The True Martial Artist

[Rick_72]

just because i think that synchronised swimming is a crap sport and definitely not the BEST sport, doesnt mean that people that are doing it arent going to put their all into it.

saying that your martial arts is better than all the rest is an arrogant point of view.

if you were to take 10 people of equivalent ranks from 10 different MA, i will guarantee that no 1 person will win against all others.

I'll bet those synchronized swimmer's think their's is the best sport though.

It's only arrogant if you act arrogantly about it. "I feel that my art is the best", is not an arrogant statement, it's a personal opinion. An opinion that you or anyone else doesn't have to agree with, and its not arrogant.

You can take any 10 people you want but that doesn't take into account any number of factors. The guy that wins is the one that trains the hardest, is in the best physical condition, is the smartest, and is the most athletic. In other words, there's no way to actually determine which style is actually "the best" based off of competition, because there's too many variables. That doesn't, and shouldn't, stop each individual from feeling that the style they train in is the best, because it should be the best for them or they should be looking elsewhere for training.

I'm not arrogant (well maybe a little ), but I think the style of martial arts that I practice is the best for me. It suits me, and I do well at it. That doesn't mean its the best for anyone, as I can only speak for myself.

[Zorbasan]

"i feel that my art is the best because" is different to "my art is the best because" which is what somepeople are saying

[elbows_and_knees]

Well, having a family and full time job, I don't see myself gaining much time to enter an MMA event around here.

I have those same things, and I compete. Plus I have three jobs, if you count teaching the muay thai class as one of them. Time isn't really an issue. Your normal training time is enough to prep for a fight if you use it wisely.

[elbows_and_knees]

I think the style of martial arts that I practice is the best for me. It suits me, and I do well at it. That doesn't mean its the best for anyone, as I can only speak for myself.

This is completely different from what you've been saying. Feeling your art is best is very arrogant. Who are you to think that your art is better than any other art out there? Saying that you think your chosen art is best for you though, is completely different.

[Rick_72]

I think the style of martial arts that I practice is the best for me. It suits me, and I do well at it. That doesn't mean its the best for anyone, as I can only speak for myself.

This is completely different from what you've been saying. Feeling your art is best is very arrogant. Who are you to think that your art is better than any other art out there? Saying that you think your chosen art is best for you though, is completely different.

Well I guess that's what I meant. No one can say one art is better than another honestly. I think I explained that above. There's too many variables at play for there to ever be a true test of that. But everyone should feel that the style that they train in is the best for them.

I've heard plenty of people say that they are training in, or going to start training in, a specific style of martial art because its the only thing in town. Many have said they don't even like it, or they would rather be doing a different style. I guess that's what I was trying to say, don't settle.

I will say this, I pay a lot for my training and if I didn't think I was getting my money's worth, and that it was the best available, I certainly wouldn't be doing it. If that's arrogant, well than I guess I'm arrogant.

[Jeet Kune Do]

Is willing to learn more instead of showing off by knowing evrything, but I think that woulod come under being cocky

[elbows_and_knees]

I will say this, I pay a lot for my training and if I didn't think I was getting my money's worth, and that it was the best available, I certainly wouldn't be doing it. If that's arrogant, well than I guess I'm arrogant.

I train for free

[MizuRyu]

I've found that the arrogant pushy ones are the most predictable... it's the quiet, humble ones you should fear. At the heart of martial arts comes a responsibility to use it ONLY when ABSOLUTELY necessary, because along with being endowed with such powerful knowledge and skill, you're also entrusted with a great and heavy responsibility. That is why discipline is so important, to help you understand that life isn't push and shove.

You're not an animal, you're a human being. You can think, speak, and reason. You are the ONLY creature out of hundreds of thousands that has the ability to help another person from a sapient perspective. To train yourself to do great harm to another and boast about being able to use it DOES make you a bad person in my book. You should be rock solid in the morals and responsibilities passed down from the wise old fogies that gave you that gift.

My art is not the best, I am not the strongest, I am not the smartest or fastest, but I am a martial artist, and I understand what that means.

[bushido_man96]

I will say this, I pay a lot for my training and if I didn't think I was getting my money's worth, and that it was the best available, I certainly wouldn't be doing it. If that's arrogant, well than I guess I'm arrogant.

I train for free

Must be nice!

[elbows_and_knees]

I've found that the arrogant pushy ones are the most predictable... it's the quiet, humble ones you should fear. At the heart of martial arts comes a responsibility to use it ONLY when ABSOLUTELY necessary, because along with being endowed with such powerful knowledge and skill, you're also entrusted with a great and heavy responsibility. That is why discipline is so important, to help you understand that life isn't push and shove.

You're not an animal, you're a human being. You can think, speak, and reason. You are the ONLY creature out of hundreds of thousands that has the ability to help another person from a sapient perspective. To train yourself to do great harm to another and boast about being able to use it DOES make you a bad person in my book. You should be rock solid in the morals and responsibilities passed down from the wise old fogies that gave you that gift.

My art is not the best, I am not the strongest, I am not the smartest or fastest, but I am a martial artist, and I understand what that means.

see, that's the other thing...

1. being arrogant doesn't make you a bad MA. It simply makes you arrogant.

2. my skill doesn't entrust me with anything - I'm not spider man. I didn't start training to learn to defend myself or others - I started training because I wanted to. That said, I help others all the time. I've stopped muggings, stopped men from beating women - and that was before my job as a bouncer. That's not because I train though, that's just who I am. I would've helped even if I didn't train. Martial arts training does not require that help others no more does being a cop force you to help others -It's not required for the job.

3. being a bad person does not mean you're not a good martial artist. Seriously, some of you guys here should look up a lot of the old masters and how they lived. When I was in CMA, my sigung trained under johnny tsai. He does videos and things now, but back in the day, he was an enforcer for chinese triads. Chan tai san and several others have also been known to kill people for various reasons. Musashi was the greates swordsman in japanese history and earned his fame by killing men in duels. Like I said, we paint this nostalgic picture of what we think martial arts should be and try to conform to it, like we are humans trapped in the matrix. When you wake up, you see that reality is not how you perceived it to be.