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Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

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Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

#1

Post by micrypt »

Dear HNers,

I fairly recently started kendō and I find it helps with building character (especially regarding dealing with pressure in my case). I'm curious about what aspects of which martial arts that others have found particularly beneficial to life as a programmer/software developer.

Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

#3

Post by christonog »

I think any martial art is beneficial as the very nature forces you to stop thinking about programming. I've personally chosen Muay Thai as it puts special emphasis on physical conditioning, and I tend to work best not stressing (or thinking about) how I'm going to get my day's exercise.

Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

#6

Post by Confusion »

Though not entirely an answer to the question: I've never found any aspect of my martial art of choice (jiu-jitsu) particularly beneficial to my life as a software developer. At most, I think practicing sports helps to keep a healthy body as the counterpart to a healthy mind. In general, I think there are principles of martial arts that can serve as adequate analogies to principles in software engineering (know your tools, be aware of your enemies, use the path of the least resistance, practice makes perfect, it pays to broaden your skills, ...) but knowledge and understanding of those principles is not bound to actually practicing them.

Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

#7

Post by yummyfajitas »

I'd recommend Eskrima/Kali (Philipino martial arts) if you can find a teacher near you. Eskrima builds strong and flexible wrists in a way that most other arts don't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rckWVZl_GsA

Another reason I prefer Philipino martial arts to Japanese arts is that the latter tends to be rigid and emphasize gatekeeping. When I studied Kendo, the attitude was "level up before we let you spar". In contrast, I got my ass whooped one month into Eskrima. (Obviously this is also highly dependent on the teacher.)

Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

#8

Post by scorpioxy »

Karate(shotokan) made me more disciplined and taught me to endure pain. That comes in handy in dealing with a dumb boss, a nagging client, or any of the overall suck-y conditions we work with everyday.

Also, sparring amazingly taught me to control my thoughts to achieve a certain goal. So it helps when chasing bugs to clear your mind and organize your thoughts.

Sadly, i don't practice anymore.

Re: Ask HN: A martial art for a programmer

#10

Post by ghfdrvtsyup »

christonog wrote: post #3

I think any martial art is beneficial as the very nature forces you to stop thinking about programming. I've personally chosen Muay Thai as it puts special emphasis on physical conditioning, and I tend to work best not stressing (or thinking about) how I'm going to get my day's exercise.

I agree. The idea that a martial art can help with programming is a bit of a carryover from when they were considered 'mystical' or 'dangerous' in the mid-late 1970s/early 1980s. Having studied a few and wrestled in HS, I would agree that the real benefit they have is taking your mind off of work, getting exercise, and beating people up/getting beat up. It's fun , and that's what exercise should be.

So, do what you want and work hard at it. Don't try to think there's any mystical connection between the body and mind that a martial art can help cultivate.

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