# An introduction



## Misplaced Swordsman (Jul 9, 2014)

Hello fellow martial artists. I look forward to giving and receiving advice from everyone as well as simply discussing and appreciating the art that fills every fighting spirit. First, and introduction to myself. 

I am a self taught relative beginner. I have studied seriously only for about a year and base most of my martial arts on observations both in reality as well as less realistic outlets such as movies, shows, video games, etc. I am not a fool and realize that not everything on TV can transfer to reality, yet without imagination and ideas how can one ever expand their styles? My most closely followed styles are Mantis and Tiger kung fu as well as a recent fascination with Wing Tsun. In addition I have a passion for Kenjustu although my body and sword are my only masters. I am not a violent person and will not go out of my way to prove myself. As a matter of fact, aside from sparring matches I have never been in a fight. "The best fight is one that's been avoided" - something I probably saw on a movie somewhere. I find that purpose drives me to surpass my physical limits in just about anything I do from martial arts to basketball and I find it in friends and family. 

I look forward to speaking to fellow martial artists with common interests and meet new friends. If anyone would like to show me the ropes of the site I'd appreciate it. Thanks!


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## K-man (Jul 9, 2014)

Welcome to MT. I find the 'self taught' bit interesting. I actually tried that myself about 45 years ago with very limited success. It was probably a good thing I never had to use those 'skills' in real life. 

Anyhow, dive in, ask questions and enjoy the fellowship.

:wavey:


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## donnaTKD (Jul 9, 2014)

welcome  

i too find the self taught bit interesting  

i study muay thai and think that i would've done more damage to me without all the coaching sessions that i've had over the years


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## mook jong man (Jul 9, 2014)

Welcome to the forum.
You can't teach yourself Wing Chun , no way , no how !

Might leave this one for Chris Parker , he enjoys chatting to _fellow martial artists_ who are self taught.   :lfao:


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## Chris Parker (Jul 9, 2014)

mook jong man said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> You can't teach yourself Wing Chun , no way , no how !
> 
> Might leave this one for Chris Parker , he enjoys chatting to _fellow martial artists_ who are self taught. :lfao:



Dude&#8230; that's just cruel&#8230; and I was going to be gentle, and everything&#8230; 

Tell you what, I'll still try being gentle&#8230; well, for me, at least&#8230; 



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Hello fellow martial artists. I look forward to giving and receiving advice from everyone as well as simply discussing and appreciating the art that fills every fighting spirit. First, and introduction to myself.
> 
> I am a self taught relative beginner. I have studied seriously only for about a year and base most of my martial arts on observations both in reality as well as less realistic outlets such as movies, shows, video games, etc. I am not a fool and realize that not everything on TV can transfer to reality, yet without imagination and ideas how can one ever expand their styles? My most closely followed styles are Mantis and Tiger kung fu as well as a recent fascination with Wing Tsun. In addition I have a passion for Kenjustu although my body and sword are my only masters. I am not a violent person and will not go out of my way to prove myself. As a matter of fact, aside from sparring matches I have never been in a fight. "The best fight is one that's been avoided" - something I probably saw on a movie somewhere. I find that purpose drives me to surpass my physical limits in just about anything I do from martial arts to basketball and I find it in friends and family.
> 
> I look forward to speaking to fellow martial artists with common interests and meet new friends. If anyone would like to show me the ropes of the site I'd appreciate it. Thanks!



Hi, welcome aboard.

As with others, the "self taught" part caught my eye&#8230; and, looking through this introduction, there's quite a range of other things as well&#8230; but I'll leave them for the most part for the minute. In fact, I'll leave it at just one thing:

You're self taught, with no (or very little?) actual instruction in anything at all. To be completely fair here, you're not a "fellow martial artist" yet&#8230; and that's not a problem at all&#8230; currently, you're an interested party, a martial enthusiast, if you will. I'm not sure exactly what advice you're feeling you'll be able to offer, and I'd recommend focusing more on asking questions and receiving advice than offering it. There's no need to be at any particular level of understanding at all&#8230; any question above "do I hold the sharp bit or the blunt bit of a sword?" is generally pretty fine, and we'll be happy to answer&#8230; so don't be concerned about trying to impress. There's a lot of heavy phrasing in your post that's really just not necessary, as it confuses your message (I have no idea what "my body and swords are my only masters" is all about, for example), and doesn't add anything.

