Kickboxing and whether a Christian can participate

[EtainSkirata]

Hey all,
I've been wanting to learn a martial art for some time. I tried a kickboxing class many months ago, but it was too expensive to keep up. And now, after going through COVID and cutting off contact with my friends (due to unhealthy relationships), I'm alone and don't do much outside my job. I figured kickboxing would be a great way for me to get in shape, meet people, and learn better coordination, engaging my brain and learning something new.
I had an odd feeling about it though. I tried two classes at two different places, and ended up signing up for an 8 week program. It's fighting kickboxing, not just bag work.
I have some OCD, so that may be a factor in my doubting. But first I was thinking "I shouldn't do this because I want to hurt people, therefore my motives are impure." But when practicing, I'm careful not to kick too hard, even to the point where my partners have said "you can kick harder."
And then I thought that I shouldn't do it because I will be late to the classes (I get off work only 15 minutes before it starts). But I'm paying them, and they're pretry relaxed anyway.
And then driving home the other night I thought along the lines of "I shouldn't do this because it's inherently violent."
And this lead me to days and days of googling, researching whether or not a Christian should do kickboxing or any martial art.
(As far as I can tell, there's little to no Eastern religion stuff involved in the training, it's just how to fight against an opponent. So that's not what's bugging me.)
I want to learn to fight, and that bothers me, that I want to get into the ring and win a fight. Granted, I'm a skinny female with no experience and not much strength, so it would take a really long time for me to get there.
But on the flipside, Paul did mention boxing in his letters (1 Corinthians 9:26)--although I'm not 100% sure if he meant it in a positive or negative way.
Basically, I'm wanting to go about this with good motives, and at the beginning I was pretty excited to be learning a new sport. But now I feel as though I'm doing something wrong. I want to take the thoughts captive that enjoy the idea of hurting someone, and just learn it for self defense, for the act of making my brain learn a new task, and getting stronger and more confident, and making new friends. But like I said, going to class now feels wrong (And I literally started just over a week ago).

 

[jacks]

If your doing it because " I want to hurt people" or " enjoy the idea of hurting someone", like you mention, then I think it is wrong for you at this point. Perhaps a less violent martial art?

 

[EtainSkirata]

If your doing it because " I want to hurt people" or " enjoy the idea of hurting someone", like you mention, then I think it is wrong for you at this point. Perhaps a less violent martial art?

Yeah, but like I also said, I'm careful during practice, to the point where classmates and the instructor have said to hit harder. I'm considering buying shin pads too, because they might help soften the blow. And, though I didn't mention it above, my reaction to "I want to hurt people" is "wait, no, that's not the kind of person I want to be."

 

[bèlla]

Maddkat,

Paul said, “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.” —1 Corinthians 10:23

Practically speaking, there’s no biblical prohibition against kickboxing. Whether the practice is beneficial is another matter. When weighing issues like these we must look beyond our feelings and reason. Both may affirm engagement but our spirit says differently.

To be yielded to the Lord requires a willingness to confront internal discrepancies and surrender to Him. Sometimes His way infringes on personal interests and preferences. What appears harmless may be harmful to us. In like fashion, what seems unappealing may be what’s best.

Your return to kickboxing is reactionary. The decision is an outgrowth of the challenges the pandemic brought. If it never occurred would you take the course or would your time be spent on other pursuits? Maybe the discomfort is nudging you elsewhere. Perhaps an activity that calms your OCD and doesn’t exacerbate it is ideal.

Yours in His Service,

~Bella

 

[jacks]

Yeah, but like I also said, I'm careful during practice, to the point where classmates and the instructor have said to hit harder. I'm considering buying shin pads too, because they might help soften the blow. And, though I didn't mention it above, my reaction to "I want to hurt people" is "wait, no, that's not the kind of person I want to be."

That's good, so don't do anything that feeds it. Kickboxing may not be for you right now. I've taken a number of martial arts, the idea of hurting someone was never part of it for me. Sorry I know this isn't what you hoped to hear, maybe others will have a different take.

