the Dragon

[Tony]

We all want to learn, no matter what our goals are, we want to learn and become good at something!

[MartialIntent]

Lately you all have noticed threads about Honk if you like MT, etc. The overwhelming response to those threads both publicly and privately really made me reflect on what a fantastic site this really is and made me realise that while we all train for different reasons, in different Arts and for different goals we really are more alike then sometimes we take the time to notice.

So, I ask this question of all of you. In your opinion what is it we all have in common as martial artists. I think it is time to reflect on our sameness as opposed to our differences. We have common ground and threads that make us who we are. What is it that we all share?
Great thread Lisa. It's nice you're trying to bring accord. There are a few sad souls recently whose apparent motivations seem to run contrary to that. So kudos for trying to make the connections instead of breaking them!

I would very much agree with the here to learn sentiment. It's a testament to MT members that there's so little disruption to the genuine debate and discussion. And I think that's because we're here to listen and we're here to learn.

If we were here to brag and posture and seek to draw attention to how very tough or how very clever we are, then I think we'd be like the myriad other space-wasting boards crammed with talkers and fools.

Practicing a martial art does not always make one a genuine martial artist. But I have to say, I've never encountered anything like the level of openness to listening and learning anywhere else outside of the MT membership. Genuine martial artists every one.

Respects!

[Gemini]

I've never encountered anything like the level of openness to listening and learning anywhere else outside of the MT membership. Genuine martial artists every one.

Absolutely right! Like mantis...

yep.. you're right
as long as you admin kung fu is the best

But of course! It's the very foundation we speak of... :wink2:

[terryl965]

I believe as Marial Artist we all agreed to leave those big ego's at the check in and just try and learn from each other with an open mind.
Terry

[Tarot]

To better ourselves. IMO, you can't train without becoming a better and different person you were before you started training. Better in the sense of discovering new aspects of yourself which is a fantastic result of training. :)

[Drac]

The desire to push our bodies and minds to the max...I'll go with that because IcemanSK beat me to what I was gonna write..

[Lisa]

Great thread Lisa. It's nice you're trying to bring accord. There are a few sad souls recently whose apparent motivations seem to run contrary to that. So kudos for trying to make the connections instead of breaking them!

Thank you for the compliment MI. I just hoping to list our commonalities instead of our differences. I believe every person that seeks out or has sought out a martial art have a lot of things in common.


I would very much agree with the here to learn sentiment. It's a testament to MT members that there's so little disruption to the genuine debate and discussion. And I think that's because we're here to listen and we're here to learn.

Agreed. Seems to me that the majority of MT members are here for the betterment of their art and not to show up another art. We seem to be able to come to some common ground. Take a look at the diverse Martial Artists that post in forums in which they don't even train. They post with an open mind and a willingness to learn.


If we were here to brag and posture and seek to draw attention to how very tough or how very clever we are, then I think we'd be like the myriad other space-wasting boards crammed with talkers and fools.

I give a lot of credit to the vision of Bob Hubbard and his guidance to bringing all MAist together on common ground. His staff is top notch too, if I do say so myself ;)


Practicing a martial art does not always make one a genuine martial artist. But I have to say, I've never encountered anything like the level of openness to listening and learning anywhere else outside of the MT membership. Genuine martial artists every one.

Respects!

Here you and I may respectfully disagree, depending of course on what your version of "genuine" is. :) I believe every person who seeks out an art to improve themselves and learn is a genuine martial artist. But that is just my humble opinion.

[TigerWoman]

so could it be said then that MAists are politically/religiously driven or just opinionated? ;)

I think the word is passionate or just driven, self-motivated or MAists wouldn't let any bump in the road deter them from their passion or opinion. Or they will use that bump to reflect or reevaluate their plan, goals or viewpoint. Maybe that is why just a few percent get to black belt. I've seen too many quit for the first reason they could convince themselves. How many black belts said it was easy?

What we all have in common?

I would think are commonality is that we are all human, that we all make mistakes, therefore humility is a sign of a good martial artist, not to mention any person. And that we all have the capacity for compassion toward each other. This compassion--kindness-- should be part of how we deal with each other in every opinion and along the road of our passion. TW

[MartialIntent]

I give a lot of credit to the vision of Bob Hubbard and his guidance to bringing all MAist together on common ground. His staff is top notch too, if I do say so myself ;)

It's easy to walk on past this fact. I have seen boards where the staff and owners are party to some fairly personal attacks, brutal posturing and egotism. Without wanting to sound like a suckup, there's a pretty cool laissez-faire thing going on here in MT that steers the various little boats using the current rather than yanking the wheel out of the hands of the various captains :)



Here you and I may respectfully disagree, depending of course on what your version of "genuine" is. :) I believe every person who seeks out an art to improve themselves and learn is a genuine martial artist. But that is just my humble opinion.
No, if you'll allow me, I think we do agree. I have seen plenty who do their martial art either as a "ritual" and there are also those who practice their MA to be the baddest there is, which is a particular problem in my part of the world. Expending effort and being conscientious in one's MA *with these particular intents* imHo, does not make one a genuine martial artist but rather highlights deficiencies elsewhere in the practitioners lives.

