Five Hard Truths about Martial Arts that you don’t want to believe.

[plasma]

Getting good at Martial Arts takes far more work than you are putting inYou are out of shape, and no amount of technique will make up for your poor dietSize and Strength matter

[gold_ax666]

This is all common sense though.....

I'm in a shit mood. Ignore me.

[DARPAChief]

Oh yeah, well uh you rely on the Forer effect and confirmation bias. And you're mean. And you're not invited to my birthday.

[BackFistMonkey]

But Offensive Combat Tactics and Real World Defense Systems and Silats and Kalis and Straightblasts and Punch Daggers and Tactical Motorchairs. You are not focusing on the spiritual and mental side of Martial Arts. You are obsessed with proving yourself young one.

[Raycetpfl]

"The fact is the people that are good and can fight at the level you want train full time, 8 hours a day, technique, strength and conditioning"

Without steroids that's not possible. Otherwise youre counting just being "in" the gym as training.
4.5 hours a day 4-5 days a week is about the maximum unless you're just an absolute physical anomaly and you would still probably end up with mental fatigue after not long.
If youre counting Spending you're time not "training" reading technical books or watching instructionals, and breaking down fights as training than that changes thing a bit. Making you're body able and your mind ready is good training. It's why people watch game tape. I would also add time in for meditation/restoritive yoga.

Chael Sonnen comments on this as too why he laughs when he hears someone say they are a "full time fighter". Granted he was never the absolute best but, he's really good (top 3 for years). He says it takes about 4 hours a day. He ran for public office, was a mortgage broker/real estate guy, owns a pizza shop, gym and worked as commetator.

[BKR]

Nice, some good stuff.

The thing that coaches who are looking for elite-track athletes look for the most is the will and ability to work...your ass off. All the talent in the world won't be enough without the ability and will to do the work.

In fact, that's a key factor in life in general, getting a job, having a family, being successful.

Knowing you suck is important, it provides motivation to get better. Going and being able to train with elite level athletes is a huge eye opener for an athlete with an open mind. One of my students has gotten to do that over the past 2-3 years and although I think it was discouraging for him at one level, on the another, it gives a huge dose of reality.

I got to train with elite and former elite level athletes early in my judo career, and that was of benefit to me technically and mentally. Technically, I developed better habits, and mentally, I realized that no matter how hard I trained, I wasn't going to make it to that level, especially after a serious injury I had (was still a long shot even uninjured). Mentally, I realized that although I was not going to be an elite level judoka, I could be a very good judoka, earn black belt(s), and be successful at a lower tier of Judo. And that was still difficult and challenging and highly beneficial to me as a human being.

[BKR]

Conditioning...absolutely king. In fact, without it, you can't do the process that ends at the technique and hopefully the "win". What I see in the professional level judo these days, even at my level of coaching/teaching, and at the coach training level, is the premium on developing the fundamentals of athleticism from a young age, really, over "technique" training. Because without the strong, flexible, agile, fast, kinaestically aware body, getting beyond hobby level just isn't going to happen.

[Raycetpfl]

I would also like to note Chael says that while being and I quote Mr Sonnen, "having more juice inside him than Jamba."

The real reason you are mediocre at martial arts ? You werent ever going to be that good. You have shitty genes and you're a pussy. You're frame sucks or your not that strong(strength to weight ratio) or you're slow or your mind is weak or you don't have a zombie mode(Chris leben would be an excellent example of zombie mode) or all of them.
Such is life. fighters make shit money anyway unless you are the best of the best in certain sports and you are marketable. If you make a 100k a year you are making more than 99% of pro fighters on the planet. That's most of the guys on the main card of the UFC broadcast.

[BKR]

I would also like to note Chael says that while being and I quote Mr Sonnen, "having more juice inside him than Jamba."

The real reason you are mediocre at martial arts ? You werent ever going to be that good. You have shitty genes and you're a pussy. You're frame sucks or your not that strong(strength to weight ratio) or you're slow or your mind is weak or you don't have a zombie mode(Chris leben would be an excellent example of zombie mode) or all of them.
Such is life. fighters make shit money anyway unless you are the best of the best in certain sports and you are marketable. If you make a 100k a year you are making more than 99% of pro fighters on the planet. That's most of the guys on the main card of the UFC broadcast.

Shitty genes and a pussy, LOL! That doesn't mean such a person can't get better, though. MA isn't any different than any other serious athletic endeavor in that sense.

