I'll never understand

[Elidor]

Why perfectly reasonable people pay good money to get the snot beaten out of them five days a week. You just about have to be insane to qualify for a black belt. A friend of mine who's studied several disciplines of fighting got his black belt - I forget which school it was under, but the test was 8 hours long. For 8 hours he was pummelled and pounded by 3 instructors who showed him no mercy. His head was bloody where he broke boards with it. His feet were bloody because his legs were so tired that he couldn't quite break the boards anymore (and he's in awesome shape). He hit the mat so many times that his back was wrenched out of whack.

Once an hour, he was allowed fifteen seconds of rest. Then back at it. Forms. Weapons. Sparring. Sparring. Sparring.

At the end of it all, he could barely walk. And he was bedridden the following day, unable even to stand. He smiles and laughs when he talks about it today. His story helped me decide against taking lessons from his sensei.:7

[Wetzelbill]

1. it's the thrill of accomplishment....

For me, when I was a serious athlet, it was winning too. Sometimes a person will do crazy things just to accomplish something.

[caty]

2. I don't get---

Bull riding

Mountain climbing

Those people who crawl into tight spaces in caves to explore them--and some do it under water with air tanks straped to thier back.

[Elidor]

4. Ooops, I like caving. Am I living in a glass house?

I'm certainly not what passes for a hardcore caver, but I don't mind crawling on my belly over mud and sharp rocks through a stream with minimal head clearance and the ceiling scratching your back. It's a cool feeling. I draw the line at birth canals, however. I'm not that far gone yet.

[caty]

5. Well--

at least you're not "hardcore".

[Lars39]

3. All that sounds very familiar.

One of my brothers is a second degree black belt, Yoshukai karate.
He started in the 70's.
http://www.wykko.com/home/default.asp