Likewise here on this board, there are some, it would seem to me, who stir up the waters for no other reason than self-aggrandization. There is no genuine MA intent in that. And maybe there's no claim of it, but unfortunately those with the biggest most attention-seeking egos and buoyed up voices are those with the least of any worth to offer. Anyway, sorry - off the soapbox, hehe.

But we are agreed I think? That that ANYONE who works their art *with a genuine intent* is [I]undoubtedly a genuine martial artist. I'll happily discuss what constitutes a genuine martial intent with anyone.

Respects!

[tkd_jen]

Great topic! I agree with many posts already. We have a common love of learning and respect for the martial arts. We accept and embrace the fact that we can learn from each other and each others styles to make ourselves better martial artists, because in the end that is my goal, to become a better martial artist, not just a better taekwondo practitioner.

[cali_tkdbruin]

As a martial artist, a Taekwondoist specifically, I just like to learn more about all of the other martial arts disciplines that are represented here. It's another link that we have here. I think some of us are interested in all of the different MAs we all study and how each of our arts have enriched our lives, or how they've made a difference for each of us.

[Lisa]

As a martial artist, a Taekwondoist specifically, I just like to learn more about all of the other martial arts disciplines that are represented here. It's another link that we have here. I think some of us are interested in all of the different MAs we all study and how each of our arts have enriched our lives, or how they've made a difference for each of us.

I also enjoy reading about the other arts and learning what makes them unique. I have learned more from this forum then I ever thought possible.

[Calm Intention]

Likewise here on this board, there are some, it would seem to me, who stir up the waters for no other reason than self-aggrandization

Those are the ones who are not emotionally and spiritually developed(my opinion).
I'm not 'trained' like most of the members here, but I understand the discipline part, and I've also had the fortune/misfortune of meeting people over the years who had training, but were just human destruction machines(and their teachers were at fault for not recognizing the character of their student).

I think those really interested in the arts would congregate to a discussion board like this, while the type I describe above, would only prefer websites that show them some new hot cool move they could employ on someone.
Then of course(having experienced this directly) there is the 'troll' who will shack up on a discussion board, just to dis-spirit others, while getting their own grade school satisfactionfor their endeavor.

[monkey]

We Have the same passion our teacher had.Example Remy had the heart to pass on the knowlage-some took it to polotics-some to I have a higher rank-some were not part of the original frame or class.I say get all lines together & share thoughts-memorries-training ect.I joined & was certied by both Lines of Remy & ernesto.The early days they tought as brothers & i was part of that class.I did not see Delany-Hartmen or others till 90s but I can put that aside & offer for the chance to share as they wanted & had.

[Carol]

We Have the same passion our teacher had.

That says it for me. Passion.

[Rich Parsons]

We Have the same passion our teacher had.Example Remy had the heart to pass on the knowlage-some took it to polotics-some to I have a higher rank-some were not part of the original frame or class.I say get all lines together & share thoughts-memorries-training ect.I joined & was certied by both Lines of Remy & ernesto.The early days they tought as brothers & i was part of that class.I did not see Delany-Hartmen or others till 90s but I can put that aside & offer for the chance to share as they wanted & had.

Dude I never saw you. Ok I agree Delaney started in the 90's about 94 I think. Where as Hartman started in the early to mid 80's say about 84/85 time frame. I saw him at the 87 Michigan summer camp. Where were you?

Get real there are others out there that have been around for a while and also know those that ben around longer.

Just relax and stop pushing.

[Danny T]

Lately you all have noticed threads about Honk if you like MT, etc. The overwhelming response to those threads both publicly and privately really made me reflect on what a fantastic site this really is and made me realise that while we all train for different reasons, in different Arts and for different goals we really are more alike then sometimes we take the time to notice.

So, I ask this question of all of you. In your opinion what is it we all have in common as martial artists. I think it is time to reflect on our sameness as opposed to our differences. We have common ground and threads that make us who we are. What is it that we all share?

Lisa,
We have far more which is the same or similar than what is different. Yet we strive to be different and that also makes us more "same" then different. As far as martial art goes the human body can be physically manipulated only so many ways. No style nor system can change that. Try as we may to emulate something else we are still only humans and therefore move as a human. Take any joint, the wrist for example. There are only six ways it can be moved and only to a particular range of movement. Once at the end of the movement range it becomes locked. It doesn't matter what race or nationality the person is. It doesn't matter what training system or style of martial art one trains in there are only six ways it can be manipulated. Now of course someone will certainly state in their system/style there are far more "locks" than six. I won't disagree but I can't agree either. There are only 6 ways to lock the wrist because there are only 6 ways to manipulate it. There are certainly many ways or variations to create the lock and it is those variations that many of us will state that make us different. We tend to expound the differences decreeing that is what makes our systems/styles different and often times better.

I have had the pleasure to train in dozens of systems over the past 40 years. Western boxing, wrestling, post 1900 European Boxing and fencing, several different JMA, CMA, FMA, IMA, BJJ, (Karate, Gung Fu, Kali/eskrima, Silat, and others) We punch in all of them, we kick in all of them, we use tools in all of them except western boxing and wrestling, we fight standing up in all of them, we fight on the ground in all of them, we fight in different environments in all of them. The major differences are the methods used to train and what we call them. The fundamental movements and what is utilized in a fight against another human-being is the same. All of the system/styles have something to offer. However there are very few differences in them. It is the individual artist, which make the differences.

Danny