How has training martial arts changed your life?

[liangzhicheng]

Just what the subject says. Has your life gotten better, have you changed as a person? Please share your experiences.

*I apologize if there have been other threads like this, but I didn't find any

[Shodan]

I think the main thing martial arts has changed in me is my self-confidence.

The other thing is that even though I was never a bully-type of person to begin with- the martial arts helped me to see the value in avoiding a fight whenever possible.

I think it has also made me a more disciplined person in other areas of my life- outside of the dojo.

Good question- thanks!! Am interested to see the answers of others.

:asian: :karate:

[Astra]

Self-confidence obviously and the added bonus of better coordination.

Plus I tend to not ***** every time I feel the slightest pain anymore ;)

[twinkletoes]

The biggest change that MA training gave me was the realization that I am in total control of my life. Any changes I want are my own responsibility, and are entirely within my grasp if I take responsibility for them.

~TT

[KanoLives]

Originally posted by twinkletoes
The biggest change that MA training gave me was the realization that I am in total control of my life. Any changes I want are my own responsibility, and are entirely within my grasp if I take responsibility for them.

~TT


That's a great post. I agree 100%. I will also add that it has helped me physically. When I was younger I was very active with sports and other activities. Then for the past couple of years I stopped playin sports altogether. I got into MA last year and am probably in the best shape of my life or at least the best shape I've been in for a few years.

:asian:

[Kimpatsu]

Shorinji Kempo is my life.

[stickarts]

Training has helped my overall controll of my body, helped make me more assertive when i need to speak up, gives me a sense of pride teaching others learn and improve, and improved my confidence in that i know that i can apply the same steps that i used to become a blackbelt to anything else that i want to achieve. Set goals, find a good mentor(s), good honest hard work, monitor your progress and make refinements as you go, set new goals after achieving original goals.

[redfang]

MA training gave me the motivation to work on my overall fitness. I added conditioning and weight training to my regular lifestyle solely to improve my fighting performance. It let me achieve a fitness level that I haven't had since about my early twenties (about ten years.).

[DAC..florida]

I started to early to notice a change but I know it has helped me with self esteem, confidence and it also saved my but in a few self defence scituations.

[pknox]

It has given me greater fitness and confidence, inspired me to watch my nutrition, and encouraged me to investigate areas of philosophy and history that I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't studied MA. Plus it has allowed to meet many interesting people.

[Billy]

I started Kenpo after taking my daughter to classes, and seeing how much more confidence it gave her in standing up to school bullies. She is no longer bullied, not by returning aggression to her aggressors, but by knowing that she can do it if she needs to.
Since joining myself, I have a better attitude towards a lot of things, and being able to train with my daughter to some extent has improved what was already a good relationship. (I wish my wife would take it up)
I have also got myself a job after a long time unemployed, thanks somewhat to that change in perspective. I suppose it's safe to say that I've changed a lot in only a few months.

[rachel]

Doing kempo has given me greater self confidence. I also exercise more because of it. I work out at the gym. I try to eat healthy. The bad thing is my husband feels very threatened that I do martial arts. That's his problem not mine. Our marriage is pretty much over anyway but I think he preferred me meek. I'm still on the quiet side and working on it but he can't bully me like he used to and I credit Kempo for that,

[twinkletoes]

Originally posted by rachel
...my husband feels very threatened that I do martial arts. That's his problem not mine. Our marriage is pretty much over anyway but I think he preferred me meek. I'm still on the quiet side and working on it but he can't bully me like he used to and I credit Kempo for that,

WOW. That is the best testimonial I have ever heard.

You sound really healthy. It sounds as though you have processed this whole thing, and come out stronger.

I am totally inspired! Thank you for posting!

~TT

[KanoLives]

I have the honor of training with Rachel and her passion for Kempo and the MAs is trully inspiring. :D I never met her before training, but from when I did until now she has definitely grown into a person of more passion and power. Way to go Rachel. See ya tonight in class. :D :asian:

[twinkletoes]

I just realized that CT is representin' around here! Coooooool.

