does doing a martial art automatically make you a MAist?

[notoriousBLT]

like me, I wouldn't call myself a MAist because I have been doing it for only 6 months. But does doing a martial art earn you the title of a martial artist. Like if someone bought a skateboard and called himself a skater.

[Jim]

Interesting question...

Yeah, I think it does. I consider not so much the 'skater' analogy but more like a painter. If you have a brush, paint and something to paint and you actually do practice 'painting' then you would be a painter!

Same as with being a MA-ist.

[Skye]

Whats in a name? Or what else are you but a martial artist?

[Rikamarudude]

Showing up to a class and going through the motions does not make you a MAist. Commitment to improvement and dedication to an art makes you an MAist.:up:

[Sean Reilly]

Commitment to improvement and dedication to an art makes you an MAist

I can understand the commitment to improvement bit but dedication to an art??????

Dedication; Selfless devotion

I could not commit that much to my training. I have a business to run, a family and plenty of other interests.

There have been times in my life that I had more time to train but not now. I have studied several arts over the last 25 years, I am a master of none mostly because "Life Happens".

I workout when ever I can, usually 2-3 X 1 Hour classes a week plus extra fitness workouts outside of the club. In "my world 2002" it just would not be reasonable to be selflessly devoted to my MA.

If that what it takes I guess I am no MAist.

Sean

[Rikamarudude]

I didn't mean that hardcore, I meant dedication to continue with that art through promotion and learning new skills to go along with the discipline. Not taking a art for a few months getting your first belt, quiting and calling yourself an MAist. I couldn't devote my self totally either, I'm a full time college student, I work 30hr/wk, and I like a active social life.:up:

[notoriousBLT]

see that's how I see it. I wouldn't call myself a MAist because I have not done it long enough. But I do have devotion and improve everyday. I used to be the most diligent student there before I moved. I would go everyday for 3 hours. But I know people who call themselves MAist but just started, it don't seem right.

Jael Kyle

[Skye]

I think I can call myself an martial artist once I reach a hundred posts here. I think this will be my 98th....

[Rikamarudude]

Well then I too will soon be a Martial Artist! This is #98!:up:

[TenchuDude]

I think you can call yourself an MAist if you feel it. I don't think that the title hinges on how many tournaments you've won or how many forms you know. I think it's based on how hard you train and how much you love your style(s).

[De_Franza]

I agree with the general vibe here, continueing the process of training in the big picture (like taking a year off to get a degree so you can get a promotion at work, but then get back in the dojo) is what makes one a Martial Artist. Like Sean said, "Life Happens" but if we can make MA's a part of that, and make time for it consistently, than I'd say you are a martial artist. Like NortoriousBLT, I'd be reluctant to use the term until someone has demonstrated commitment, but it's difficult to assign a specific amount of classtime to this idea. Also, it's just words, you know?

Totally off subject, notoriousBLT, you said you've been training for 6 months for about 3 hours a day. Be careful not to "Burn out" too quickly. Lots of beginners get REALLY enthusiastic and go too much in the beginning and lose their taste for it. Not to mention, hurt themselves or damage their bodies. I'm not saying I'm the wise old sage or anything, but it might be something to consider.

[notoriousBLT]

De Fraza, you were partially right in my case because I constantly hurt myself. Like right now my wrist hurts like hell when I turn it.

[De_Franza]

Originally posted by notoriousBLT
De Fraza, you were partially right in my case because I constantly hurt myself. Like right now my wrist hurts like hell when I turn it.

Been there!:p Hope you heal up quickly.

[warriorwoman]

I think TenchuDude alluded to an important point. Does "doing" anything make you an artist in it? We all write, but only some of us consider ourselves "writers". We all eat, but only some of us consider ourselves "gourmets". It depends on our relationship to what it is we do. And amount of time spent doing it may not be the best indicator. So for general conversation, anyone who "does" a martial art usually refers to themselves, at least superficially, as a martial artist. But then there are the Martial Artists.
janet dtantirojanarat
www.warriorwoman.org

[Aaron Fields]

In answer to the question.


Boy I hope not..........

[H@pkid0ist]

Joimimg and studying a class only automatically makes you a customer. A MAist is more in who you are. Its a life style. I don't believe your studies even have to have always or ever been completely formal. If all you have ever done is study with friends who take formal classes, and you have the focus, drive, desire, mindset, and make the MA part of who you are as a person, then you are still a MAist. I think being a MAist is more of a mindset, a way of life. Students are a dime a dozen, but true MAist are not so easy to find.

