Which of the following photos depicts an athlete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics?
Actually, they are all Olympic athletes. Fitness is task-specific. A world-class weightlifter is likely to be a poor marathon runner, and vice-versa.
Successful competitors dictate the terms of engagement in their favor. The easy way only way to remain an undefeated fighter is to avoid fights you cannot win. General physical fitness is not competitive fitness.
Charles Atlas, “The World’s Most Perfectly Developed Man”, never won an Olympic medal; he never even tried. Bruce Lee never fought a professional boxer.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 Patrick Parker // Aug 7, 2008
Very good point, very well made. When I first saw the title of the post, my first thought was, “Well, that’s dumb, everyone is fit enough to fight. It’s just some folks are not fit enough to survive a fight.” Cool photos
2 Jay Gischer // Aug 8, 2008
I once watched a YouTube video of, I think, Chen Xiao Wong doing a performance of a specialized form. Very dynamic, very active, very powerful. He rocks.
In the comments, some people said, “Geez, you’d think he’d be in better shape! He’s so fat!” Such comments are foolish beyond belief.
His size, and his layer of natural armor are advantages in a fight, not disadvantages. As is his ability to move and deliver power, which was amply demonstrated in the video they just watched.
3 Martial Arts Mom // Aug 8, 2008
Good points!
4 Cobra-Kai // Aug 8, 2008
i think that a martial artist should be a combination of everything good stamina, endurance, power pretty much everything but the best thing a martial artist can have is experience
5 Shifu Walker, PhD // Aug 13, 2008
At 59 years old, I am a 6 (soon to be 7) time martial arts hall of famer. If you saw me on the street, it wouldn’t even cross your mind that I practice martial arts, but if you met me in the kwoon and engaged me, it would be quite a different story. Never judge a book by its cover! Everything that we do in life is task-specific. That’s how we get the best in specific areas of life! Check out my web site at http://www.qissagebodysystems.org.
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