Unity of artforms.

[Former castleva]

Martial arts are not alone with their attributes,nor especially unique.
Football teaches "team play"=cooperation and manners along with developing the body.
Hammer throw is an awesome sport (does anyone throw?) in which the unity of physics/technique and bodily attributes are under the lights.
Such skills also help develop similar psychological build-up and strength for taking care of oneself.
Besides martial,what arts do you employ yourself with and why&how?
What are your very thoughts?

[apoweyn]

Hmm... martial arts are really the only athletic endeavor I've ever gotten into long term. But my interest in psychology and philosophy both sprung from MA. So there's some unity in terms of mental interests.


Stuart B.

[Suntzu]

ap is agreeable… I used to live on the basketball court until I had my lil accident last summer :eek: :(... but now it spring again… its march madness… so I think I'll venture out that way again… maybe this weekend… I wasn't that good than so I know I have work to do… but it has to be better than running circles around some track… but man… these young dudes got tricks for days... i might have to clothsline a few of 'em...

[Tsuei]

I would say the observance of nature and art are linked. The practice of Chinese calligraphy can be qigong- there are breathing and visualisation techniques. Also music, I've been a musician for a long time... music teaches timing, reaction to others...

[apoweyn]

i might have to clothsline a few of 'em...

LOL.

Note to self: Don't invite Sun Tzu over for basketball.

Note to self 2: Stuart, you suck at basketball. Remember?

[norther practitioner]

My philosophy has stemmed from my practice of kung fu, that whole yin yang thing.... Good days, bad days, without one, there would not be the other...etc.
Skiing is the another activity that would be very soulful for me. I get to ski with a lot of superb athletes, it is kind of eye opening when you are hiking at 12000 ft. and someone blows by you on the way to the peek. But when you catch them on the way down, skiing an ill line with a grin ear to ear, it brings it all down to the same level.

[Merryprankster]

Castlevania, I threw hammer, shot and discus. I loved the repetitive nature--perfecting each tiny detail to get the very most out of my small (for a thrower) frame.

There was something about the meticulousness of the whole thing I found very satisfying.

I found hammer the most interesting from a contemplative perspective, and discus the most fun.

[Suntzu]

LOL @ ap… remember when(oh geez its really happening) you was young and quick and would blow by the older dudes and they would hack the sh!t outta you… OMG… I'm the hackmaster now :eek:...

[apoweyn]

Suntzu,

When I was young, I wasn't quick. My parents forced me to play community basketball when I was in middle school. Forced me. I played for two seasons. Scored three points. Cumulative. (And one of my scores was, quite literally, by accident.) Got pegged in the face once. One of the most traumatic experiences of my young life.

But I got 'Most Improved Player.' (Probably simply for learning how to do a layup.)

When I'm trying to legitimate it all to myself, I tell myself that when I was growing up in England, basketball was strictly a girl's game ("netball").

And then I weep quietly.


Stuart B.

[shaolin kungfu]

And then I weep quietly.

LOL. That's sad and funny at the same time.:( :D

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by shaolin kungfu


LOL. That's sad and funny at the same time.:( :D

As it should be. :)

Back to the original point though. I agree with Merryprankster's description of the minutiae (sp?). I kinda felt like that when I first started going to the driving range for golf. Just the small adjustments in angle, relaxation, timing, etc. coupled with the repetitive motion was a bit zen-like (very overused term, I know).

Then I started thinking about it too much. Zen: gone. Golf swing: sucks arse. Stuart: no threat to Tiger.


Stuart B.

[Suntzu]

thankfully you grew up in England and not my neighborhood… u HAD to play on my block or else you were the kid we picked on on the way back from the court… golf… the 2 chances that I tried it… minus miniture… reduces me to a 5 year old that’s not allowed in the toy store when at the mall... its not a sport for my mentality... it would reduce me to temper tantrums or an episode of Cops...


3 points huh :smh:

[Robinf]

The longer I study martial arts and think about what I'm doing the more I realize a good deal of what I"m doing: how I react, not giving up, etc., stems from how I was raised.

So, I would say raising children is akin to progressing yourself in a martial art.

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by Suntzu
thankfully you grew up in England and not my neighborhood… u HAD to play on my block or else you were the kid we picked on on the way back from the court… golf… the 2 chances that I tried it… minus miniture… reduces me to a 5 year old that’s not allowed in the toy store when at the mall... its not a sport for my mentality... it would reduce me to temper tantrums or an episode of Cops...


3 points huh :smh:

Three points. One foul shot. And one time when I got knocked over under the board. Started to fall down. Needed my hands. Threw the ball away. Swish. [shrug] Go figure.

Golf isn't a sport for my mentality either, as it turns out. Traditionally, golf balls are supposed to travel forward in some fashion. My travel sideways. Quite literally.

Any wonder that I've stuck to martial arts? (And volleyball. LOVE volleyball, for some reason.)


Stuart B.

[Chang Style Novice]

KUNG FU IS NOT A SPORT IT IS A KILLING ART WHEN YOU CLOSELINE A YONGER BALLER WHAT IF HE EYEGOUGES YOU AS YOU GO FOR THE TAKEDOWN?!!??!?!?!!!
</idiot troll>

[joedoe]

I used to play volleyball at a relatively high level and found there were a lot of things in common between MA and volleyball, except that volleyball also emphasised the team element.