~TT

[kilo]

I dont walk the same anymore. Most people will bob up and down when they walk and I've stoped doing that.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by kilo
I dont walk the same anymore. Most people will bob up and down when they walk and I've stoped doing that.
Have you stopped as well? :D

[Lucy Rhombus]

1. At 34, I'm mor physically fit than I've ever been. I have muscles in my arms, yo! I also lost ten pounds (okay, I was already pretty thin, but that's still pretty nice), and my flexibility and strength are constantly improving. I eat better because I'm concerned about how my diet affects my karate.

2. I was on drugs for severe anxiety and mild Tourettes for two years before starting karate. All the exercise (I take 5-7 hour-long classes every week and try to practice 45 mins - 1 hour every day) plus the mental/meditative aspects have made me so much calmer that I was able to discontinue the anxiety meds this past December. It's been eight months, and I haven't had a panic attack -- and that's saying a lot.

Also, the Tourette's meds were messing with the motor control in my hands, which made it hard to manipulate sai (as well as screwing up my handwriting). So I talked to my doc, and just a couple of weeks ago I tapered off that med. So far, so good. I believe the karate is heping to control the Tourette's symptoms.

3. Our dojo kun (5 rules for living the karate way) inspired me to start volunteering at a local no-kill cat shelter. I've been there for about 10 months now.

4. I used to be deathly afraid of public speaking. I even tried joining Toastmasters (a public speaking club) for several months, but no cigar. Having to perform in front of others in karate (and sometimes having to teach others) has taught me how to control my fear and get over my shyness in front of groups. I've been doing book signings and talks at local bookstores recently, and they've been going great! (Granted, my co-author is there with me, but still...).

So...do you think karate has dome anything for me? Nah... ;->

[gojukylie]

:) Since starting karate, my outlook on life has really changed. I am aware of my eating habits, I exercise almost everyday, I stretch and I am so much more relaxed and calm. I have become more confident and my overall health is 50 x better. I used to have a few smokes and drink a bit, and now I can't bare to touch it. Overall I can honestly say that everything about me has improved since starting Karate. I have great friends that I have met through my Dojo and I am having the best time of my life so far. Best thing I have ever done.:D

[kilo]

Have you stopped as well?

Yes I have I tend to slide my feet more now.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by kilo
Yes I have I tend to slide my feet more now.
Ah, but can you dance any better?

[kilo]

Originally posted by Kimpatsu
Ah, but can you dance any better?

If you mean stick to uke ... I mean my partner better then yes, yes I can.:) Or if you meant by myself then again yes, yes I can. :) How ever if you ment with a person of the female variety then no, no I cant. :(

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by kilo
If you mean stick to uke ... I mean my partner better then yes, yes I can.:) Or if you meant by myself then again yes, yes I can. :) How ever if you ment with a person of the female variety then no, no I cant. :(
Yes, I meant the, "Excuse me, but would you like to dance... May I buy you a drink... What's your name?" variety of dancing.

[Reprobate]

I used to need a lot of force to break people and I'd break into a sweat, but since I studied aikido I can break people without breaking into a sweat, which is a good thing, since my washing machine broke and I have to wash everything by hand.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by Reprobate
I used to need a lot of force to break people and I'd break into a sweat, but since I studied aikido I can break people without breaking into a sweat, which is a good thing, since my washing machine broke and I have to wash everything by hand.
Sweating during training isn't a bad thing; it's a sign of health.

[Reprobate]

I know, but I wasn't talking about training.

I would just travel by public transport and break someone's arm and have to go back home to change my clothes. Now I can break a couple of arms and still be fresh when I arrive at work. All thanks to the effortless techniques of aikido.

