Martial Artists need to be honest with themselves.

People who do martial arts often need a reason to do what they do.


The combat sports guy would say stuff about how MMA or boxing is the ultimate test of manhood, that it’s proven to be the best method of combat and thus they want to be strong. They will talk about the high they feel when they fight.


The RBSD person likes to talk about personal safety, how they don’t want to be vulnerable, how they want to be empowered.

The traditional martial artist will sometimes attribute their system to be a RBSD(Which many are) or they will go into an isoteric explanation. I have a friend who became a buddhist/Shinto type person due to studying Japanese martial arts. Budo to him is very important, and I don’t blame him. It truly brings him a wonderful balance that he needs in his life.


Thing is though, while many of these reasons are valid(Depending on history and lifestyle) the real reason people do martial arts is they enjoy it.

Think about it.

The combat sports person that wants to prove his strength could do the same through power lifting or joining the army. The high they get can often be found in many sports describing similar sensations. Even golfers claim to experience a euphoria as they compete.


The RBSD person that wants personal safety just has to look at the date of their own corner of martial arts to know how unneeded it largely is. Depending on how financially well off they are, they can move to a safer area, avoid bars or anywhere else people get intoxicated and mix, and generally focus on non-physical skills to defend themselves like awareness, boundary setting, mental toughness. Those are often more important than the repetition done in the dojo or gym.

The traditional martial artist who gets spiritual fulfilment through training can get the same through art, writing, making music, reciting poetry or shooting videos, making sculptures or having sex.

The benefits these people get from martial arts all comes down to one thing, they enjoy it. Being strong, having fun, feeling safe, having a spiritual experience through martial arts is a reult of a joy we have from it.

Yes sometimes there is more to it, you live in a war zone or terrible place with little access to guns. But largely we simply enjoy it.

Sometimes the reasons we give to why we do it seems like LARPING to me.

But you know what? The extra reasons we say we do martial arts is part of the fun, one reason it feels good. So if it’s LARPING, it’s all good.

Because LARPING can be very fun.