[Ican'tfeelmylegs]

I think studing a MA makes you a MA Student.
Creating or excelling at an MA maketh you a MAist

[Kimpatsu]

Training in a martial art makes you a martial artist by definition. Whether you are any good as a martial artist is another issue.
Being a martial artist, however, does not necessarily make you a budoka. For that, you would have to practice budo (as opposed to bujutsu, bugei, or kakutogi). The man who bought a skateboard was a skater, so long as he tried out the skateboard and didn't just keep it in the closet. But a good skater? Not immediately, no.
HTH.

[H@pkid0ist]

I disagree. Yup I do. I like to compare it to being a Marine. Just cause you join the Corp. dosn't mean your one of them. First you have to pay your dues, develop a mindset, get through basic training. You cant wash out of Basic and still say I was in the Corp. You were only a potential, learning. No different than joining a MA class. You have to pay your dues, develop a mindset, and stick with it.

[Kimpatsu]

That analogy doesn't hold water. If you wash out of the Marine Corps, you are not and never were a Marine. Similarly, if you wash out of MA, you aren't an MAer, but so long as you are training, you are, even from your first class, although you may not be proficient.

[ky_]

"to be called a martial artist in my view you have to have a certain level of dedication, just going through the motions makes you a failure",

[Jay Bell]

You sure do quote yourself a lot..

[tkdcanada]

Hi there,

This is my first post, although I've been reading for a little while. I think whether you can be called a martial artist depends on whether you have your heart and soul into every aspect of the art that you are training. If you are serious about your training and are committed in every way, then you can be called a martial artist. Someone who shows up at class once in a while and doesn't put any serious effort into improving would not in my opinion be a martial artist. I don't really think how good you are is a factor because if you are serious and committed, it will come. Any thoughts?

M.C.

[worndowndahnbonym]

When I talk about it with my friends, I usually refer to it as "Martial Artist (with capitals) vs. martial artist (lower case)".

I trained pretty regularly for several years. And while I was, according to some, pretty good, I always refered to myself as a martial artist.

My instructor, and one or two others in class (not all instructors either) were Martial Artists. The skill and natural ability are what makes the difference, IMHO.

One may train for years, learn the moves and even be proficient. But you can tell the difference between someone who knows the moves, can feel them flowing inside, and someone who has learned them by rote.

As for me.... I am a student. :D






ray brandle

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by worndowndahnbonym
When I talk about it with my friends, I usually refer to it as "Martial Artist (with capitals) vs. martial artist (lower case)".
How do you express capital letters and lower case in Japanese? :confused:

[dao]

Originally posted by Kimpatsu

How do you express capital letters and lower case in Japanese? :confused:

Or Chinese, or Korean for that matter? When speaking you might be able to distiguish it by tone something like martial artist vs. Martial Artist!!!! if you get my meaning. LOL

For what its worth, I've always thought of the world of practioners being divided into Martial Artists and Trained Thugs
with gradiations of untrained, semi-trained and trained.

P.S. I'm now over 100 posts (ooah!) so what does that make me?

[jakmak52]

like me, I wouldn't call myself a MAist because I have been doing it for only 6 months. But does doing a martial art earn you the title of a martial artist. Like if someone bought a skateboard and called himself a skater.

My first day as a white belt I became a martial artist.. :rolleyes:

[slamdunc]

Martial artist; martial arts practitioner; martial student; karateka.
These all mean the same thing and they also mean different things, depending upon your perspective.
Martial arts style; martial arts system, these are the same and different, as well.
If you study the arts, you are a student, if you practice the arts, you are a practitioner-- in either case, you are a martial artist. Depending on how much time and energy you dedicate, you may or may not be a good one, though.
I have studied martial arts since 1981; I consider myself an advanced student of the martial arts.
I know people who have studied the arts seriously for only three or four years, and they are thought of as 'serious' martial artists.
Some parents have second grade children who draw, paint or sculpt, and they call them artists.
Bottom line--It is all in how you personally view and define what a 'real' martial artist is. There are martial artists and there are martial arts masters, as well; who decides what makes a martial artist a master?
This is just food for thought.

[ZenZero_0]

Being a martial artist is not simply defined through action. Being a martial artist, like being any type of artist is more a matter of perspective. Its less of what you do and more of how you see the world. Its in your heart and your mind. You may throw the worst reverse punch on the planet but if you view the world as a budoka does then you could be the worlds greatest martial artist. Its less about the destination and more about the journey. Some musings to consider.

