I'm not going to lie, I used to dislike a lot of Martial Arts simply because of how much emphasis they placed on physicality and conditioning. I mean don't get me wrong, conditioning is critical to success in terms of the combative arts; the stronger your base, the stronger one will be. This is why Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was such a turn on for me; while the Gracies themselves did physically condition themselves, they favored perfect mechanics, knowing that they would defeat their opponent.
I also disliked a lot of Martial Arts because a lot of their practitioners shit on Kung Fu, which was my heritage, and I will forever wear the Kung Fu flag with all of my pride and being. But the fact remains - that there were some styles of Kung Fu that placed a ton of emphasis on conditioning LOL. So I guess, in order to not contradict myself, I'm going to have to stay away from those...or end up conditioning myself.
In striking, some level of conditioning is necessary. The striking surfaces must be strong enough. But I dislike devoting all of my time to conditioning; while this is really good for meatheads who don't want to think too much, I want to be a fighter of brains, not of brawn, because the former deteriorates much slower than the latter.
Based on what I've seen though I'd always thought that a lot of fighters (and this is somewhat true) simply believe that the better conditioned player will win. But I want my skill to be such that unless you are SIGNIFICANTLY stronger than me (or better than me), only then will you be able to defeat me. Yet as I study these other Martial Arts that I long held distaste for, I find more and more qualities that I enjoy. I think at the end, I am going to have to pick which elements align for me, and add those to my own personal style, adhering to physical truths of the world.
I used to dislike boxing because they left the centerline. Well then I'll just fight long range! I don't have to throw hooks, I can just throw straights all day, and then shovel hook (which does not leave the centerline, contrary to popular belief) as I get close. Oh yeah, the hook is only thrown when the purpose of the hands of the opponent are occupied, or you step off of your opponent's centerline. They're not retarded. Also, the things you learn about timing and rhythm are crucial; in fact, I'm going to sign up at Boxing Works sometime within the next year and start training Muay Thai/Boxing there, just to learn rhythm and timing, and I will use what they teach me, but power it with what I know from Kung Fu. I wonder how fast my jab is compared to that of other people's. LOL.
I used to dislike Muay Thai because...well, I don't know why. I guess because everyone else likes it? LOL, that's a stupid reason to dislike something. Also, the reliance on conditioning. But it is useful, and I think the best place to learn how to deal with something is the place that does it; if I train at a Muay Thai school, I'll learn how to deal with all of that stuff.
I used to dislike Tae Kwon Do because I wanted a group of people that I could shit on myself, just like how everyone else shits on Kung Fu, but I shouldn't do that. I should keep an open mind. I'm starting to realize that a lot of their moves are actually practical in terms of the distance game. Learning how to throw leg kicks would work for me; except I have different targets in mind >:D
I disliked Jiu-Jitsu because I didn't really know anything about it.
Well, there you go. I'm now planning on doing some study of all of the previously listed things. An open mind is cool, you really get good at things. One must be flexible.
Also I'm working on flexibility in my body, but it is slightly hard since I think there are still some remnants of tightness from back when I improperly stretched.
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