Pigs in the ring...
in Martial Arts & Combat Sports ·
ruggedfalcon2 said:It is frankly repulsive—bordering on disgusting—to witness young people ballooning in size due to nothing more than sheer, unbridled gluttony and pure laziness. You see specimens like this everywhere, but seeing them in the martial arts community is particularly galling. How do you all view these unfortunate individuals? Personally, I find it impossible to wrap my head around, and I certainly don't consider them true practitioners. Someone who actually takes pride in themselves and trains with any degree of seriousness simply cannot allow themselves to reach a state where they look more like a farm pig than a human being. We all deal with a few extra pounds from time to time, but anyone who has ever truly dedicated themselves to training knows how easy it is to shed that weight. I’m not talking about former athletes who might have packed on some weight in their fifties after a sudden career end; I am talking about twenty-somethings who look so physically neglected that people literally turn their heads in disgust when they walk down a street in Chicago. Unless there is an underlying medical condition involved, I believe these overweight examples are a disgrace, not just to combat sports, but to athletics as a whole. If a person lacks the basic discipline to control their own body weight, they have no business in a fighting gym, because they clearly won't have the discipline to control anything else in life. Quite frankly, I can't take anyone seriously in a martial arts context if they resemble livestock more than people. What are your thoughts?👋
Look, I’m carrying a few extra pounds myself, but it is absolutely untrue to suggest that such a thing results in a significant loss of quality in one's craft. Besides, the weight is already starting to come off.