 

[EtainSkirata]

Perhaps an activity that calms your OCD and doesn’t exacerbate it is ideal.

That's part of the issue in my life, is that I've been overthinking a LOT of things in the past few months. Music, movies; I've nearly given up on writing, I'm scared to look for a new career outside of what I'm doing because the options I've been weighing don't feel right. I don't like overthinking things, and I don't like the idea of running away from something solely because I get anxious. I want to weigh it logically first. Sometimes my gut feeling has been correct, and other times it's been panicky when it didn't necessarily need to be.
Thank you for your reply, though, I can tell it comes from a caring perspective, and I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[URA]

I think this may help your query; Manly Catholicism . It's a thread I made awhile back, compiling various articles & quotes & the like, and you may find some of them helpful. It's really sanctified the aggression I've had in the midst of stump removal; the stumps are too close to the house for fire to be safe, and the chainsaw doesn't work, so it's been a lot of pickaxe, sledgehammer, and anything destructive with a lot of physical force.

In particular, you may find this article from The Catholic Gentleman very helpful; it's written for men, but I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to benefit from it. The Faith of a Fighter: An Interview with MMA Legend Bas Rutten

In regards to St. Paul's verse on boxing, that seems to just be figurative; as some fight with their fists, so Paul fights with his spirit. Yet I think it also shows that boxing can be a good thing.

I do not intend this to be a comprehensive list of helpful things, but I do hope a few of these and/or things others have mentioned will help you in your journey.

God's blessings in all that you do!

 

[bèlla]

That's part of the issue in my life, is that I've been overthinking a LOT of things in the past few months.

Maddkat,

Thank you for the kind words. This has been an unprecedented period of uncertainty and unrest. Most have been affected to some degree. Give yourself grace if you’ve been out of sorts.

I'm scared to look for a new career outside of what I'm doing because the options I've been weighing don't feel right.

We know fear is the devil’s tactic. What would abandonment mean in those areas? What would you fill the time with in its place? Consider the positives and negatives. There’s a reason fear is cropping up. Getting to the root takes a little sleuthing.

For example, if I suspect Satan’s at work I consider what he stands to gain if I heed the promptings. What he’s attempting to derail from God.

Get the thoughts out of your head. Write them down and weigh the pros and cons. Are the nays reasonable? Are you calm or agitated?

Yours in His Service,

~Bella

 

[Lost4words]

This is the closest i got to kick boxing when i was younger.

 

[EtainSkirata]

What would abandonment mean in those areas? What would you fill the time with in its place

I know that since I've backed off from making it a goal to write almost every day, I've just been watching YouTube and not doing much with my life outside of work. I took up kickboxing because I wanted a way to get in better shape and keep my brain active by learning something new (it forces me to focus, whereas with running my mind tends to wander).

I feel better when I give stuff up, but I'm worried I'm going to cross the line into OCD territory. I once spent an evening fretting and a morning after nitpicking my hard drive on my computer and deleting memes (and on another day it was music) that I felt were bad. (We're talking memes where I was afraid the avatar of the person posting it had a bad symbol in their profile pic, not the meme itself.) I did it out of panic, I had this surge of "this must be dealt with NOW."

With this issue of kickboxing, I'm not as stressed as I've been over other things (where I thought something might be a sin). I don't have chest pain or a crippling sense of doom (whereas at other times I DO get chest pain and this panicky feeling of "I have to take care of this RIGHT NOW"). Just this unease. But I still wonder if I'm still just over thinking it.

