26y/o depressed kickboxer reporting. I'd like to add on this with my own experience.
4 years ago I joined a gym and that is hands down the best choice I made in my life.
While I agree on/confirm all other points, 6, 7 and 8 aren't that easy: everytime I talk about my hobby, I usually get one of these feedbacks:
- "he's dangerous, better stay away before a brawl starts"
- "nah, you don't looke like a fighter" (my body is slim type)
- general ignorant remarks about kickboxing vs muahy thai, or this gym vs that gym. Or my sport is better than yours.
The issue is two fold:
On one side, people are generally ignorant regarding martial arts (mechanics, techniques, mindset, morality).
On the other side, training usually gives you enough muscles to practice the art (and you'll notice that), but it might not be enough to give you "visible" muscles: for that you need a diet and training tailor suited to your body parameters.
4 years ago I joined a gym and that is hands down the best choice I made in my life.
While I agree on/confirm all other points, 6, 7 and 8 aren't that easy: everytime I talk about my hobby, I usually get one of these feedbacks:
- "he's dangerous, better stay away before a brawl starts"
- "nah, you don't looke like a fighter" (my body is slim type)
- general ignorant remarks about kickboxing vs muahy thai, or this gym vs that gym. Or my sport is better than yours.
The issue is two fold:
On one side, people are generally ignorant regarding martial arts (mechanics, techniques, mindset, morality).
On the other side, training usually gives you enough muscles to practice the art (and you'll notice that), but it might not be enough to give you "visible" muscles: for that you need a diet and training tailor suited to your body parameters.
(EDIT: formatting)