Once more, welcome aboard, glad you're interested in the martial arts, and hope you get something out of the forum.

Oh, and if you can let us know where you are (and perhaps your age as well&#8230; I'm getting a sense of late teens, not sure how accurate that is) we might know of an actual school in your area that can get you on the path your looking for.


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## sfs982000 (Jul 9, 2014)

Welcome to the forums!


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## Buka (Jul 9, 2014)

Welcome aboard!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Jul 9, 2014)

Welcome to MartialTalk and glad to have you here

You simply cannot learn the Martial Sciences by yourself.  All the self taught people I have met have been terrible to say the least.  My advise would be to see what is 
available in your area to train and go and check them out and if one catches your interest to start there and train under a qualified instructor.  Hope that advise helps!


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## Tames D (Jul 9, 2014)

mook jong man said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> You can't teach yourself Wing Chun , no way , no how !
> 
> *Might leave this one for Chris Parker , he enjoys chatting to fellow martial artists who are self taught. :lfao:*



Wow!

Welcome to MT. Hope you stick around. There is alot of good stuff here.


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## Kurai (Jul 9, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> Welcome to MartialTalk and glad to have you here
> 
> You simply cannot learn the Martial Sciences by yourself.  All the self taught people I have met have been terrible to say the least.  My advise would be to see what is
> available in your area to train and go and check them out and if one catches your interest to start there and train under a qualified instructor.  Hope that advise helps!




I'll at to what Brian posted.

Listen to good instructor after you find them, and ask questions when you have them.

Train even when something is frustrating you to learn because it is new.

Always take time to focus on the basics of whatever you are studying.  They will never go away and you cannot progress without a good understanding of them.


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## donald1 (Jul 9, 2014)

Nice to meet you,  what kind of sword do you practice.  I like all kinds of swords from Chinese jian,  to roman longsword. And my favorite the nine ring broadsword  except the only sword i actually practice a form with is the jian when i practice bogua sets


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## Misplaced Swordsman (Jul 10, 2014)

Hahahahaha, wow! Already the thread is filled with interesting characters, fighting spirits, and pride! I love it. Thanks for all the advice and I really do take it to heart. If anything I have written or will write is hard to understand I apologize in advanced. I am not a very great writer :idunno:

As for Chris Parker, Sorry if I offend you and there is no need to hold back as long as the criticism is still constructive and respectful haha :lol:. I'm no ordinary 'self taught' guy who just see's part of a form on a movie and try to recreate it in some backyard brawls. I'm a bit more complex than that. Instead I try to find martial theories and stances, using these as a basis for a set of reactions I may have in a sparring match or fight if it came down to it. As for the whole "My body and my sword are my only masters", simply put, I am rather in tune with my body. I know it's limits and conform my "style" around that. The sword is my inspiration and something that I hold as an extension of my own body. I in no way pretend to know a whole lot about any given martial art and the only real advice I can give is that no one knows your body better than yourself and that's something to be kept in mind. Not to say that I will have no advice to give in my, hopefully, long future with this site.

I practice with the Katana. Many self taught 'martial artists' today simply base all of their enthusiasm as well as their 'forms' on cinematic recreations and exaggerations and I believe this is the reason they never get very far. My Forum name is more than just some witty username I threw together last minute, to me it holds meaning. I live in Corpus Christi, Tx and would appreciate any help in finding places I can learn without fear of misguidance. I am 19 years old with the imagination of a 10 year old from the 90's haha. I have never had any intention of staying without a master indefinitely, yet an issue for me is the cost. I work a minimum wage job with little hours, have no car, and still do plan on attending college (mid-process).


