Are you "casual" or "hard-core"?

[Celtic_Crippler]

How many hours of training per week would you say it took to classify one as...

1) A casual martial artist

2) A routine martial artist

3) A serious martial artist

4) A dedicated martial artist

5) A hard-core martial artist

... and why.

[Celtic_Crippler]

27 views and no opinions? LOL

[jdinca]

Maybe some bait on the hook would get you some more bites?

It's a good question. How about expanding it to include teaching hours too? Knowing how to teach it is a major enhancement to your knowledge and thereby your ability.

How about longevity? If someone trains for four hours a week for 10 years versus somebdoy training eight hours a week for five years, does one have better ability than the other?

Does your rating scheme equate to quality, or just quantity? You train the wrong way for 10 or more hours a week, you may be considered serious, but are you any good?

[Celtic_Crippler]

Maybe some bait on the hook would get you some more bites?

It's a good question. How about expanding it to include teaching hours too? Knowing how to teach it is a major enhancement to your knowledge and thereby your ability.

How about longevity? If someone trains for four hours a week for 10 years versus somebdoy training eight hours a week for five years, does one have better ability than the other?

Does your rating scheme equate to quality, or just quantity? You train the wrong way for 10 or more hours a week, you may be considered serious, but are you any good?

I was trying to keep it simple based on Doc's post in another thread equating it to the number of hours spend practicing.

[Blindside]

If the definition of "casual martial artist" means that I practice less than 4 hours per day, then yes, I am definitely a casual martial artist.

[HKphooey]

You can train a sniper for 8 hours a day, does not mean he can take the kill shot. Physical training is only a part of a great warrior.

I consider myself a tactical-pratical martial artists.

[stone_dragone]

I will go out on a limb and hazard some definitions...

1) A casual martial artist ... A person who has trained before, but not seriously and might train in the future, but not during bowling league season, or soft ball season, or hunting, fishing or football season, or during a 24 hour Jet Li marathon on Spike, or....

2) A routine martial artist ... someone who has made the martial arts one of their chosen hobbies and spends a given amount of time to train, weakly or weekly, enjoys it but doesn't feel the need to go beyond the basic in class instruction. Doesn't practice at home or think about it much outside of class.

3) A serious martial artist ... makes martial arts their main hobby, and often places it before other hobbies. Will incorporate martial arts into daily activities beyond physical practice and studies the deeper histories and reasons behind the actions. Other activities makes their martial arts better.

4) A dedicated martial artist ... martial arts is part of who they are, and to imagine them entirely outside of the lens of martial arts is to not be able to see them at all. Just shy of obsessed, practices daily with the intent of improving self through the arts. There is no difference between what their other hobbies are and martial arts, since they all balance each other out. Studies the art as a student, not as a curios athlete.

5) A hard-core martial artist ... the term implies one who makes training in their chosen art(s) their full time existence up to and including complete nutrition and competitive fitness routines geared specifically to improve performance of said skill set.

Does that work for anyone?

[J Ellis]

It is also hard to quantify the time spent mentally studying and analyzing the art, cogitating on the system, and incorporating its philosophy, logic, and mindset into one's life.

[MarkC]

If we use these criteria, I'm about a 4, though I don't see it as a hobby, per se. It's more than a hobby.
I don't work out 4 hours a day, for sure, but since 1980, I do something directly related to martial arts at least 5 out of 7 days a week, whether I'm a member of a school or not.

[J Ellis]

I will go out on a limb and hazard some definitions...

1) A casual martial artist ... A person who has trained before, but not seriously and might train in the future, but not during bowling league season, or soft ball season, or hunting, fishing or football season, or during a 24 hour Jet Li marathon on Spike, or....

2) A routine martial artist ... someone who has made the martial arts one of their chosen hobbies and spends a given amount of time to train, weakly or weekly, enjoys it but doesn't feel the need to go beyond the basic in class instruction. Doesn't practice at home or think about it much outside of class.

3) A serious martial artist ... makes martial arts their main hobby, and often places it before other hobbies. Will incorporate martial arts into daily activities beyond physical practice and studies the deeper histories and reasons behind the actions. Other activities makes their martial arts better.

4) A dedicated martial artist ... martial arts is part of who they are, and to imagine them entirely outside of the lens of martial arts is to not be able to see them at all. Just shy of obsessed, practices daily with the intent of improving self through the arts. There is no difference between what their other hobbies are and martial arts, since they all balance each other out. Studies the art as a student, not as a curios athlete.

5) A hard-core martial artist ... the term implies one who makes training in their chosen art(s) their full time existence up to and including complete nutrition and competitive fitness routines geared specifically to improve performance of said skill set.

