Prior to that, getting to brown belt was a chore. But in many ways it was fun. It was exciting and it was something I actually enjoyed.
As a black belt my training is now totally different. In many ways I get to make my martial art my own. It's about my focus, it's about how I use things, how I understand what I've learned and how to find all of the "hidden" techniques in kata, bunkai, etc. It's not about being told what to do and how to do it.
So the answer is that I now LOVE my training. Sure I can't change the kata, bunkai, etc. But I can use them to find things that will work for me. I can focus on techniques that I'm weak in but could be effective. And of course, I go back to the basics and make sure I keep them sharp.
The bottom line is there are times we love our training such as when we start, there are times where it gets more difficult such as when you go for your second or third test, and there are times when it's just awful like before my black belt test. But it's a process and it's life.
So anyone that says that I'm saying I love it to "look good for the cameras" has no clue as to how I train and what it means to me. Martial arts are part of my life and as others have said to have trained so long I've had to love it, and I still do or I'd be doing something else.
It sounds like you just want the rewards without the effort. Nothing in life works like that. I don't enjoy running, so I do not train as a runner. I do enjoy martial arts, so I train martial arts. I do not train to compete and win trophies and/or money. I just train. Because I like it.
Sometimes I love it, sometimes I just put up with it. I love the results. I find that if I stop training for a week or two that my energy starts to drop, my mood isn't as good, and my mind isn't as sharp. I'm just a happier and better person when I train. The days that I am just forcing myself to keep going end up being worth the work, and some days I just really do love training and those days make it all the more worthwhile to keep on doing it.
Love everything about it.
Even getting punched and kicked in the face and thrown about. For some odd reason I think it's great.
Perhaps I'm weird, perhaps I'm not. If I didn't have to pay bills, insurance, and all that jazz, I would eat, sleep, train... actually, probably not, now that I'm thinking about that...
But I do love out, can't imagine doing something for so long and enduring all the pain for only something I tolerate.
Everyone has good and bad days I guess. But those who aren't enjoying themselves on a regular basis tend to drop out after a year or so. I do love training,especially contact training,I love the adrenaline buzz,the sense of achievement and self worth. Without it I feel all lazy and weak and vulnerable. It's a constant in my life and gives me structure,something you learn to hold onto when you move every fortnight I guess.
That's a good question and I at one time really enjoyed training. That was way back when though and as I continued in my martial arts career then training and doing martial arts became more like a tool or chore that was a necessary evil to continue to do well in competition along with maintaining a certain level of fitness for teaching others.
Today I don't enjoy working out or training near as much as I once did and I have found doing something for fun or as a hobby is one thing. However doing it at a serious level like I did where you made money for doing it or where you are paid to do it like I was at one time is in some ways just another form of work.
"Compare natural ability, hard work and enjoyment of training: of the three, the latter is most important for becoming skilled."
-Nakanishi Chuta
I enjoy training and I really mean that. It's a bit of up and down and sometimes I just tolerate it. But more often then not I'm enjoying my training and having fun with it more than suffering through it. I think it helps when you have fun training partners who are also just having fun. Conditioning on the other hand... Just bare through it. It's never been fun and never will be.
I don't think anyone really likes training hard they do it because it is necessary
people who say they enjoy it say it to look good for the cameras
if there was some super pill I could take to make me unstoppable at fighting I would take it so I could dominate easy and make easy money
I don't care about proving myself or anything just making things as easy as possible and making money