It's like dreaming of being a pro_(fill in blank for popular mainstream sport). Tiny percentage get there and be successful, even moderately.

[FinalLegion]

Spot on, sir.

[Raycetpfl]

I have a friend that has won tons of titles in bjj. He is a worlds/pan am champ(ibjjf) and has just missed the podium at adcc.
He is now pretty injured and cant compete any longer.He has a struggling bjj/mma school and has to work at a hardware store to make ends meet.
Mark Shultz, one of the greatest free style wrestlers of all time, had to work as a roofer after wrestling was done.
Ronda Rousey was broke after winning a medal in the Olympics.
Do you really wanna be the best grappler in the world? If you answered yes the sensible thing to do is to move to Russia and become a citizen there. You will actually be respected and taken care of for representing them.

[Raycetpfl]

Shitty genes and a pussy, LOL! Tiny percentage get there and be successful, even moderately.

Absolutely and to be quite honest it's a fools errand to even bother if you're an American and you would like even moderate financial success.
I try to never pirate instructionals for that reason. If I don't care if a bjj guy i like to watch can pay his rent/mortgage who is going to?

[BKR]

I have a friend that has won tons of titles in bjj. He is a worlds/pan am champ(ibjjf) and has just missed the podium at adcc.
He is now pretty injured and cant compete any longer.He has a struggling bjj/mma school and has to work at a hardware store to make ends meet.
Mark Shultz, one of the greatest free style wrestlers of all time, had to work as a roofer after wrestling was done.
Ronda Rousey was broke after winning a medal in the Olympics.
Do you really wanna be the best grappler in the world? If you answered yes the sensible thing to do is to move to Russia and become a citizen there. You will actually be respected and taken care of for representing them.

At one point my coach/sensei was top 8 then briefly top 4 in the USA in Judo in his weight class. He worked full time as a paint and body man, and then had his own business (same thing) for quite a while. He had to pay his way for everything. Hell, I had to loan him money one time to go to nationals (this was in the 80s) in Los Angeles. He paid me back shortly after we got back (I had planned to compete, but blew my knee out).

I used to kind of pay him back for all his time and effort on my behalf by working for him at his shop. We'd work all day in the summer Texas heat, no AC, then drive to town to train, or drive 2.5 hours to Ft. Worth, Texas to train. We'd stay at his house in Ft. Worth, then get up early the next day to go back to work.

[Raycetpfl]

At one point my coach/sensei was top 8 then briefly top 4 in the USA in Judo in his weight class. He worked full time as a paint and body man, and then had his own business (same thing) for quite a while. He had to pay his way for everything. Hell, I had to loan him money one time to go to nationals (this was in the 80s) in Los Angeles. He paid me back shortly after we got back (I had planned to compete, but blew my knee out).

I used to kind of pay him back for all his time and effort on my behalf by working for him at his shop. We'd work all day in the summer Texas heat, no AC, then drive to town to train, or drive 2.5 hours to Ft. Worth, Texas to train. We'd stay at his house in Ft. Worth, then get up early the next day to go back to work.

It's fucked up. For being in the top 100 of the Baddest muthafuckas walking the planet his reward was getting to breath fiber dust, hazardous chemicals and get his hands fucked up on sheet metal. That shit doesn't happen in Russia or tons of the other "evil" countries.

[plasma]

"The fact is the people that are good and can fight at the level you want train full time, 8 hours a day, technique, strength and conditioning"

Without steroids that's not possible. Otherwise youre counting just being "in" the gym as training.
4.5 hours a day 4-5 days a week is about the maximum unless you're just an absolute physical anomaly and you would still probably end up with mental fatigue after not long.
If youre counting Spending you're time not "training" reading technical books or watching instructionals, and breaking down fights as training than that changes thing a bit. Making you're body able and your mind ready is good training. It's why people watch game tape. I would also add time in for meditation/restoritive yoga.

Chael Sonnen comments on this as too why he laughs when he hears someone say they are a "full time fighter". Granted he was never the absolute best but, he's really good (top 3 for years). He says it takes about 4 hours a day. He ran for public office, was a mortgage broker/real estate guy, owns a pizza shop, gym and worked as commetator.

You make a good point which is why Steroid use is such as issue with professional fighters. However, in the 8 hours I include strategy sessions, relaxing drilling, flow rolling and other such low intensity training between the good solid 4-5 hours of high intensity training you mention.