# What's the first thing...



## bluemtn (Jun 1, 2007)

That went through your head when you first took that step towards taking up a martial art?  If you were nervous, what made you nervous?  What was difficult for you at first?  What's difficult for you now?  Did you know what you were getting yourself into?

Ok, so basically I'm asking for your thoughts on your first few classes/ year in martial arts...


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## Gemini (Jun 1, 2007)

tkdgirl said:


> That went through your head when you first took that step towards taking up a martial art? If you were nervous, what made you nervous? What was difficult for you at first? What's difficult for you now? Did you know what you were getting yourself into?
> 
> Ok, so basically I'm asking for your thoughts on your first few classes/ year in martial arts...



The fact that I was going to give the impression I was an uncoordinated, over the hill, out of shape, fat geek. I didn't disappoint...

I had no idea what I was getting into or what a life altering decision it was.


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## fnorfurfoot (Jun 1, 2007)

My main concern when I started was fitting in.  I was never into sports growing up.  I waited until I had graduated high school before starting in the martial arts.  I signed up with my girlfriend and we both went to every lesson together.  Having her there with me helped with my being nervous but it was still a little difficult.  It took a few weeks before I felt like I belonged there.

Surprisingly, the only thing that was difficult for me were the push-ups and other exercises.  Though those became easier the more I did them.  Forms and techniques came pretty easy.  I came to realise that I was able to memorize movement.  It didn't take long before I was helping higher ranks with moves to techniques.  The one thing that was difficult and was for many years was sparring.  My reflexes were good, I just never really had any kind of plan of attack when sparring.  It took me a long time before I started to enjoy that part of the martial arts.


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## ChingChuan (Jun 2, 2007)

Hm... I don't really know any more about specific thoughts I had before starting... I was a little bit afraid that I wouldn't be able to become any good at it because I've only got one eye but so far, my fear has been proven incorrect.

Also, when I emailed my instructor for the first time (you know, to ask to be allowed to join in for on lesson, where & when everything was etc.) he said in his response that he was anti Harry Potter (and to my opinion, it came across a little bit too condemning). Well, I didn't really like that because I'm a huge HP fan (and I had in my signature line the link to my website) so I was thinking like "He doesn't even know me and he already starts condemning me - Help! What if he does it again in front of everyone?" so it took me about two months before I had gathered the courage to write him back that I wanted to come . Fortunately, he's very nice in real life .


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## stickarts (Jun 2, 2007)

Once I met my sparring teacher, who amazed me, I knew I was going to make a long term endeavour out of it but my biggest challenge was kicks. I was always flexible in my arms and hands but not my legs. Especially then I was big into weight lifting.
I soon dropped other activities I was doing and focused on karate.
I soon got to where I could kick but they were never pretty!


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## Xue Sheng (Jun 2, 2007)

I admit this is a great question and I really wish I had an answer but that was over 30 years ago and I am old and to be honest I am sad to say I don't really remember.


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## Kacey (Jun 2, 2007)

tkdgirl said:


> That went through your head when you first took that step towards taking up a martial art?  If you were nervous, what made you nervous?  What was difficult for you at first?  What's difficult for you now?  Did you know what you were getting yourself into?



Let's see... my first thoughts, before I started... if I don't do this, my boyfriend - who had a blue belt in TKD but hadn't trained in 10 years, and spent several months talking me into it - is never gonna shut up, and he's gonna keep showing me really embarrassing things in parks... and I do need more exercise... so I guess that'll do as a place to start.

After the first class, it was more like "wow, this is really interesting... I wonder what'll happen the 2nd night?"

After the 2nd class, that was it, I was hooked.  I don't remember why, precisely, I just remember spending money I really couldn't afford to buy a dobok, because I really wanted to fit in with the rest of the class instead of wearing sweats any longer, although my sahbum didn't require doboks unless you stayed long enough to test.


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## Skip Cooper (Jun 2, 2007)

Since I am a natural athlete , I assumed that I would pick up the techniques in no time and will have my black belt in record time...boy was I wrong.  

Ten years later, I am still training (more on now, than off) and I just learned that I will be testing for red belt (2nd kup) when the next testing cycle comes up.


