How important a part does MA have in your life?

Narges

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Hi all

I suppose the thread title makes it clear enough, although it's really tough for myself to answer the question, because Karate isn't a part of my life at all; it is my life! It has changed everything about me to some extent and it's had a great part in shaping my personality.

I can't wait to read your replies.
 

bushidomartialarts

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During my teen years, I was a wrestler. I gave 3 hours a day and many weekends to the sport. It was part of who I was.

During my twenties, I was a martial artists. I gave it 4 or 5 hours each weekday, all day saturday. On Sunday I worked out on my own. It was nearly all of who I was.

From 29-36, I ran a storefront martial arts academy. It took all of my time and energy. Ironically, at that time I had less time to train. Much of my effort went to the business end of running a school.

In 2008, I closed my school to spend more time with my family. I have an informal training session once per week and get out to train under some masters once a month or so. I train less, work out less. There are many parts of who I am that don't involve training.

And yet, the martial arts are part of everything I do. From being patient with my wife and child, to my approach to problems at my new job, to not falling when I stepped on some ice carrying my baby.

I don't wear my martial arts like a badge anymore, but it's there all the time supporting me in all my endeavors.

I guess you could say it's more like a jock strap.
 

Blade96

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Helps me be happy. With the university degree all you do is sit and study or write essays. But with the physical excercise (my parents are gonna kill me for this lol I'm glad they dont read MT) but I get more enjoyment out of succeeding at the physical stuff and getting medals than I even got out of doing the degree.
 

Nomad

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In terms of my life, it has removed a significant amount of money from my bank account, has taken away countless hours that I could have been spending working harder towards a promotion at work or with my family, has caused me to undergo surgery and to deal with some painful chronic injuries that keep coming back. For awhile, it annoyed the hell out of many of my friends and colleagues as it was the only conversation topic I'd bring up.

It has also made me some very good friends, has helped me get into much better physical condition, prompted me to get Lasik eye surgery which has greatly impacted my life on a daily basis, has made me a calmer person, and has given me a much greater insight into myself and other people. It has taught me that I like delving into topics like body mechanics and bunkai, and that I enjoy teaching others.

So MA has had a significant impact on my life, both in positive and negative aspects, although I think the positive have outweighed the negatives by a healthy margin.
 

Rayban

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In short a very large part. I don't get to spend as much time as I would like training and learning thanks to a hectic job and home life and I'm hoping this year will be a little different once we're done moving.

Ninjutsu is a path I chose because I wanted a journey of self discovery, rather then a specific goal to aim for. Its part of the reason I'm taking my sweet time with it and working it in whenever I can. In the last three and a bit years I've discovered things about myself that I would have never known about.

For instance before I discovered MA I was pretty sure I was well disciplined. How wrong I was. Looking back, I don't think a person can be any more chaotic. I still have a long way to go, but that's the point.

I credit MA with keeping me together over the last couple of awful years. Just getting through that has lit a fire under me so big that I am craving more. It is my primary tool for working myself towards happiness, Fulfillment and congruence.


That and I just plain love it :)
 

Supra Vijai

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I pretty much have to plaigarize 80% of Nomad's post lol.

I haven't had to have surgery for something caused by the art (yet) and I have no experience with Bunkai and am not nearly half ready to teach others but everything else is a +1 :)

Oh and this year at least I've made it my priority. I'm heading back to uni to do a bachelors in criminology - forensics which is full time and on campus due to all the lab work, I'm working full time and I have no days off a week. So I demanded my work hours be shifted around so I get Tuesdays off so I can train, have plenty of sick leave/annual leave etc on hand in case we have weekend seminars and have told all of my friends to not expect to see me very often for the foreseeable future as I'll either be at uni, work or the dojo. The choice between friends and MA was never a choice really...

PLUS I find that my performance in class and commitment are inversely proportional to my relationship status. If I'm single I train hard, focus all my attention in the art and try learn as much as I can on the intellectual side of MA. If I have a gf, at least according to my friends who train, I'm never in class because I'm running around looking after whoever I'm with.
 

Gaius Julius Caesar

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Location: An old church holding a meeting for MAA.

GJC: "Hello my name is Gaius and I am a martial arts addict."

Group "Hello Gaius."

GJC: "And unlike you quitters I aint never going to stop!"
 

searcher

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I guess for me it has always been a big part of my life in one way or another. Aside from being a personal trainer, it is how I make a living(Thank God for training, :) ). I met My Wife through a class I was teaching and almost all of my close friends the same way. It has helped me survive encounters of a less than savory type. It helped me with public speaking and how to think on my feet or off of them sometimes as well.

I have had the occasional broken bone or dislocated joint or other injury along the way, but I just put them in the learning somehting new category. If it were nto for the martial arts and what I learned from them, I very truly do not think I would be sitting here today. Let alone, answering this question.
 

ap Oweyn

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During my teen years, I was a wrestler. I gave 3 hours a day and many weekends to the sport. It was part of who I was.

During my twenties, I was a martial artists. I gave it 4 or 5 hours each weekday, all day saturday. On Sunday I worked out on my own. It was nearly all of who I was.

From 29-36, I ran a storefront martial arts academy. It took all of my time and energy. Ironically, at that time I had less time to train. Much of my effort went to the business end of running a school.

In 2008, I closed my school to spend more time with my family. I have an informal training session once per week and get out to train under some masters once a month or so. I train less, work out less. There are many parts of who I am that don't involve training.

And yet, the martial arts are part of everything I do. From being patient with my wife and child, to my approach to problems at my new job, to not falling when I stepped on some ice carrying my baby.

I don't wear my martial arts like a badge anymore, but it's there all the time supporting me in all my endeavors.

I guess you could say it's more like a jock strap.

That's the greatest answer ever given to any question ever. Hysterically funny AND genuinely relevant. Well played.
 

Steve

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I was never an athlete, although I was always athletic. Growing up in Texas in the late 70's/early 80's, I did a lot of fighting for fun and sometimes not for fun.

That's about all the working out I ever did. In my early 30's, I figured I needed to get in shape. About the only thing I'd done that was healthy was to quit smoking after 14 years in 1998. My kids were taking martial arts classes for fun at a local McDojo and I eventually decided to give it a go. The only part I enjoyed was the crappling, where we could actually *gasp* spar. It felt good.

Eventually, after a few years of this, I realized that I was still about 30 lbs overweight, had terrible cardio, pre-diabetic, high cholesterol and just generally in pretty crappy health. 14 years of smoking and drinking had taken their toll. So, I began doing some research and discovered BJJ as a style that sounded great. A few months later, I found my way into a legit school that was close to my house and have been there for over 4 years now.

In the time that I've been training, I have lost over 30 lbs, and every aspect of my health has improved. I'm 40 now and am in better shape than I was at 30.

So, all of that said, MA has been very important in my life. But coming into it as a father and a professional, I have always had a need to balance things. So, while the benefits of good health have affected my life significantly, BJJ isn't something that dominates my life completely.

As a quick side bar, a guy recently started training with us. He's in his mid 40's and very out of shape. He has a background in Kung Fu although I haven't asked many questions about it. Anyway, I gave him some advice for us out of shape, older guys who are getting started and said that if he wanted to, my blog chronicles my training from my first month in BJJ to receiving my purple belt. He told me yesterday that he spent hours going through it and found it inspiring. That made my entire week! :)
 

Bill Mattocks

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My Isshin-Ryu training has become a big part of my life. I truly love it, for all kinds of reasons.
 

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