What is the purpose of Martial Arts

[MuayThai Fighter]

I believe everybody has their different thoughts about martial arts and reasons for joining but that doesn't change the fact that martial arts was and is meant for self-defense/combat.

 

What is martial arts to me:

 

1/ A way of training in street -defense

 

2/A way of gaining confidence and building self-esteem

 

3/A great and exciting way to keep fit

 

4/Something that allows me to get rid of everyday stress through vigorous exercises and harsh training in self-defense and sparring.

 

5/A feeling of expression without waisting time with forms(katas) that most styles have.

 

6/A great way of learning discipline

 

7/Also a great way to practice balance,co-ordination,focus,build stamina without having to go through doing forms.

 

To me these are what make a true martial arts and will make a true fighter which is the main reason for martial arts.Without any of these you simply are just nothing but a martial arts wannabe.

 

Any art that teaches forms is not a real martial arts, as far as I am concerned it is just another form of ballet.

[Treebranch]

Martial Arts mean different things to different people. Some people like to fight and some people like to study Martial Arts and some people that like to fight study Martial Arts. Martial Arts serves each individuals purpose for studying it in the first place. Plus some people like to fight in the ring and compete and some don't. I love Martial Arts and it serves my purpose just fine. I don't like when people judged other people for doing what they enjoy doing, just because it differs with someone's beliefs or opinions. I think it's very dangerous for people to get cocky and think their MA is going to make them invincible. These type of people are setting themselves up for a big fall.