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## Chris Parker (Jul 10, 2014)

Hi.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Hahahahaha, wow! Already the thread is filled with interesting characters, fighting spirits, and pride! I love it. Thanks for all the advice and I really do take it to heart. If anything I have written or will write is hard to understand I apologize in advanced. I am not a very great writer :idunno:



I haven't seen any pride, for the record&#8230; but cool. Don't worry about being a good, bad, or indifferent writer&#8230; I will offer the advice, though, that erring on the side of simplicity is often the way to go.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> As for Chris Parker, Sorry if I offend you and there is no need to hold back as long as the criticism is still constructive and respectful haha :lol:.



Ha, well&#8230; firstly, you didn't offend me. But I see a lot of warning signs in your posts, and wanted to head off a couple of issues. We might deal with a few more here.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I'm no ordinary 'self taught' guy who just see's part of a form on a movie and try to recreate it in some backyard brawls. I'm a bit more complex than that. Instead I try to find martial theories and stances, using these as a basis for a set of reactions I may have in a sparring match or fight if it came down to it. As for the whole "My body and my sword are my only masters", simply put, I am rather in tune with my body. I know it's limits and conform my "style" around that. The sword is my inspiration and something that I hold as an extension of my own body. I in no way pretend to know a whole lot about any given martial art and the only real advice I can give is that no one knows your body better than yourself and that's something to be kept in mind. Not to say that I will have no advice to give in my, hopefully, long future with this site.



Okay&#8230; no need to hold back, you say? If you'd prefer blunt, I can do that&#8230; 

You are the same as all the others. You're not special, you're not different, you are ordinary. You're not more complex, and you have no real grasp on why any of that is.

Look, I remember being 19&#8230; at that point, I'd been training in a few arts for close to a decade&#8230; and in my chosen system for three&#8230; I remember the belief that others couldn't possibly know what I knew&#8230; they hadn't done what I'd done&#8230; they didn't have the same experiences&#8230; they weren't me&#8230; how could they possibly be anything like me? Thing is&#8230; none of that was true. But I was 19, what did I know of the world? To be frank, what you've described is pretty much standard, and deeply flawed, as there's no real way to quantify anything you're picking up&#8230; you don't know how to critique what you're doing, you don't know how things actually work, you don't know what's good and what's not, and so on. You might "know your own body", but really, that's got pretty much nothing to do with this at all.

The sword is your inspiration? Yeah&#8230; that really doesn't mean much either.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I practice with the Katana.



No, you don't. You play with something kinda similar, perhaps.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Many self taught 'martial artists' today simply base all of their enthusiasm as well as their 'forms' on cinematic recreations and exaggerations and I believe this is the reason they never get very far.



Okay, the simple question there is, if you haven't trained in anything, you're 19, you have a low-paying job and no car, how are you aware of what other "self taught" people are doing?



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> My Forum name is more than just some witty username I threw together last minute, to me it holds meaning. I live in Corpus Christi, Tx and would appreciate any help in finding places I can learn without fear of misguidance. I am 19 years old with the imagination of a 10 year old from the 90's haha. I have never had any intention of staying without a master indefinitely, yet an issue for me is the cost. I work a minimum wage job with little hours, have no car, and still do plan on attending college (mid-process).



Okay&#8230; a quick look around on google gave me a range of options&#8230; what are you looking for in a martial art? Bear in mind, of course, that they will pretty much all have costs involved&#8230; it might simply be a reality that you can't start an art until you're in a better position.


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## Misplaced Swordsman (Jul 10, 2014)

