What’s the Difference Between a Fighter and a Martial Artist?
There are a lot of reasons why people decide to take up jiu-jitsu or any kind of martial art. For some, they see it as an opportunity to learn how to defend themselves. Others see it as a way to get into better shape. Still others really just enjoy the challenge of developing technique and believe that martial arts are akin to a physical chess match.
There is no one valid reason why one should want to learn martial arts, and it is totally normal for people to have a variety of motivations for coming to the gym. Moreover, these motivations tend to change over time as people become more or less interested in martial arts. For example, when you are new to jiu-jitsu, the excitement of simply learning new techniques is often what keeps you coming back.
As amazing as this experience may be for your first few months or even years, that intense interest eventually develops into something else. For John Danaher, one of the most celebrated coaches within the world of mixed martial arts, he’s found that that initial enthusiasm fades as one becomes more interested in achieving something through the use of martial arts. However, he’s also found that some people develop a more profound appreciation of martial arts and see the constant refinement of technique as an end in itself.
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As Danaher explains in the above video, the former person is a fighter. The latter person is a martial artist.
What Makes a Fighter?
To reiterate, a fighter is someone who is training to achieve a specific goal. It may be a prize. It may be fame. It may be glory. For Danaher, a fighter has an objective that they have set for themselves, and they will show an unrelenting dedication in working to achieve it.
What’s important to recognize is that fighters need that objective. It’s what pushes them to achieve greatness. As the title indicates, they are fighting for or against something and they are outwardly focused. If that external opponent or reward ceases to exist, they do not see a reason to fight.
What Makes a Martial Artist?
Unlike the fighter, the martial artist does not dedicate themselves to achieving anything tangible or external. For the martial artist, the reason for training is to perfect their technique and to further appreciate their chosen discipline.
Martial artists are inwardly focused. Their goal is not to defeat an opponent, be awarded a darker belt, or achieve triumph. They are interested in improvement not because they want to win a championship or a prize; they are interested in improvement because they want to execute the techniques of their preferred martial art as perfectly as possible.
What Is the Difference?
For Danaher, the primary difference between being a fighter and a martial artist comes down to motivation. The fighter is motivated by a clear and tangible goal. There is something for which that person fights that is immediately attainable. For the fighter, learning a martial art is a means to an end. For the martial artist, there is no end greater than perfecting the execution of technique.
According to Danaher, if you place a fighter and a martial artist on a desert island, the fighter will lose their sense of purpose. They’ll sit on the beach and watch the ocean. Meanwhile, the martial artist will be doing knuckle push ups in the sand because their motivation can never be taken away. Even if they never fight against another person for the rest of their life, they will continue to find ways to improve their technique.
As Danaher says in the above video, “A fighter gets ready for the next fight, whereas a martial artist is more interested in what is the course of my life overall.”