Why We Fight

Posted by: AndrewGreen

Why We Fight - 08/11/07 07:12 PM

Some people have a hard time understanding this, why do people glove up week after week and get punched in the head? Why do they seem happy about getting slammed into the ground? Why are they and a good friend trying to knock each other down?

Maybe we are nuts, but I don't think so. People fight, all the time. Not just physically, but in other ways too. If you walk into your bosses office and demand a raise, you are fighting. Your boss might not be trying to punch you in the face, but internally the feeling might be pretty close.

Fighting is a skill that I believe everyone should have, the ability to keep calm under pressure, to act intelligently and to control your emotions while doing so. When sparring you cannot get angry, you can't give in to fear, and when you get tired and are loosing, you keep fighting.

Martial arts, according to the advertisements, is supposed to build character. Character is built through experience, not through sitting in the dark meditating. Meditating is certainly beneficial, but even more so if you have experience to meditate on.

Full article: http://innovativema.ca/forum/view.php?pg=whywefight
Posted by: Neko456

Re: Why We Fight - 08/11/07 07:45 PM

I think this is going to be moved to the general MA section. But Fighting is done in most MAs to similuate movement & reactions to techniques practiced on a moving active partner. It is a part of the whole, once you are comfortable you have less reason to want or try to prove you can fight because you know you can.

After training in various scenarios and facing different matches/challenge, you can almost predict your opponents move and react without self doubt.

Fighting is the thought/meditation and practice in motion, through this part of the art, your principles becomes facts. In a real fight you see the mental expressiion on their face fade before the body submits, the attackers eyes go from an almost a mad angry glare to wide-eyed helplessness. The spirit and mind is defeated moments before the body. This is the link between the Spirit, Mind and Body and why we practice to strengthen each of them.
Posted by: MattJ

Re: Why We Fight - 08/13/07 05:18 PM

Quote:

Character is built through experience, not through sitting in the dark meditating.



Excellent point, Andrew! I totally agree with this. So many people feel that character in martial arts comes from the belt or empty platitudes that they don't even believe or understand. It really comes from WORK.

Being put in those scary and uncomfortable situations - and not quitting- is where it comes from.
Posted by: Usenthemighty

Re: Why We Fight - 08/14/07 12:23 AM

Yea your pretty much right. Everyone thats basically trying to get anywhere in life has to fight for it. Not much different then what we do except we using our bodies. I guess when those old guys said (x),karate for me, is a way of life, it kinda is.
Posted by: jude33

Re: Why We Fight - 09/07/07 07:03 AM

Quote:

Some people have a hard time understanding this, why do people glove up week after week and get punched in the head? Why do they seem happy about getting slammed into the ground? Why are they and a good friend trying to knock each other down?

Maybe we are nuts, but I don't think so. People fight, all the time. Not just physically, but in other ways too. If you walk into your bosses office and demand a raise, you are fighting. Your boss might not be trying to punch you in the face, but internally the feeling might be pretty close.

Fighting is a skill that I believe everyone should have, the ability to keep calm under pressure, to act intelligently and to control your emotions while doing so. When sparring you cannot get angry, you can't give in to fear, and when you get tired and are loosing, you keep fighting.

Martial arts, according to the advertisements, is supposed to build character. Character is built through experience, not through sitting in the dark meditating. Meditating is certainly beneficial, but even more so if you have experience to meditate on.

Full article: http://innovativema.ca/forum/view.php?pg=whywefight



My thoughts.

I think a person needs both. I think in the book of five rings it is stated one option is to attack when the enemy isnt expecting it. As in when the guy in the boat uses one of the oars when his opponent is getting ready for a sword fight.A bit like two people bluffing before a confrontation. One backing down then when the other one thinks he has won the one who backs down attacks.
I found this sort of thing extremely funny but realy practical to be aware it does happen. Wouldnt meditation then programme the mind to be aware of this once the adrenalin starts flowing and the macho crap takes over?

I think it is easy to have certain plans/ things to be aware of when not under pressure but unless they are drilled in to the mind then such aware ness might be hard to consider at that moment in time.



I hope so because it is something I am trying. Not the oars /sword part or even the fighting part I might add but working on totaly ignoring people when they start with the usual antics that people do.
In other words becoming mentaly shell proof.

Jude