I like blunt, and you are telling me things I need to hear. I guess I really only see things that people around me are doing and now that you mention they really aren't much to look at. If you say that I'm like the rest I'll take that enthusiastically . I have a lot to learn I know. I guess, I like to try to differentiate myself from 'the rest' by thinking I can use my brain more well than others can but, I'm sure that's not the case. What am I looking for you ask? Well, let me tell you that's a great question and one I have answered several times over most times with different answers. Lately, I haven't given it much thought since I have had other strife in my life. But I see that it is not wise to walk blindly down any path. Hmmm, I'm sure you will anyways but, please let me know how much of this is unrealistic. First, physical fitness. I mean, who doesn't want to stay fit and healthy right? Second, I guess I would have to say strength in order to protect those around me. Not only how to kick *** but wisdom and experiences that can help, you know cryptic metaphors and all that haha. Third, enlightenment. I have tried metitation before, however, I really have no idea what I am doing in such a regard so I have since stopped. Qigong fascinates me and as a person who prides myself in 'knowing my body' I'm sure there are many more ways we could get better acquainted . fourth, and outlet. A healthy way to release all the pent up anger I have been having lately. Last, and certainly not least :EG: a challenge. The reason for that I don't know. I simply like challenging my mind and body to see what I can do. I guess that goes along with knowing my body and my limits :idunno:.


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## Chris Parker (Jul 10, 2014)

Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I like blunt, and you are telling me things I need to hear.



Cool.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I guess I really only see things that people around me are doing and now that you mention they really aren't much to look at. If you say that I'm like the rest I'll take that enthusiastically .



Being like others isn't so bad&#8230; I'm told&#8230; ha!

A bit more seriously, recognising where you're starting from is great&#8230; and enthusiasm is definitely encouraged! Ask questions, read as many threads as you can, make liberal use of the search function&#8230; enjoy!



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I have a lot to learn I know. I guess, I like to try to differentiate myself from 'the rest' by thinking I can use my brain more well than others can but, I'm sure that's not the case.



Ha, yeah, you're not alone there&#8230; 



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> What am I looking for you ask? Well, let me tell you that's a great question and one I have answered several times over most times with different answers. Lately, I haven't given it much thought since I have had other strife in my life. But I see that it is not wise to walk blindly down any path. Hmmm, I'm sure you will anyways but, please let me know how much of this is unrealistic.



Cool, let's see what we have.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> First, physical fitness. I mean, who doesn't want to stay fit and healthy right?



Cool. By and large, look to sporting systems for physical conditioning and fitness. Most systems will encourage a relative amount, but sporting systems will have a much higher emphasis, as it's required to compete. For preference, BJJ or MMA will give you some of the most intense workouts&#8230; then Judo, wrestling, sambo, then striking systems such as boxing, karate, TKD. Another benefit to most of these systems (especially boxing and judo) is that they tend to have very low costs associated, as there is very little equipment needed&#8230; and that the quality control in competitive systems is far more consistent.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Second, I guess I would have to say strength in order to protect those around me. Not only how to kick *** but wisdom and experiences that can help, you know cryptic metaphors and all that haha.



That's probably going to come down to the instructor more than anything else&#8230; a good instructor should be able to relate most of what's done to life lessons&#8230; of course, that's not universal either&#8230; it's not common for a boxing or MMA coach, for instance&#8230; you'll find it's more common in the more "traditional" systems.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Third, enlightenment. I have tried metitation before, however, I really have no idea what I am doing in such a regard so I have since stopped. Qigong fascinates me and as a person who prides myself in 'knowing my body' I'm sure there are many more ways we could get better acquainted .



Hmm&#8230; enlightenment? Okay, here's where we're getting unrealistic&#8230; I'd ask what you understand enlightenment to be, firstly&#8230; then I'd caution against that as a goal&#8230; it's reputedly a potential result, but that's a different discussion entirely.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> fourth, and outlet. A healthy way to release all the pent up anger I have been having lately.



Again, I'd go to the competitive systems then&#8230; mind you, that could be a negative for you&#8230; you might find that it spurs you to be more aggressive&#8230; in which case something more internally oriented, such as Iaido or Kyudo might be better&#8230; but that's going to come down to how you deal with things.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Last, and certainly not least :EG: a challenge. The reason for that I don't know. I simply like challenging my mind and body to see what I can do. I guess that goes along with knowing my body and my limits :idunno:.



Most, if not all arts/systems will be a challenge&#8230; from the first day you'll be trying to make your body do things it hasn't done before.

