which other art helps martial artests the most

[tshadowchaser]

Alright you study a martial art ( for the purpose of this thread any art sport, or non sport, traditional or non traditional ) but what non martial art do you thinks helps you as a martial artist and why?
Dance, poetry, painting, etc.

 

[Elbowgrease]

Music. I dabble in some other things now and then but music is a big thing for me.
It's intense, hard work. It develops the softer side. It is an endless journey, there is always something new. Depending on how, why, you study it, I think you can get a lot of the same lessons from it, just in a different way. You have to learn principles, basics, posture, you have to learn forms, then you have to learn to break the forms. You have to be fluid, in the moment, spontaneous, don't think, just react. It requires discipline, you have to sit down and practice every single day. It requires courage and integrity, patience and perseverance, you have to admit your own mistakes, analyze them, learn from them, make weakness become strength. You can't cheat with either of them, when it comes down to it. You get in the ring, get in a fight, whatever, it's gonna show fast. You climb on the stage, everybody is going to know what you sound like.

 

[tshadowchaser]

great answer and explanation of why you consider music to be of help to you. thanks

 

[Dr.Smith]

Athletic endeavors and work in the construction trades did wonders for me.

 

[tshadowchaser]

would you elaborate on how work in the construction trades helped

 

[elder999]

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great answer and explanation of why you consider music to be of help to you. thanks

In line with this, dancing. Ballroom dancing.

Mas Oyama said as much, but I can't find the quote-ballroom dancing teaches you a lot about maintaining ma-ai, leading and responding to an opponent.

 

[Flatfish]

Hmmmm, when I read the OP, my first reaction was " I'm not that deep" but then I read Elbowgrease's response and it got me thinking. I play Old time banjo. In old time music jams it is usually the fiddlers who call the tunes to be played. A good fiddler usually knows a lot more tunes than anyone else in the group ( overgeneralization, but that has been mostly my experience). So that leaves everyone else in a position to have to pick up a tune they have never played and make it work somehow.


So I find myself applying certain patterns and phrases that I am familiar with to a new context. After all there is a certain structure in even the most crooked tunes and some phrases or variations thereof are used actually quite often. So I guess this is really not that different to how you apply your training to sparring situations for example.


Now, how to make that relationship work for me is something I might figure out in a couple of years, once I have more experience in MA, but it's an intriguing thought.

 

[Elbowgrease]

Charlie Parker said something like: "You practice the scales, chords, arpeggios, standards. Then when it comes time to jam, you throw all that out and just wail."
I didn't know he said that until after I had discovered it for myself with the guitar. Practice the basics. Over and over until you've worn them out. Then practice them again. Find new ways o practice the basics. And when it comes time to jam, you'll know what to do.
Then, at some point, my Sifu said the same thing. You train your body and mind with the basics. The principle of motion. Do it to death and when it comes time to use it, you'll know what to do.
It just blew me away. Both when I found out that Charlie Parker thought that about training and that my Sifu thought that about training.
It's all the basics, really. The more you study something, the more it seems like the same principles are involved.

I can't say I have any real experience with swordsmanship or calligraphy, but this guy Yamaoka Tessh - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia I think approached and taught the same way (and I'm definitely oversimplifying that statement). Basics.

 

[Dr.Smith]

would you elaborate on how work in the construction trades helped

Basically it made me tougher, alot tougher, and stronger a whole lot stronger. Ive carried shingles, shoveled asphalt and raked concrete. Spending all day out in the weather with a bunch of salty old men carrying around tons of construction materials a day will make you tougher stronger person.

 

[Touch Of Death]

would you elaborate on how work in the construction trades helped

I do anodizing at night, and it is all about my Karate. I had to alter "Wax on' wax off" to ,"Scotchbrite On, Scotchbrite Off", or "Rack On, Rack off" but I am always conscious of doing "It" correctly, even when there is no correctly.

 

[RTKDCMB]

Roller skating, it's good for exercise, balance, coordination, flexibility and agility.

 

[Cirdan]

Hiking off the beaten path. Balance and adapt to any kind of uneven surfaces not to mention you keep your position in regards to the ground in mind at all times should you slip, fall or need a hanhold. I have found it invaluable in Ju Jitsu.

 

[Buka]

I would imagine any study of music would help a fighter's rhythm, or least his feel for rhythm. But I don't know, I have no musical skill. Do you think that's the case?

 

[Transk53]

Music can actually be found in a lot of different applications to aid the needy, in this sense anybody looking for a bit of exterior input. In my own mind, I was Def Leppard's back up guitarist, even though I can't strum a tune. However, back in my twenties when I was still fit and training regularly, I happened across a DJ club at the college (I was doing what you guys call night school). At first even the simple cuing was hard. You have to listen to the beat makeup of a record on deck B, then mix it into the record on deck A for example. Of course beat mixing, whether a 4 - 4 beat of most popular dance music at the time, is just that. Like getting a flurry of punches into the bag, or sparring partner, beat mixing to me stated to draw a comparative in my mind that actually helped me.

Eventually I started to make particular mix tapes that had peaks and troughs intentionally timed to whatever workout I wanted to do. Well give or take a couple of minutes, some vinyl was cut at slightly different groove lenghts, so sometimes the arms on the decks traveled slightly quicker or slower depending on the pitch. So to compensate, I used first breaks and main breaks for "time outs", I do like that term, and when the beat progressed again, I would go off like a lunatic.

Funny really, whenever I do these new fangled boxercise things and what not, I am always wondering just how crappy the music will be. For some reason, Euro pop and dance music seems to be the prefered choice. I even offered to draw up a list for one, because the instructor was looking for new music. Would have been cool, but I doubt most would have appreciated The Ministry Of Sound being metaphorically transported to boxercise lol. Yeah though, music is everywhere we go, you just have to listen to the song. Yeah okay I have partly kincked that form Kosh on B5

 

[Transk53]

I would imagine any study of music would help a fighter's rhythm, or least his feel for rhythm. But I don't know, I have no musical skill. Do you think that's the case?

Yes for sure, but would depend on the format. Easy Jazz probably not going to lend itself to Capoeira.

 

[Dirty Dog]

SCUBA diving. Martial arts teach and encourage tranquility. Drifting along, totally relaxed, watching the reef go by, listening to whale song. Does it get more tranquil than that?

 

[chrispillertkd]

Alright you study a martial art ( for the purpose of this thread any art sport, or non sport, traditional or non traditional ) but what non martial art do you thinks helps you as a martial artist and why?
Dance, poetry, painting, etc.

Go/Baduk (or chess) is helpful for developing the ability to think strategically. Both Gen. Choi, Hong Hi and GM Choi, Yong Sul were known to play Baduk.

Pax,

Chris

 

[Touch Of Death]

I would imagine any study of music would help a fighter's rhythm, or least his feel for rhythm. But I don't know, I have no musical skill. Do you think that's the case?

Rhythm is something I don't have, and I am not sure I even understand what is it is when it comes to fighting. If my opponent has some sort of rhythm, my obvious goal is to upset it, but I need someone to explain to me what the hell it is. I do have some timing at ready.

 

[PhotonGuy]

Weightlifting has really helped me. Now before people say that weightlifting isn't an art, form and good technique play a big role in weightlifting, just like they do in the martial arts. Also, while I don't do this myself, some people go into muscle contests and bodybuilding contests where your body is a work of art.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Dose anyone think dance (that's what they call it) with all the wild gyrations and flailing of the arms and grinding of the pelves helps. I would say that ball room dancing and ballet might but I am not sure about the modern dancing.