And of course once RE you have tons of time to work out in order to get in shape to play even a physically hard sport or activity. Lots of examples of FIREd people here that got in the best shape and health of their life once they FIREd.Spartana, what you said is true. There are many examples of people getting better after FIRE because that's the majority of the cases. Still, there's a minority we should not overlook.
From my experience being on this forum most posters and FIREd people are very physically active and have a larger number of sports and recreational activities they persue and golf seems to be far down the list. Lots of road and mountain bikers, hikers, kayakers, climbers, runners, etc. As well as people involved in competitive team sports.It's my fault to not mention all these other sports in the OP. Bikers, hikers, and to some extent, runners mostly work their legs but not their arms, leading to uneven exercise. Maybe if they wear some weights on their hands then running could be more comprehensive, but then it still lacks the precision training & throwing exercise that Boluta delivers. Kayaking, just like mentioned water sports, requires specific equipment & is very location demanding. While climbing seems to be quite all-around, there's an inherent danger element in the sport itself.
It sounds like people throwing a tennis ball across a high volleyball or badminton net (although your drawing looks like a tennis court and low net) and the opposite team trying to catch it with their hands and then throwing it back.You are again correct! It's the badminton court, using the default badminton net, so no head-scratching modifications are needed. For the bouncing of the ball, imagine it like in a tennis match. It touches the ground twice and someone loses that exchange. But in Boluta, you can earn as much as 5 points with that single throw!
I can see that being either fast paced or very very slow paced depending on the speed and skill of the people involved.Well, it is 1 of the focal points of the sport! :) What you said was essentially the ability of Boluta to cater to the fitness & skill level of players. Very good at it? You'll see a super exciting fast paced competition! Not in the best shape to run quickly? The very nature of the sport will help to slow itself down to your favorable pace.
Kind of looks like pickleball?You're right, it kind of looks like that sport on a quick glance. My bad to have forgotten the majority of readers here are in the US, thus I should have used imperial units instead of SI metrics ;) OK, now 155cm equals 61in. Boluta's net has about double the height of a pickleball's.
If you want to join more sports you could try Meetup.Thank you for the advice. I have a Meetup account now, but it seems like the site hasn't been able to get a popularity in my country yet. Maybe I'll have to find other methods.
I prefer chessboxing.You prefer chessboxing, or you prefer watching chessboxing? ;) From what I know, the sport is not popular in your place Canada. While promotional stuffs about it are all exciting & fun, in reality anyone will experience incredible discomfort whenever participating in chessboxing. Imagine the difficulties of wearing your boxing gloves, only to have to remove them 3 mins later to be able to grab a chess piece. Repeat these processes of wearing & removing a ridiculous 5 times and there you have a match. As you can't do the gloves yourselves & there must be a referee, a simple match will typically requires at least 5 people for 2 persons to punch each other... Surely that chessbox is not for everyone.
while in Boluta you'll have to spend quite some calories chasing the ball.
I prefer chessboxing.You prefer chessboxing, or you prefer watching chessboxing? ;) From what I know, the sport is not popular in your place Canada. While promotional stuffs about it are all exciting & fun, in reality anyone will experience incredible discomfort whenever participating in chessboxing. Imagine the difficulties of wearing your boxing gloves, only to have to remove them 3 mins later to be able to grab a chess piece. Repeat these processes of wearing & removing a ridiculous 5 times and there you have a match. As you can't do the gloves yourselves & there must be a referee, a simple match will typically requires at least 5 people for 2 persons to punch each other... Surely that chessbox is not for everyone.
That doesn't sound like much fun to me to be chasing after the ball. I like more game action and less chasing after balls.Well, maybe I didn't express it very well, leading to your understanding of it as chasing after the ball. No, it's more like anticipating the throw's curve & move fast accordingly to successfully catch it. In a quick paced game like Boluta, if one lets the ball go past them then the chance of losing points are pretty high ;) Imagine tennis FYR.
I haven't been able to compete in a chessboxing match, but really like the idea . . . and definitely would participate if I found a place around here that did it.Well, there are some insightful observation of the gloves you have. Still, $80 is a significant amount in my country. Besides, it'd be a little adventurous when there're only 2 persons sparring with each other. What if - no, not if, what when one gets knocked out? There should always be at least a medical personnel out there.
I boxed for several years. Typical 16 oz training gloves are hook and loop closures, it takes 3-4 seconds to remove them yourself (you get good at using your teeth). When doing pad drills with a partner, you take off your gloves and switch pads every three minutes for an hour and a half. These gloves are regularly used in smokers, they would be more than enough for non-pro chessboxing matches.
In the same way that a referee isn't required when you're sparring with someone in a boxing gym, a ref shouldn't be required when you're chessboxing at the non-pro level. All you really need are the timers, and a table (set up outside of the ring).
So, to tally up the costs . . . each person really just needs a mouth guard and gloves. Maybe 70 - 80$?
:P
Imagine tennis FYR.
In American football, even though you chase a player, actually it's the ball you're after.
Well, there are some insightful observation of the gloves you have. Still, $80 is a significant amount in my country. Besides, it'd be a little adventurous when there're only 2 persons sparring with each other. What if - no, not if, what when one gets knocked out? There should always be at least a medical personnel out there.
Badminton is fun but very sensitive to wind. I bought the cork shuttlecocks, not with real feathers, and they last a long time.Now that's another advantage of Boluta :) Using the same court but now you can practice any place where the sun shines! Being confined to closed facility is a con for badminton, and even when you use cork shuttlecocks, their lifespan still can't compare with a simple tennis ball.
