Soreshins
19-02-2009, 06:25 AM
Not sure if this is right forum for this but....
I've recently turned 38. I've been training in MA since I was 15. It was a long and varied process through which I achieved black belts in korean and chinese martial arts. However, I was never really satisfied that what I was learning was any good for self defence or even full contact ring fighting.
The only reason I mention that is that this in itself was a motivation to keep on learning and trying new things. Because i actually knew that what i was learning wasn't that great it made me search for new and different training methods etc etc.
Anyways, around 4 or 5 years ago I decided to scrap all that and get into Muay Thai and Bjj/no-gi grappling. This involved a 1.5 hour drive each way usually 3 times a week. I loved it. But over time, the financial and time pressures caught up and I struggled more and more to make it to classes.
In the meantime I went to Thailand to train 4 times. Most times were for 3-4 weeks but for one period I actually took unpaid leave and went over for 6 months and had 2 fights. That was about a year and a bit ago.
Anyway, the point of all that rambling is really to paint the picture that I've now reached a stage where i'm struggling to get motivated. I've always had either something new or a new challenge (e.g go and have a fight in thailand) to motivate me. Now, i'm just scratching my head and thinking "why the f**k are u doing this?"
I'm know never going to be a Lumpinee/K-1/UFC/ADCC champ.
Don't get me wrong. I love training. And I really want to keep training as long as I possibly can. But my mind is playing games with me and I want to beat it.
So how do you older guys keep motivated?
I've recently turned 38. I've been training in MA since I was 15. It was a long and varied process through which I achieved black belts in korean and chinese martial arts. However, I was never really satisfied that what I was learning was any good for self defence or even full contact ring fighting.
The only reason I mention that is that this in itself was a motivation to keep on learning and trying new things. Because i actually knew that what i was learning wasn't that great it made me search for new and different training methods etc etc.
Anyways, around 4 or 5 years ago I decided to scrap all that and get into Muay Thai and Bjj/no-gi grappling. This involved a 1.5 hour drive each way usually 3 times a week. I loved it. But over time, the financial and time pressures caught up and I struggled more and more to make it to classes.
In the meantime I went to Thailand to train 4 times. Most times were for 3-4 weeks but for one period I actually took unpaid leave and went over for 6 months and had 2 fights. That was about a year and a bit ago.
Anyway, the point of all that rambling is really to paint the picture that I've now reached a stage where i'm struggling to get motivated. I've always had either something new or a new challenge (e.g go and have a fight in thailand) to motivate me. Now, i'm just scratching my head and thinking "why the f**k are u doing this?"
I'm know never going to be a Lumpinee/K-1/UFC/ADCC champ.
Don't get me wrong. I love training. And I really want to keep training as long as I possibly can. But my mind is playing games with me and I want to beat it.
So how do you older guys keep motivated?