Does that work for anyone?

What is a hobby?

[Richard Finn]

I will put my neck on the line, use the definition, and call myself a serious martial artist!

[stone_dragone]

What is a hobby?

I hear tell that it's a word the ATA uses for martial arts and can be replaced by "soccer" or "dance lessons."

[J Ellis]

i hear tell that it's a word the ata uses for martial arts and can be replaced by "soccer" or "dance lessons."

lol!

[shihansmurf]

I'd say I'm a serious martial artist on the cusp of dedicated using stone_dragone's guidlines above, at least in as much as my work schedule allows me to be.

Mark

[Celtic_Crippler]

If the definition of "casual martial artist" means that I practice less than 4 hours per day, then yes, I am definitely a casual martial artist.

Is that how YOU define it? I'm interested in YOUR opinion on HOW MANY hours (days a week is acceptable) YOU would attribute to each classfication.

You can train a sniper for 8 hours a day, does not mean he can take the kill shot. Physical training is only a part of a great warrior.

I consider myself a tactical-pratical martial artists.

Trying to keep it simple, bro. I agree and you make a valid point but I'm interested in how much training a day, or week you feel equates to each classification listed.

I hear tell that it's a word the ATA uses for martial arts and can be replaced by "soccer" or "dance lessons."

BWAHAHAHHA...

According to Doc, a "casual" martial artist trains less than 4 hours a day. I'm interested in how others define it as well as the other classifications.

I really liked Stoney's definitions but how many hours of practice a day, or even days a week on average would you assign to each?

[HKphooey]

Using SD's classifications, I consider myself (these days)...

"3) A serious martial artist ... makes martial arts their main hobby, and often places it before other hobbies. Will incorporate martial arts into daily activities beyond physical practice and studies the deeper histories and reasons behind the actions. Other activities makes their martial arts better."

Work and distance from my instructor has made things more difficult. I review old notes and videos at least one a week. Work out with study gorups. I really enjoy learning about other arts, too.

I think using hours of training can be a bad gauge of someone's classification. If you train incorrectly for 40 hours a week, what good is it?

[stone_dragone]

[some would say that] a "casual" martial artist trains less than 4 hours a day.

It would be complete nonsense to try and say that someone who trains more 4 or more hours a day is only a casual martial artist. It is also patently incorrect, arrogant and rather ignorant to relegate anyone who trains less than 4 hours a day to the realm the casual participant.

Someone once told me it's not the years, its the hours. I would go farther to say it's what you do with those hours and even more so, what you do between those hours, that defines you as a martial artist.

[Celtic_Crippler]

It would be complete nonsense to try and say that someone who trains more 4 or more hours a day is only a casual martial artist. It is also patently incorrect, arrogant and rather ignorant to relegate anyone who trains less than 4 hours a day to the realm the casual participant.

Someone once told me it's not the years, its the hours. I would go farther to say it's what you do with those hours and even more so, what you do between those hours, that defines you as a martial artist.

That's not my assertion, it's Doc's.

[MJS]

How many hours of training per week would you say it took to classify one as...

1) A casual martial artist

2) A routine martial artist

3) A serious martial artist

4) A dedicated martial artist

5) A hard-core martial artist

... and why.

I would put myself either at a 4 or 5. There was a time, long ago..lol...when I was at the dojo from early evening until late at night, 5-6 days a week. That was my 'job' so to speak, as I got paid for teaching. My teaching consisted of classes of all ages and ranks as well as taking my own classes.

However, there came a time when I needed to go out into the real world and get a real job. Pretty much every job that I've had, has been an evening shift, ie: 3pm-11pm, 4pm-12am. That is what my current job is....4-12, with rotating days off, so yeah, it seriously cuts into my training time. But thas life. My teachers are well aware of my job, the hours that I work, and I'm very fortunate that they accomodate me in the fashion that they do.

I did alot of teaching, to the point that I started to feel as if I was being used. Many times, I'd show up for a class, with the intention of taking it, and end up teaching. My teaching hours and my training hours didn't balance. That being said, I do teach at the school that I'm currently at, however my goals now are to be a student again. As I said, I teach when I'm needed but I do not wish to commit to teaching a specific class due to the fact that my work schedule doesnt allow me to be that flexable.

On my own.....yes, I try to run thru something at least every other day.

[stone_dragone]

I did alot of teaching, to the point that I started to feel as if I was being used. Many times, I'd show up for a class, with the intention of taking it, and end up teaching. My teaching hours and my training hours didn't balance.

I've been there WAY too often.