Knockouts happen, but they're not common while you're sparring (you hit your partner with bad intentions, and word gets out. There's almost always someone of greater skill willing to give you a lesson why the sparring relationship should be respectful. :P ). You'll get tagged, occasionally tagged hard (which means you get a pretty bad headache), but people don't lean into hits the way you do in a real fight.We can both agree on the point that the original & ultimate goal of boxing is to put your opponent down on his back, unconscious. Practice sparring is great in & of itself for all the benefits it brings, but it's kind of the 'side effects' of boxing, right? Besides, I've talked to some women about this sport, and most if not all of them don't approve of boxing. It's not a surprise, since being feminine doesn't agree with punching people in the face. Maybe it's too aggressive when compared with a sport designed for everyone like Boluta, for example?
Boxing is a martial art. Like any martial art, you can take out of it what you want. Strength/endurance improvement, weight loss, self-defense, competition, camaraderie, improved confidence, mental resilience, control of emotions during trying times, etc.Yep, you're correct about all these great things. As you can see, I agree with you in the last post about the positive effects. Still, they don't contrast with the point that those benefits are side effects of practicing the sport.
I also completely disagree with your assertion that femininity somehow prevents a woman from boxing. Women aren't all little delicate little flowers. While there is a degree of mental toughness necessary to box, women are certainly capable of it . . . and are able to enjoy the sport while still remaining feminine.Again, I was not good with the words. I didn't mean women are 'prevented' from boxing at all! Well, just that I've read that 1 defining characteristic of being feminine is to yearn for connections, for relationships... And trying to land punches on an opponent doesn't help - or maybe it kind of does, in the sense that your punch 'connects'? ;)
Good luck trying to take tennis out of my hands. I’ve played with people in their 70s, great sport. It’s social, egalitarian, men and women can play together and no matter what level you’re at, there are people at your level. Also, it’s international and can be played indoors and outdoors. Easy to play without straining anything and if you do doubles, you reduce the amount of running. Can be free if you find free courts but generally not that expensive and you can split a court for doubles in 4.This one is such an interesting challenge! OK, let me try.
Boxing is a martial art. Like any martial art, you can take out of it what you want. Strength/endurance improvement, weight loss, self-defense, competition, camaraderie, improved confidence, mental resilience, control of emotions during trying times, etc.Yep, you're correct about all these great things. As you can see, I agree with you in the last post about the positive effects. Still, they don't contrast with the point that those benefits are side effects of practicing the sport.
It's not a coincidence that all the boxing ads on TV are about brutal knockouts, people lying on the floor & similar stuffs. There's almost no programs which focus on the boxing gym environment where fighters are all nice & camaraderie-ry, instead they opt to show two opponents with the look like they're going to kill each other & displaying intimidating gestures during pre-match... What I'm trying to say is, even as I agree with you (indeed I do), the majority of people in general see boxing's purpose is to punch the hell out of your bloody opponent.
QuoteI also completely disagree with your assertion that femininity somehow prevents a woman from boxing. Women aren't all little delicate little flowers. While there is a degree of mental toughness necessary to box, women are certainly capable of it . . . and are able to enjoy the sport while still remaining feminine.Again, I was not good with the words. I didn't mean women are 'prevented' from boxing at all! Well, just that I've read that 1 defining characteristic of being feminine is to yearn for connections, for relationships... And trying to land punches on an opponent doesn't help - or maybe it kind of does, in the sense that your punch 'connects'? ;)
Even when you're participating in a fight, there's a tremendous sense of connection with those around you . . . because someone from your gym is acting as your cut man, someone is acting as your coach, someone is helping to psyche you up before the fightYep, you made a clear cut with the connection issue. But see, you'll need at least 3 more people to prep for a fight. Maybe they're not fitted to box, quite likely they love their roles around the ring. I guess each sport is designed with distinct method & purpose, and Boluta follows the egalitarian way that MrThatsDifferent pointed out. Which means everyone can join the fun.
If the majority of people misunderstand something, then I'd argue it's better to inform them of the truth rather than pander to their ignorance.Great point!! I definitely, absolutely can't agree more! I'll try to do exactly that.
Any activities require other people's participation is a problem. So I like to go to casinos to play with slot machines.Isn't that a little bit of a half-glass-empty view? :) And of course, you're entitled to spend your FIRE money any way you like, but it can't hurt to have 1 more good options to choose, right? ;)
Really, if you hurt them you are doing it wrong, the most dangerous opponents are the ones who can't execute moves safely. In fact, plenty of women get satisfaction from sports like that because we appreciate the self defense aspect and the development of physical strength.What you said is true in that plenty of women do get satisfaction from those mentioned martial arts. Still, plenty doesn't mean the majority of women. Furthermore, only masters of a specific martial art can execute martial moves really safely. In my country, many people can tell a case about a Olympic-medal-worthy wrestler who lost his life when training with his colleagues in the national team. His neck broke, and he spent several months in coma before passing away.
Tbh, boluta sounds like catch with a net. Doesn't really interest me.Imitating GuitarStv's line of argument, I can say that muay Thai is like punch with a glove, and wrestling is like throwing with some clothes. Come to think of it, every sport can be summarized in a silly phrase like that. Golf? Swing with a club. Badminton? Smash with a racket. Soccer? Kick with a ball... You're skipping many great features when you're not trying them and overgeneralize things instead.