I have been told that rock climbing shares a lot in common with MA as well - focus, technique over brute strength etc.

[nospam]

I play B-ball but not often enough. My secon dpassion in life is Golf. I was introduced to this maddening sport two years ago. This will be my third year o fplaying and I simply love the individualness of the sport - same as my MAs.

I've found my MAs history has helped tremendously in being physically nimble both in flexibility and tempo, and the quest to find my swing has lead me to research and develop the fundamentals as it relates to me.

The discipline of MAs as always crosses many aspects, Golf easily being yet another.

In my first year I broke 100 twice. In my second year I shot consistently in the low 90s. I might or might not take a mulligan now and then - I'm not on Tour so I'm not a stickler for The Rules of Golf. My practise this Winter was on my swing and engraining muscle memory - sounds familiar, eh? The practise ranges are just starting to open up where I live so I can start to train on course and on the range. My goal - low 80s.

It is also incremental as MAs. But Golf is a helluva lot more $$$ than MAs! Good thing I'm independently wealthy :D Well, once every two weeks anywho...

nospam.
:cool:

[Cheese Dog]

Apoweyn, you're not the only one. I played basketball for two seasons in a church league as a kid. I scored 4 points; 1 my first year and 3 the second. I sucked at b-ball, and still do. The sad thing is I have lived my whole life in Kentucky. KENTUCKY, for christsakes, where EVERYONE eats, sleeps, and breathes the freakin' UK Wildcats!! I meet someone from the other side of the earth, they find out I'm a Kentuckian, they IMMEDIATELY think I know everything about basketball and Thorobred horse racing!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!!!

Sorry guys, rant over. :D

[Former castleva]

Plenty of thanks.

[Ether]

Originally posted by joedoe

I have been told that rock climbing shares a lot in common with MA as well - focus, technique over brute strength etc.

Id have to agree with this, with caveats. Ive only been going climbing for a few months but im already starting to see so many similarities.

There are 'internal' and 'external' schools in climbing, you know? kinda ;)

Some people just use brute strength to haul themselves up the wall and other's take the technical route using correct weight transfer, technique and balance. Climbing can also be slow and thoughtfull or fast and dynamic.

Its also really interested me to note the quick learning of new skills and abilities that very soon plateau's and must then be worked at HARD to make any further progress. Very similar to the way I have found I advance in martial arts (and I guess any other activity).

The adrenaline buzz is there in spades. Instead of controlling yourself and beating an opponent your controlling yourself and 'beating' the route up the wall.

All good stuff.

I too truly suck at basketball. Growing up in England though it wasnt really a sport we played much. Rugby and football all teh time. I suck at them too. Not really keen on team sports.

[Suntzu]

KUNG FU IS NOT A SPORT IT IS A KILLING ART WHEN YOU CLOSELINE A YONGER BALLER WHAT IF HE EYEGOUGES YOU AS YOU GO FOR THE TAKEDOWN?!!??!?!?!!! LOL… eye gouges… do u reeeeally think they can get a gouge on me when they haven't practiced them at full power/speed on a live blah blah blah… f'n hobbyist ;)...

all this b-ball talk… I cant wait until Sat… I need some new kicks tho…

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by Cheese Dog
Apoweyn, you're not the only one. I played basketball for two seasons in a church league as a kid. I scored 4 points; 1 my first year and 3 the second. I sucked at b-ball, and still do. The sad thing is I have lived my whole life in Kentucky. KENTUCKY, for christsakes, where EVERYONE eats, sleeps, and breathes the freakin' UK Wildcats!! I meet someone from the other side of the earth, they find out I'm a Kentuckian, they IMMEDIATELY think I know everything about basketball and Thorobred horse racing!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!!!

Sorry guys, rant over. :D

:)

My wife went to law school in Bloomington, Indiana. We dated long distance for 2 years. So on my first visit out to Bloomington, we went with some friends of hers to a local pool hall. We're hanging out, chatting, etc. All's well. Then her friend Alexander tells this story about how he's at the driving range and in the booth next to him is Bobby Knight. Alexander was all psyched because Knight had asked him how he was doing. Everyone listening is like, "that's awesome!"

...

Me: "Who's Bobby Knight?"

Man, that conversation went quiet quickly. I mean, I kinda new he was a sports figure. Could probably even have guessed that he was a basketball coach. But the fact that I not only didn't know as much, but wasn't exuberant about the guy was literally shocking to these people.

[shrug]

Hey, if he's not going to get excited over me, I'll be d-mned if I'm going to get excited over him.


Stuart B.

[apoweyn]

I think the common thread to any and all of these things, though, is probably that it's an activity you feel comfortable enough with that you can relax as you perform it. Your mind is free enough of technical thoughts that you can 1) get into minutiae 2) free associate or 3) deeply contemplate something completely different.

I've noticed that I usually get my 'epiphanies' driving in the car. It's a mechanical activity that I've practiced so often that it's sorta mindless. Sorta wu wei. Focused enough that I don't get completely distracted. But automatic enough that my mind is sorta freed up.

The trick is hanging on to that feeling after I get out of the car (which, even on my most 'enlightening' commutes, I'm always itching to do).


Stuart B.

[Suntzu]

yeah driving is the best… I wish I was as automatic in the ring…

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by Suntzu
yeah driving is the best… I wish I was as automatic in the ring…

I'd have said the same thing before those two idiotic accidents. ;)