so ive been into the mma scene for a while now, but like the verse says, only men of the world boast about what they have and do, so i assure you that none of the experiences that im about to share are attempts to try to tell you how good i am or the wisdom i have, quite the opposite actually.
pretty neat, huh? in mma, the dominant styles include boxing, wrestling, muay thai, kickboxing(whiteman muay thai), and jiu-jitsu. most of the country, especially east of the mississippi train in wrestling and boxing (you can blame the state of pennsylvania and colleges like Ohio state for that).
but here on the west coast, we're a little bit more ethnic. though there are a lot of boxing places, and every big highschool school has a wrestling team, we got some heavy influence from brazil and thailand.
and though its not really my passion, i want to talk a little bit about muay thai. the images will be used more sparingly, just want to give you an idea of what these things are.
for the most part, muay thai training is pretty good. the instructor will usually tell you to find a partner and give you a combination to pull off on thai pads or focus mits (i.e. jab, cross, left hook, right knee, right knee, left kick).
its simple to understand, gives people something to talk about, and is quite a workout. really good for the kids who have too much energy and just want to hit stuff. i liked it at first; going through the basics, learning how to cross, hook, and stand correctly. but lately, i feel like ive been just going through the motions. when im given a combo, i feel like i know this stuff already but i still feel like a novice when im doing the actual combo, and totally lost when im in the ring.
in terms of the types of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, i know about 75% of what the pros do. but if i were to fight a pro my weight, it would be game over right away unless the guy has some pity on me. so how is it that i know so much, but can perform so little in the heat of a fight?
the most recent coach that joined our team said something interesting. he told us that we still cant use the things that enn(a world champion fighter) is teaching us because we lack the techinique and the basics. we're doing stuff that we're not ready for, so no wonder it feels so monotonous hitting thai pads and heavy bags. and without the technique, we're just slugging like theres no tomorrow so fatigue sets in, the efficiency just isnt there.
fatigue occurs when you try to use too much force and not enough technique. if you have good technique, you can land effective strikes accurately without excessive force. if you have bad technique, you'll tire yourself out because of all the force you use on strikes that you dont even land due to sloppyness.
not only on offense, but if you have no technique in defending yourself, youre going to get hit like crazy and will have no chance (or will) to fight back. we can act like we know what we're doing, and some "fighters" might look really good working the bags or training with the thai pads and mits. but our fighting skills dont even compare with those whove been training just as long in thailand.
what we have here in america is more like those tai bo dvds.
in case you cant read the caption on the dvd at the bottom it says "fun, safe, easy to learn". yup, aint it great? all the calorie burning goodness and the excuse to buy some gloves. not to mentions keith cook's gnarly haircut. but on the reals, theres nothing real about this. i know there are places in the city that train muay thai foreal and my gym is pretty good with that for sure. but im tired of this tai bo stuff.to be honest, i really cant stand the kids who think that just because they have the gloves, rock the shorts and anklets, and hit some pads on weekday nights call themselves "fighters". not to be judgmental because i dont know whats in their hearts but really now. muay thai in places like thailand is a way of life. people live, breath, eat, and sleep muay thai. they wake up in the morning to run, smash coconuts and kick trees, shadowbox before they start on the strikes, train combos for hours, then onto knee sparring and fighting. im not going to make any judgments on who the real fighters are, but think about it.
you knew this was coming, but a lot of the same goes for Christianity in america. at a lot of churches, they'll give you a combo a couple of times a week to get "better" they'll tell you stuff like "pray more", "stop lying", "feed someone hungry". these are all good things, but its just like hitting pads. you might get a little "better", but it doesnt make you a fighter. we end up going through the motions to only obtain a label and conversation starters. we learn about the Cross, the hook, and the stance of Christians but not necessarily the technique in which we can effectively use them. Christianity shouldnt be "fun, safe, and easy to learn", it should be exciting, dangerous, yet simple. no more of this tai bo Christianity, i need real training.
maybe thats what paul meant when he said "1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. " all those things, tongues, prophesy, and powerful faith are all things that we try to have, the thai pad combos of Christianity if you will. but we dont know the technique of love, the footwork of the Great Commission that make the thai pad work less effective
just like in muay thai, the monotony i feel of everyday life stems from the fact that im trying to do things that i cant use. listening to sermons, music worship, community activism dont seem to fufil what i expect because i dont know the basics, i havnt lived, breathed, eaten, and slept Christ. i havnt trained Christianity like the pros do, i was a victim to the thai pads and heavy bags of it. thinking that reading Scripture once a night and praying when i remember to is enough to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ.
im tired of slugging out prayers like thers no tomorrow and feeling that fatigue. using too much sloppy force when the technique of love and justice is there to learn. im thinking i can whale Christianity into people's hearts with power while they simply just block, making my attempts damaging to myself. its too easy to get tired as a Christian nowadays when we dont have that technique and it leaves us vulnerable to get knockedout by evil.
like the fighters in thailand, we as Christians in america need to train (not as if but) because Christ is our lives. we need to learn the technique of love thoroughly before we start fighting and calling ourselves fighters. just because we have the Cross, rock the t-shirts, and give up our sundays doesnt make us the Christians that we think we are. there must be training every day in our lives. just as a true fighter doesnt just spend a couple of days in teh gym we shouldnt spend only a couple of days in God's house.
it seems like the minute that i am in the cage "against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6: 12b) im quick to fatigue once my adrenaline dropps. i used to stand confused about why i cant be a real Christian, to be able to cast out demons and prophesy thats for the fighters. the music worship and the sermons, also seem for the fighters. i need to train hard and get scarred with the basics; the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and His commands of love to those who follow Him. then i'll be able to pull off those combos and take out demons in the cage.
but until then, i'll still stride towards Christ. the last thing anyone should do is take this as a discouragement to their faith since its not about where you are with Christianity but where you're headed with Christ. Christ didnt tap out on the cross, he could have easily stopped it all and called on his army of angels. but He held on until the end, knowing that a victory would win our lives. its all about learning to love in Christ, now go train.
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