Do you consider yourself a natural-born MAist?

[Chunmonchek]

Hello, My name is Shizentai, and I am not a natural-born martial artist.

Are you?

Interesting and thought provoking post.

IMHO, martial artists are made, trained, forged and cultivated...they are not born.

That said, one can be born with attributes that are conducive to making/training, forging a "Martial Artist".

I guess the starting point is"what is a martial artist?"

My view on what a martial artist is has changed over the years.

Anymore, I train martial arts to be better than the Yesterday Me, notwithstanding that the Today Me is older with declining physicality as compared to the Yesterday Me.

I would also add to my post that training Martial Arts is more of a marathon than a sprint. It's been my experience that of my students/former students, "Gifted" is often trumped by "Stubborn"...

[MatsuShinshii]

Natural born martial artist?

No.

I think some have a predisposition from a young age for fighting arts and some do not. I think some are born with certain traits that lend themselves to the fighting arts such as speed, strength and analytical thinking. However to be proficient past a basic ability I think it is learned and developed over time.

I don't think someone with no training, no matter the natural ability, can be considered a martial artists without training.

To throw a punch may be natural but an understanding of how to fight is learned.

[Shizentai]

Maybe I misunderstand, but it sounds like people are frequently complimenting you, but you may be seeing it as veiled insults or at best tactless comments when in fact folk mean well and are impressed by you.

You say you frequently receive comments that you are fast. And you have observed that you are faster than most. Yet you dwell on the statistics that say you fit in the slowest 20%

Lol, I was being open and honest when I said that I took a compliment about "being naturally fast" and let it go to my head. Then I explained that this compliment had absolutely no foundation in reality, as I found out this weekend. This was part of a 23andme wellness report that I did mostly to learn more about my ancestry. It's nothing weird. I also have not be dwelling on it. I just learned like two days ago, and basically only talked about it here. How is this dwelling?

Paint me up to be a creepy obsessed person who can't take a compliment if you want, but that doesn't make it true. I'm not going to sit here and tell you all of the uncomplimentary things I've been called, because the list is very long and it doesn't much have anything to do with this topic. So you can't really infer whether I am someone who gets complimented more often than insulted. I think it's fair to say that I hear other people's judgements of me (kind or ill) pretty often. I'm small, love to laugh, and enjoy talking to everyone, so people tend to speak freely with me about whatever they are thinking. I think this is a pretty great privilege, even if I have to suffer some cruel words from time to time (again, I haven't mentioned any of said "cruel words anywhere in this post, this post is about compliments).

[OneKickWonder]

Maybe I misunderstand, but it sounds like people are frequently complimenting you, but you may be seeing it as veiled insults or at best tactless comments when in fact folk mean well and are impressed by you.

You say you frequently receive comments that you are fast. And you have observed that you are faster than most. Yet you dwell on the statistics that say you fit in the slowest 20%

Lol, I was being open and honest when I said that I took a compliment about "being naturally fast" and let it go to my head. Then I explained that this compliment had absolutely no foundation in reality, as I found out this weekend. This was part of a 23andme wellness report that I did mostly to learn more about my ancestry. It's nothing weird. I also have not be dwelling on it. I just learned like two days ago, and basically only talked about it here. How is this dwelling?

Paint me up to be a creepy obsessed person who can't take a compliment if you want, but that doesn't make it true. I'm not going to sit here and tell you all of the uncomplimentary things I've been called, because the list is very long and it doesn't much have anything to do with this topic. So you can't really infer whether I am someone who gets complimented more often than insulted. I think it's fair to say that I hear other people's judgements of me (kind or ill) pretty often. I'm small, love to laugh, and enjoy talking to everyone, so people tend to speak freely with me about whatever they are thinking. I think this is a pretty great privilege, even if I have to suffer some cruel words from time to time (again, I haven't mentioned any of said "cruel words anywhere in this post, this post is about compliments).

You've clearly taken my positive intention as a negative. I was drawing your attention to your own comment that you receive compliments. Surely that's a good thing is it not?

[Chunmonchek]

Paint me up to be a creepy obsessed person who can't take a compliment if you want, but that doesn't make it true.

I think we are all a bit, and maybe more than a bit, obsessed...

Comes with the territory...

I'd share the floor with you...

[JR 137]

The age-old nature vs nurture argument

Are some people “born MAists?” Sure. That doesn’t mean they’ll ever pursue it nor put in the work to get to the next level.

The more we study genetics, the more we learn personalities have a strong genetic link. One such study of personality and genes...

http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/dmessinger/c_c/rsrcs/rdgs/temperament/bouchard.04.curdir.pdf

Then there’s those people who certain things just make sense to. Some look at math equations and just get it. Some look at art, science, machinery, etc. and it it’s easy for them to figure out. Same with sports and the physical activities. Take a look at sparring. Some people get in there and they get it. They understand the strategy and the timing. They “see things” happening that others don’t quite see. You can teach this, but I genuinely think a lot of it is instinctual to some people. You can explain it until you’re blue in the face to some people and they’ll never quite grasp it; others, you just have to give them a pointer or two that they easily pick up and use. I’m not talking about throwing the perfect kick, I’m talking about when, where, and why. Some need bare bones instruction in strategy.

I’ve been around some phenomenal athletes who were just in the wrong sport. On paper they checked off all the boxes of what a player in that sport should be. But they were lacking that “field/court/mat sense.” Some of them may not have been coached right in the past, others may just not “get it” enough to be as effective as the ones that do. But that’s the nature vs nurture argument.

[LLLEARNER]

We can look at certain people and see that genetics do play a part in natural ability.

Alexey Alexeyevich Oleynik an MMA fighter has an 80-inch reach. His long arms (in my opinion) really aid in his specialization, Ezekiel Chokes. He was not born knowing how to perform them, but the reach advantage certainly helps his ability. And he can get them on in any position.

[advfhorn]

Definitely NOT!!! I do it to learn, keep myself flexible and fun.

I am far from a natural at anything in my life!