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## bluemtn (Jun 2, 2007)

I remember when I took my first introductory class (EVER!)  I couldn't even kick properly, and I had just turned 20, and had absolutely NO clue as to what I was getting into, other than it was TKD.  Basically, the only things I had going for me was that I'm a fast, visual learner, plus had some self defense classes before hand.   I think I would've provided some comic relief for the instructor otherwise!  However, once I got a couple of classes out of the way, I started to feel comfortable with where I was.  Unfortunately, I had to quit my first dojang, but at least I wasn't so nervous when I decided to go and start TKD up again through another school.


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## tshadowchaser (Jun 2, 2007)

My first actual class in a school, was a long time ago and your taxing my memory with this question. 

I was just happy to be in a school and finally studying an art. The only thing hard about that first night was trying to do splits. Most of the class went by with us just following the moves of the instructor and trying to learn new terminology

what is hard for me today  doing the split  LOL


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## terryl965 (Jun 2, 2007)

I really do not remember, you see I was only three and my father was my instructor and by the time I had a vision it was already made for me by him.


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## stickarts (Jun 2, 2007)

Skip Cooper said:


> Since I am a natural athlete , I assumed that I would pick up the techniques in no time and will have my black belt in record time...boy was I wrong.
> 
> Ten years later, I am still training (more on now, than off) and I just learned that I will be testing for red belt (2nd kup) when the next testing cycle comes up.


 
That's funny that you say that!
Before I joined karate a friend (who was a blackbelt) asked me to spar. I figured the same thing. I swam, played baseball, and weight lifted very successfully! How badly could I do?
I found out quickly that I couldn't move or defend myself as well as I thought I could. I secretly joined a school and later suprised him in the ring after I got some instruction!


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## Catalyst (Jun 4, 2007)

I had visited various schools in my area and got to meet the Instructors and chose the school where I felt most comfortable with the people.  On my first class night, I had already previously met the people - So I wasn't nervous about that.  

I was nervous about actually being able to do what was physically required (and not looking like a total idiot).  

Walking in that first night, I just reminded myself of 3 things:
1.)  If you could already do it, you would be the teacher rather than a beginning student.  It's ok to make mistakes - just learn from them.
2.)  It's not where I start, it's where I finish and if I don't quit - then I ain't finished yet.  The longer my journey will be - the sweeter the victory will taste.
3.)  No matter how bad I do - I promised myself I would give it six months before I would consider quitting.

I performed like a total spaz my first few months (and sometimes still do), the six month benchmark came and went but I'm still there and still learning.


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## Em MacIntosh (Jun 4, 2007)

In chito-ryu karate progression seemed to take forever.  It took me a year to get my black stripe, another year to get my yellow with a white stripe, another to get my yellow.  The really young kids are graded slower it seems.  It gives a great understanding of the core.  I'm surprised I stayed with it so long but it has payed off in many ways.


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## JBrainard (Jun 4, 2007)

I was interested in martial arts ever since I was a kid, but was terrified of confrontation so never took classes. In my mid twenties, a "karate" class was offered at the gym my wife and I were going to. At that point in my life, I was going through therapy (as I am now, will I ever be sane?  ) and I thought that trying out the class would be a good way of facing that particular fear. I was nervous as all hell. I had no clue what to expect. Was I going to come out of my first class black and blue? So, no, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. Of course, the class was loads of fun and I stuck with it until financial trouble forced me to quit.
What was most difficult for me was sparring. I froze up whenever my sparring partner started moving quicker than I could keep up with.
What's difficult for me now is having patience. I want to learn everything I can, as fast as I can. Cognitively, I know this is the wrong approach to martial arts, and I am constantly reminding myself of that.


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## Hawke (Jun 4, 2007)

My parents wanted me to learn to defend myself.  I grew up in a so so neighborhood where my skin color stood out and I was usually the shortest kid in school.  My first studio was not a good studio.  I passed my tests even though I knew I didn't deserve the belt. In the many years since then I learned that a good instructor is more important than the art/style of fighting.

Ok now I feel old because I can't seem to remember my first day in class as a kid. LOL!


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## NinjaBurr (Jun 5, 2007)

What made me interested in Martial Arts was Mortal Kombat, when I was young I used to play the game all day and seeing the ninjas fight and shooting fireballs and stuff I was like awesome.  That was when I was 6 .

When I was about 15-16 I actually started researching Martial Arts and reading up on styles and bought a few books that are self-teaching, then I found out that there was a TSD place around where I live, so I started training there.

At first I was a little nervous because it was something new and I thought if I did something wrong teachers would bring me down or something but it turned out really good, I mean the teachers are helpful and know that they were at the point you were at sometime in their life.


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