 

[Sketcher]

Hey all,
I've been wanting to learn a martial art for some time. I tried a kickboxing class many months ago, but it was too expensive to keep up. And now, after going through COVID and cutting off contact with my friends (due to unhealthy relationships), I'm alone and don't do much outside my job. I figured kickboxing would be a great way for me to get in shape, meet people, and learn better coordination, engaging my brain and learning something new.
I had an odd feeling about it though. I tried two classes at two different places, and ended up signing up for an 8 week program. It's fighting kickboxing, not just bag work.
I have some OCD, so that may be a factor in my doubting. But first I was thinking "I shouldn't do this because I want to hurt people, therefore my motives are impure." But when practicing, I'm careful not to kick too hard, even to the point where my partners have said "you can kick harder."
And then I thought that I shouldn't do it because I will be late to the classes (I get off work only 15 minutes before it starts). But I'm paying them, and they're pretry relaxed anyway.
And then driving home the other night I thought along the lines of "I shouldn't do this because it's inherently violent."
And this lead me to days and days of googling, researching whether or not a Christian should do kickboxing or any martial art.
(As far as I can tell, there's little to no Eastern religion stuff involved in the training, it's just how to fight against an opponent. So that's not what's bugging me.)
I want to learn to fight, and that bothers me, that I want to get into the ring and win a fight. Granted, I'm a skinny female with no experience and not much strength, so it would take a really long time for me to get there.
But on the flipside, Paul did mention boxing in his letters (1 Corinthians 9:26)--although I'm not 100% sure if he meant it in a positive or negative way.
Basically, I'm wanting to go about this with good motives, and at the beginning I was pretty excited to be learning a new sport. But now I feel as though I'm doing something wrong. I want to take the thoughts captive that enjoy the idea of hurting someone, and just learn it for self defense, for the act of making my brain learn a new task, and getting stronger and more confident, and making new friends. But like I said, going to class now feels wrong (And I literally started just over a week ago).

Given what I have absorbed on YouTube from Firas Zahabi, Ramsey Dewey, Joe Rogan and others who are in a position to know what training should be like, you don't go to the gym to hurt people. It's practice, and it can be hard practice, but at a good gym it seems to be about making yourself and your training partners better (love your neighbor as yourself). And cult-like woo woo stuff (which is what some Christians are apprehensive about concerning the martial arts) is frowned upon - go to another gym if there's any of that stuff. I would say just go there, train, and don't be a jerk to the people there. It's training for a combat sport, not training to become an assassin.

 

[Tony B]

Hey all,
I've been wanting to learn a martial art for some time. I tried a kickboxing class many months ago, but it was too expensive to keep up. And now, after going through COVID and cutting off contact with my friends (due to unhealthy relationships), I'm alone and don't do much outside my job. I figured kickboxing would be a great way for me to get in shape, meet people, and learn better coordination, engaging my brain and learning something new.
I had an odd feeling about it though. I tried two classes at two different places, and ended up signing up for an 8 week program. It's fighting kickboxing, not just bag work.
I have some OCD, so that may be a factor in my doubting. But first I was thinking "I shouldn't do this because I want to hurt people, therefore my motives are impure." But when practicing, I'm careful not to kick too hard, even to the point where my partners have said "you can kick harder."
And then I thought that I shouldn't do it because I will be late to the classes (I get off work only 15 minutes before it starts). But I'm paying them, and they're pretry relaxed anyway.
And then driving home the other night I thought along the lines of "I shouldn't do this because it's inherently violent."
And this lead me to days and days of googling, researching whether or not a Christian should do kickboxing or any martial art.
(As far as I can tell, there's little to no Eastern religion stuff involved in the training, it's just how to fight against an opponent. So that's not what's bugging me.)
I want to learn to fight, and that bothers me, that I want to get into the ring and win a fight. Granted, I'm a skinny female with no experience and not much strength, so it would take a really long time for me to get there.
But on the flipside, Paul did mention boxing in his letters (1 Corinthians 9:26)--although I'm not 100% sure if he meant it in a positive or negative way.

Paul was meaning that he doesn't waste his time by training to be a boxer, but that he finds it far more beneficial to develop godly character by practising such things as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

He also meant that it is far better to work on internal strength rather than physical strength, to better stand against the evil one's temptation to sin through sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

There are many recreational and fitness pursuits you can take up which would be more fitting for a Christian, outdoor activities groups are a great way to exercise and make friends. Gyms have various training activities that aren't related to trying to beat another person up, but help with flexibility and mobility.