[liangzhicheng]

Kudos to Rachel :D

Perhaps it's time I answer my own question...
How training Wu Style Tai Chi has changed my life:
1. More relaxed, mentally and physically
2. More alert
3. More confident
4. Much greater body awareness
5. Kinder
6. Better able to see things from other points of view
7. Less frequently respond defensively or with anger
8. A whole lot more.

I think that training Tai Chi has made me a much better person, and I only keep improving the more I train (maybe that explains why I train so much ;))

And yes, I can dance better :asian: :D

[Nightingale]

um... I started training at age 10, so I really don't remember what life was like without the martial arts.

[twinkletoes]

I started at age 8.

Martial arts training made me taller :D

~TT

[pknox]

Originally posted by twinkletoes
I started at age 8.

Martial arts training made me taller :D

~TT

And caused you to go through puberty as well! ;)

[liangzhicheng]

Did it cause you to fall in love as well? ;)

[Cruentus]

Martial Arts and the value's that intails it has been what I grew up on. When there was enough disfunction in my home to really have screwed me up; but instead of turning to drugs, crime, or something negative, I relied on training to clear my head and to keep me sane enough to not end up in jail. I started when I was seven yrs old. I have a better life now then when I was growing up, however, and I do have other things to turn too now for help. Martial Arts, however, remains one of these core things.

A secondary thing is that it has been landmark in my physical developement as well. I was born with quite a few disabilities, such as vision problems, walking with a limp, and overall lack of spacial awareness. That was why my parents enrolled me, to get better cordination. I wanted to join because I was getting beat up a lot, and I needed to learn how to block with something other then my face. By middle school I had worked out all of my disabilities, and I had some corrective work done on my eyes, so the "lazy eye" thing was cured, even though I am still legally blind w/o correction. I was a starting football and wrestler in both middle school and high school. People usually see me as very athletic to this day, but they don't know what it took to get that way. I believe that if it wasn't for Martial Arts, I would still have many of the disabiliteis that I had when i was a kid.

[twinkletoes]

And caused you to go through puberty as well!


Yes, it seems that training in martial arts made my [ahem] unit bigger. :D


Boy, if that isn't the best marketing scheme ever, I don't know what is! If that gets on a flyer, I will have more students than I know what to do with.

~TT

[TallAdam85]

meet many nice people and learned all kinds of cool stuff

[Tony]

I think I have learnt a lot! My confidence has improved marginally though the prospect of violence still scares me at least now I have so many options.
I have become more disciplined to the point where I want more classes to train in as I have started training twice a week as I only used to go once a week! I feel I'm getting more confident at taking the class warm ups as hard as they are when you have to think on the spot! And also I have learnt to carry on when I am in pain. I still kept on sparring when I dislocated my thumb and didn't stop my training! I was even going to classes when I was seriously ill with Anaemia. Also I don't get angry when I have sparred and will generally compliment people on their techniques!
But I also have to say that I am still very much a shy person and I would like to work on becoming more assertive and more confident in using my skills if ever I had need of them!

[Black Bear]

Did you used to use exclamation marks all the time before you did MA!

Seems a lot of people have had health and fitness benefits. Me too for sure.

Another thing is that violence is a natural part of life. As civilized people we don't talk about it or have it as part of our experience very much, but it's always there, under the radar. Physical force, in a sense, trumps the other cards, though it's rarely played.

When we learn to fight, we demystify this realm. We know what we can and can't do. It expands our understanding of life, and the world. We have a fuller picture. As martial artists, we get to fear personal violence in much the same way as we fear being run over by a car when we cross the street. It's a familiar fear, a manageable fear, as opposed to fear of the unknown. Very different. It just takes a year or so of part-time training, and doing a little of one's own side reading and stuff, to kind of get your head around a lot of these issues which would otherwise be completely nebulous to you. And then you can go on to other things, like learning Thai cooking. Or if you're sick, like us here on the forum, you'll take it up as a hobby. :EG: