Fighter or Artist?

[red5angel]

Which do you consider yourself? As Martial Artist the subject of what Martial Art really means comes up now and then. What do you consider yourself? Why?

I for one consider myself a fighter more then an artist. I took up martial arts to fight, some for self defense, some for sport but I wanted to fight and I could care less if I look good doing it or get it perfect.

[ewallace]

Right now I consider myself a martial slacker. Hopefully that will change after the holidays are over.

[Chang Style Novice]

1/2 and 1/2

I'm a ****ist.

[red5angel]

ROFLMAO!!!@ CSN Man I was dragging today but that woke me up!!!!

[Chang Style Novice]

If you liked that, you'll LOVE this. (http://www.johnbarber.com/pujol.html)

[red5angel]

Ah, Le Petomane, a true artist!!!

[KC Elbows]

I'm an artist a la Pollock, in otherwords I like to get drunk and drive me and my mistress into things. In a wu de sort of way.

[David Jamieson]

in my youth i was fighter through and through, in my middle age i tend to lean towards the artistic expression of the martial arts.

but i'm good for a go if need be. :D

cheers

[Souljah]

bit a' both i'd say, swaying more towards the artist side as im not a violent person by heart

[rogue]

Artist. I consider guys like Merry, fa_jing and the others who train to fight and do fight as guys who can carry that title. Not to say they also aren't artist in their arts. I just don't think I can call myself a fighter since I don't really fight. Now there is the other category of being able to defend oneself somewhere in between the two extreems.

[yenhoi]

Martial Artists are fighters.

:eek:

[dezhen2001]

thats a tough question R5A!

for me i think its both - otherwise we couldnt be called martial artists... i know for sure when i was younger (than the 22 yrs i am now :D) i was heavily in to sparring and 'fighting'... i used to do MT and boxing as well as full contact (knockdown) and semi contact competitions, especially from the ages of 18-21 (i started boxing aged 14).

but now i think i mellowed out :D

now im more interested in studying the 'technology' we have in MA training and learning about myself and how the body works etc. as well as the principles. More importantly im interested in Qigong and health... but i have been known to have a scrap with my MA buddies on occasion ;)

i like sparring if thats what you mean? Especially playing with my wing chun against people from other skills, also i love doing chi sau as its liberating and helps me understand the principles more.

then again i also like standing there and letting people kick me in the tummy and break bricks on my head with a sledgehammer so i think im crazy :D

dawood

[red5angel]

I think for some it can go both ways and does. But you guys have to admit there are many who swing pretty much one way or the other. For me, the "art" part doesn't reflect much in the way I approach it, atleast in my opinion.

Of course I am not saying either way is right or wrong, the art part is admirable, competition wushu is still hard to do. The fighting part is admirable as well.

[dezhen2001]

for me the 'art' is in the simplicity, directness and clarity i have gained through training... it can be used for sparring as well though :D

dawood

[fa_jing]

I consider myself to be a washed-up fighter. Thanks for the props, though.
:)

[neptunesfall]

hm...neither

[norther practitioner]

Because of my knees I've been mainly doing forms, so I'd def. have to say Artist. It is interesting going into the forms and disecting them, asking a lot of questions etc. I don't think my shirfu has had this many questions on our forms before.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i wouldnt put myself in the pure artist catagory because i am more interested in the fighting practicality of what i do. this includes breathing sets, training static stances, and any other hippie sh it i believe helps me fight.

i wouldnt put myself in the pure fighter catagory because i avoid fights and don't compete. i do spar a lot, sometimes hard contact, but i think that most of the nhb types would still call it pu ssy training.

i think that just makes me a nerd.

[rubthebuddha]

martial slacker -- amen to that.

if i'd get off my ass and train, then i'd be an artist.

[FatherDog]

I like rogue's definition.

By that, I'm not really anything yet. But I'm training to be a fighter. Still have a ways to go.

[SevenStar]

Since I like to fight, have fought and train to fight, I consider myself more of a fighter. Whether or not I'm a good one - now that's a different story :)

[iron thread]

I'm a martial slacker that recently learned the values of practice, so I have yet to find out. If I were to choose, I would choose to strive as the artist and have the ability as the fighter.

[dezhen2001]

id like to have the energy and expression of the artist and the ability to fight :)

dawood

[SevenStar]

Actually, a fighter has his own expression, his own style. Even two people in the same style will fight differently according to their own abilities and preferences. In that sense, isn't every fighter also an artist? However, just because you are an artist, that doesn't mean that you are also a fighter...

[yenhoi]

Martial Artists study fighting!

A bunch of other people just kind of dabble. Like some people who know a few bar tricks - they arent magicians.


