Beyond the physical

I was thinking about the amount of time I've dedicated to learning martial arts and the benefits I derived from those activities.

Perhaps its me but of all the different types of martial arts I've participated in, none have been as physically demanding and rewarding as the current ones that I do; namely, boxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu / MMA.

Sure I remember thick welts and bruises all over my body and shins, blisters upon blisters on my feet from doing hundreds of repetitions in the various martial arts but they didn't push me as hard as boxing or BJJ does. Physically I feel a lot stronger and a lot more confident from learning these two disciplines. A close third would be Judo. It's no coincidence that they are all considered full contact sports like rugby so there's a fair share of injuries along the way.

Aside from a stronger body the martial arts, or having personal experience about being able to control and successfully apply a skill set on most situations permits me a higher sense of confidence, the sense of accomplishment that is seemingly otherwise beyond grasp due to factors beyond one's control (eg. the economy or an uncooperative employer), is very much achievable in BJJ or CMD. This sense of achievement and success, can be used as a personal yardstick, to see how much you can push yourself and how much you can achieve.

I'm pretty passionate about my kettlebell training however I often go days without touching/looking at them as a way to mentally reserve energy and strength for when I do pick them up. That's usually when I go pretty intense and work at what I'm trying to achieve that day.

It's a healthy way to train. Setting small, timely and achieveable goals in a healthy training environment. I have found a lot of personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment and I'm sure you will too.