Once high school ended, and I went to college, I started doing martial arts. This is where my lack of specialization shined. Martial arts seems to be made for the non-specialist. The arts require coordination, strength, endurance, and a general kinesthetic sense. All of which I learned playing sports. I did end up playing left guard for my high school team, and because of my height, I had to learn (in hind sight, I know this is what I was doing) to use my center and control their center line. I got quite good at it. I learned a skill that would instantly come in handy once I started my martial arts.
I write all of this not to brag about myself, but to use myself as example. I had no real success in high school sports, but the physical skills I learned there helped me later on in my martial arts. I want to encourage anyone who is worried about the physical skill set required for martial arts. Martial arts does not require specialization in a physical ability or skill set, instead the best martial artists should have a generalist approach to abilities. They should have strength, skill, kinesthetic senses, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. Even more importantly, they should have all in balance, with no one aspect in excess. So all the people that we call "natural" athletes are usually those who have one skill or one physical ability which exceeds the others. Martial arts is designed for those who don't have those excesses, the unnatural athlete. Sure we all have our strengths and weaknesses. For example, I am really low level in flexibility, but martial arts gives everyone an opportunity to practice these skills and places emphasis on all the learned physical skills. That's what makes martial arts so special, and why so many of us unnatural athletes have found our place in the arts.
1. He tried out for his high school's varsity team as sophomore and despite being 5'11" the coach deemed him too short to play.