:confused:

Agree with 7*, I do.

[apoweyn]

i'd have to say artist. i've never had a fight in my life. and it's been a long time since i competed. when i did, it was stickfighting. so if i'm being honest with myself (and you guys), then i'm not really sure what criteria i could point to and say, "yeah, i'm a fighter." i spar certainly, but that doesn't seem enough to my mind. not to warrant that designation.

that said, i do try to keep my practice realistic. i do want things that work. and i do want to train to make them work. so i suppose i'm a realist. an idealistic realist. (how's that for a totally useless designation. :) )


stuart b.

[SevenStar]

I actually think that's a better designation - are you a realist or non?

[norther practitioner]

Definitely an artist. I don't train to fight, I don't fight to train, I do fight from time to time, but well thems the breaks. As far as being a realist, I know my training helps my fighting, but only to a certain extent. Sparring has helped me get rid of those **** weak knee moments right before sh!t goes down.

[SevenStar]

which ooens yet another box - what does everyone consider being a realist, and to what extent are you one?

[apoweyn]

yeah, that's the big question with that designation. a person might consider themselves a realist while others think that they're being completely unrealistic. and who's right? there's no really reliably and undisputable benchmark for that. compete in NHB: NHB isn't the streets. win in the streets: the opponent was untrained and drunk; or the account is unsubstantiated. etc.

that's the thing. i can call myself a realist, a modernist, a fighter, etc. and it's largely meaningless.

[shrug]

[SevenStar]

It makes you sound really cool though :D

[apoweyn]

It makes you sound really cool though

i'll take all the help i can get. ;)

[Losttrak]

I was a dancer and a football player before I was a martial artist. I have always been a combo of a fighter and an artist. To dance well you must have fluidity and power. The same can be said as a fighter. I think artistry and combat compliment themselves very well from what I have seen.

[rogue]

Just kidding. That's another word that gets bandied about by wannabe's. I'm a warrior!!! If they want to sound really gay then they stick something on the front of it like "Golden" and become the "GOLDEN WARRIOR" or some such nonsense.

[apoweyn]

oh yeah. the warrior thing. [sigh]

still, i was on a forum briefly where a poster actually enclosed his comments in this weird little narrative. something like...

[silver wolf steps out of the forest and into the bamboo grove]

yes, you're right

[silver wolf fades again into the forest]



stuart b.

[Chang Style Novice]

Apoweyn

[starnosed mole steps out of the soil and into the bamboo grove]

yes, you're right

[starnosed mole fades again into the soil]

[SevenStar]

only a mother could love a nose like that...

[rogue]

[Hickory ****ery dock ... your wife went down on my ... Goodnight everybody!]

[Chang Style Novice]

"only a mother could love a nose like that..."

Oh, like you're one to talk!

[cutter]

i believe that the fighting aspect is important espescailly in the beginning. i once asked a young lady who was looking for a teacher ( and asking me about a particular McDojo)why she wanted to train & she said someting about the discipline, focus and health benefits. i asked if she wanted to learn fighting/defense skills & if she was prepared to get hit in class. she was shocked at the idea of getting hit in a MA class. i told her to do yoga.

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by Chang Style Novice
"only a mother could love a nose like that..."

Oh, like you're one to talk!

So what if my nose is sloped and warty. At least it doesn't look like that thing!

[Mr Punch]

Originally posted by rogue
Artist. I consider guys like Merry, fa_jing and the others who train to fight and do fight as guys who can carry that title. Not to say they also aren't artist in their arts. I just don't think I can call myself a fighter since I don't really fight. Now there is the other category of being able to defend oneself somewhere in between the two extreems.

I don't actually agree that the self-defence aspect is between the two extremes. I think the two extremes are:

Fighters; fighting in real-life hand-to-hand combat (reserved for SAS, Seals or whoever on occasion), closely followed by being able to hold your own in a mugging/street attack on one side, to

Artists; forms/health-and-fitness martial artists on the other.

Sports can come anywhere between, with forms competition being somewhere near the artist, and NHB being somewhere nearer the fighter.



I'm none of the above. Had a few fights, can be graceful at times, but I've just come to realise I'm a technician, unfortunately.

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by Chang Style Novice
Apoweyn

[starnosed mole steps out of the soil and into the bamboo grove]

yes, you're right

[starnosed mole fades again into the soil]


i NEVER want to hear someone whine about shooting coffee, coke, or milk out their nose again. until you've propelled toast with crunchy peanut butter through your sinuses, it's all just a walk in the park.


stuart b.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i have to blow rice out my nose almost every time i eat it.

[apoweyn]

i think you might be doing it wrong, my friend. :)