[David Craik]

I personally like Dave Lowry's differentiation between a martial artist and a martial artisan.

[Sabuhm]

This is my first post of this new year (2006), and I chose this older thread to carry the question into the new year.

It is my personal opinion and perspective on the question of what makes a person a Martial Artist that it has less to do with what happens in the Dojo/Dojang, and more with how you live your daily life. Not so much about what you think, but how you act. The Martial Art, in my view, is a way of life. It is an education toward an understanding about life itself, how to love and value life, how to succeed at anything, and how to behave according to a specific code of conduct. It is the art of appreciating life, the way of ideal action, and the path of right behavior. These things might mean something different to each individual, but they always fit with nature, and collectively, as as it applies to a society, they mesh together for harmony.

One must first live their life according to this philosophy to be a Martial Artist. Thus, it has nothing to do with how long you have trained, how many times per week you attend class, or what skill or rank level you have attained. Anyone who attends classes at a Martial Art Dojo/Dojang, or trains with a genuine Martial Art instructor is a "student" of the Martial Art. However, some people have never entered a Martial Art school, and yet they are more of a Martial Artist by the way they conduct themselves, and the philosophy and tenets by which they live, than many "students of the Martial Art."

If a person has the right attitude, and conduct themselves in their daily life according the ways of the Martial Art, then they could be a "Martial Artist" the first day they walk into the school and join. Others have been students for decades, and still are not true Martial Artists, even if they call themselves so. Many people study "fighting skills," "street combat," or "Martial Fighting," and they call it "Martial Arts," and think they are a Martial Artist, but nothing could be further from the truth. Combat, and fighting for self defense, or survival is only one aspect of the entire entity of Martial Art education.

A person who trains at a Dojo/Dojang, then goes out and partakes in "gang" activity, bullies people, disrespects parents, teachers and other authority figures simply because of who they are, commits crime, uses and/or deals drugs, rapes women, molests children, or beats their wife is not a Martial Artist. Regardless of what they train in, what rank they are, how dedicated they are to their training, etc., it is not what happens in the Dojo/Dojang that makes them a Martial Artist or not - - its what happens out in life. The Dojo/Dojang is an honored training arena to challenge you, test you, and teach you how to conduct your life with respect, honor, and integrity, and how to appreciate, value, protect and preserve life. If you don't live your life in that manner then you are not a Martial Artist.
If you do, then you are! :)

A "Martial Art teacher" is one who not only understands this, and lives by this code, but is able to successfuly guide students to the same experience, and understanding, while always remembering that he/she is still a student.

A "Master is one who understands these things, can teach the teachers, and knows how to perpetuate the integrity of the Art by ensuring the each future generation receives the knowledge undeluded. To not only teach a student, but to teach them how to teach in the absence of the Master.

Respectfully, :bow:
Sabuhm
James Jerome
Taekwondo Yuk Dan

[David Anderson]

If you've made it part of your life, and part of yourself, then you're a martial artist. If it's a hobby that has no impact on your thinking or moral/spiritual growth, then it's just a pastime.

[poetic misjustice]

personally i think to be a martial artist it has to be a maor part of your life, for example i put martial arts before socialising alot of "martial artists" around here perfer to shun training and go to the pub.

[MMAfighter]

does doing MA make you an MAist? Sure does i don't see why it shouldn't

[Yang Wei Xin]

playing basketball for a couple hours a week does not make you a basketball player.

working on your car on the weekends does not make you a mechanic.

building a dog house does not make you a carpenter.

martial arts is more than a one hour class.

its how you approach your life.

[Peter Rehse]

playing basketball for a couple hours a week does not make you a basketball player.

It does while you are playing it.


working on your car on the weekends does not make you a mechanic.

building a dog house does not make you a carpenter.

Same with these (assuming you are under the hood with wrench in hand).


martial arts is more than a one hour class.


its how you approach your life.
Besides all of the above examples suppose you are being paid for your efforts. Very few can claim that. A little extra beer money doesn't count.

[Peter Rehse]

The discussion reminds me of the old joke. 90% of drivers think they are above average.

You personally define whether you are a martial artist or not and your opinion with regard to someone else has no meaning.

[zatojoshi]

I think it depends on your motivations and the amount willpower to practice what you learn without having to be hounded on by your teachers.