Fun? Really? I guess it depends on what you’re doing in martial arts to classify as fun. Or if you’re a sick, twisted fool who likes self-abuse and mayhem, brutal martial arts training can be fun. It all comes down to what your motivation is for training. If you like competition, patches, trophies, name recognition, and glory, then a commercial school geared toward the sporting aspects of martial arts is where you want to go. If you want some realistic self defense training, maybe going to a dojo with fewer trophies on the wall is something you want to look for.
Different cultures have different martial arts and it may take a few tries to find one that suits you and your personality. Personally I have been finding my way in martial arts for over forty years. I’ve found some really great schools and top notch instructors and I’ve found some schools that I wouldn’t waste another second researching. But my motivation for martial arts training is not the same as the motivation of others. It may be similar but it is not the same.
My martial arts training is not done as a hobby or a sport or even as an enjoyable hobby. Sometimes it just hurts. Yes, there is pain involved, but that doesn’t mean training doesn’t have its own rewards. The camaraderie and bonding that occurs when you put your life in the hands of your training partner reaches a very high degree. It is true that we do not train for fun but from time to time we can have fun training.
If your goal in martial arts is to achieve a fairly high degree of physical fitness, to maintain good muscle tone and flexibility, then you may want to participate in tournaments and demonstrations, and that’s an excellent goal. It can be fun and provide motivation to set goals or meet people with similar interests and abilities.
If your motivation for training martial arts is to provide yourself a place to learn how to fight and defend yourself, you may still find the experience enjoyable, but the bumps and bruises will be more extensive.
To seek the “budo” or the way of the warrior, your path will be quite different than if you were seeking the thrill of competition. The possibility of female participation is reduced but not eliminated. The concept of having fun is pretty much out of the window. The training will be brutal by necessity. In the way of the warrior you are not training to compete, you are training to survive.
In 1967, when I started training at Shotokan, my goal was to become a professional soldier. Vietnam was in full swing, and he knew that if he wanted a military career, he would have to have combat experience. My dream was to join the Special Forces (Green Berets) and command an SFOD – A. I thought that I would be more and better prepared if I had a real training in martial arts. The club I joined was the Brigham Young University Shotokan Karate Club. There was really no choice if he wanted a good martial arts training. There was nothing else available. The training was brutal. If we didn’t draw blood during a workout, it wasn’t a good workout. That intense training served me well when I went into the Army in 1973. I missed Vietnam (damn luck! Boy, did I really want to go. No!), as well as all the other live-fire exercises it became. USA. involved until 1990 when I was medically released. Martial arts training during those early years wasn’t fun, but it saved my butt several times. Being able to push myself beyond my perceived limits of physical endurance was a direct result of my martial arts training and it served me well. Now my martial arts training is very different from 1967. It is more intellectual and spiritual and has much more potential for severe physical damage. It’s still not fun because there is pain, but we can have fun during training. The close-knit group of students who care about each other’s safety is much different than it was in the early days. I teach at my dojo in the basement of my house and training is by invitation only. Many of my students are former or current military. Some have had law enforcement experience. The training is tough but the banter and banter provide an environment that is “fun”.
Karate is up close and personal. Jujutsu is intimate. This makes some people uncomfortable until they get past the ma-ai barrier and learn to get closer to their sparring partner and maybe their attacker. We must learn to leave our ego as well as our gender at the door. The focus should be on training and learning. Leave the sexist trash out. With that being said, then training can become fun.
I have had several junctures in life where if I stopped training, removed my uniform and belt, and pursue other interests in life, it would be permissible. I’ve broken my back twice, broken my leg really bad and dislocated my ankle, hurt myself on a night skydive, etc. etc. But I found out I can’t quit. Martial arts have become quite addictive. Maybe it’s the endorphin flood that keeps me coming back. Maybe I’m just waiting for the fun to happen?