Fighting Spirit: Something you're born with, or learned?

[Shotokan-kez]

Well i agree with everything that has been said so far, it all rings bells with me.

I have never been a fighter, never been very good at it. I am only average now but i can hold my own i think. The more you practise it the better you get, i have to do more in this field for my black belt grading next year.

[Yasutsune Makoto]

Many good points brought up.

IMO, Fighting spirit is that determination some people have to never give up, always win, etc. This is both natural AND train-able. A great article on this can be found by google-ing "Fighting Spirit by Isao Inokuma" (it should be the first hit).

Killer instinct is different, like others said. I think it's more of a subconcious ability to see an opening, sense a weakness, and then exploit it without making concious efforts to do so. Also, it's an instinct and willingness to bite, claw, gouge, maim. Destroying the oppenent by whatever means possible.