But to get down to more basic ideas&#8230; you've mentioned a few Chinese systems&#8230; and a Japanese sword&#8230; in another post you mention Koryu Jujutsu (note the spelling - oh, and for the record, they aren't necessarily to do with grappling in armour, some are, some aren't&#8230; there's no particular rule)... and Ringen, which is an old (extinct) form of German wrestling.

Are you wanting something with weapons? If so, traditional, or modern? Grappling, striking, or both? Something with an old heritage, or something that you can apply now? Is self defence an important focus, or is it not so important? Have you come across any system in your research that you liked the sound of, or would like more information on?


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## Misplaced Swordsman (Jul 10, 2014)

SELF defense is not so important to me. I'm the kind of guy who would easily take a beating if it meant that a loved one would be spared. As for the Koryu Jujistsu I was responding to another persons post. I don't know much on that style specifically, truth be told it was the first time I'd heard of it. Internally oriented sounds more appealing to me as I do feel as if the competitive scene may cause me to gear more towards martial arts purely as a system to hurt others. Which really that is it's primary purpose, however, I don't want that to be my primary focus if that makes sense. I have always liked the grace of chinese martial arts and Mantis style has always appealed to me as a flexible style consisting of both grapples and strikes without much emphasis on brute strength (such as in tiger style) or pure defence (crane). So I guess something with an old heritage as well. As I have mentioned before, I have never been in an actual fight and do not openly search for them (sparring is different obviously as there is no intent to hurt the opponent). Enlightenment, well I don't mean like achieving zen and one with the earth, mind body and soul all that theatric (or what i would imagine is theatric)stuff. I simply mean content with my own life and body. Being able to meditate, concentrate on my body and spirit to release my negative energy again in a healthy manner.


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## Chris Parker (Jul 10, 2014)

Cool, let's see what we have here.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> SELF defense is not so important to me. I'm the kind of guy who would easily take a beating if it meant that a loved one would be spared.



Okay. Personally, I'd suggest altering your frame of reference there&#8230; the self-sacrifice ideal is great on paper, but after they're done beating you, who says they're leaving your friend/loved one alone?



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> As for the Koryu Jujistsu I was responding to another persons post. I don't know much on that style specifically, truth be told it was the first time I'd heard of it.



Cool. To give a bottled description, Koryu are Japanese arts that predate the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the majority of which are armed systems, but there are jujutsu systems as well (which might be armed, unarmed, or lightly armed). It's a huge topic, and isn't a "style" at all&#8230; it's a way of categorising an entire range of different styles.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Internally oriented sounds more appealing to me as I do feel as if the competitive scene may cause me to gear more towards martial arts purely as a system to hurt others. Which really that is it's primary purpose, however, I don't want that to be my primary focus if that makes sense.



Perhaps Aikido, then&#8230; 



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I have always liked the grace of chinese martial arts and Mantis style has always appealed to me as a flexible style consisting of both grapples and strikes without much emphasis on brute strength (such as in tiger style) or pure defence (crane).



Hmm&#8230; such descriptions aren't really accurate, so you know.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> So I guess something with an old heritage as well.



Cool. The thing to remember is that older systems will deal with situations and contexts that aren't necessarily applicable to todays world. If that's not a huge issue, then it's not a problem.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> As I have mentioned before, I have never been in an actual fight and do not openly search for them (sparring is different obviously as there is no intent to hurt the opponent).



Okay. 



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Enlightenment, well I don't mean like achieving zen and one with the earth, mind body and soul all that theatric (or what i would imagine is theatric)stuff. I simply mean content with my own life and body. Being able to meditate, concentrate on my body and spirit to release my negative energy again in a healthy manner.



So just something to allow you to take a bit better control of your mind&#8230; again, Aikido, Kyudo, Iaido&#8230; bear in mind that meditation can mean different things to different people&#8230; I've seen it in some places where it's little more than "close your eyes and try not to think about anything"&#8230; other places (such as my classes), it's a far more involved methodology.


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## Misplaced Swordsman (Jul 10, 2014)

Akido, Kyudo, Iaido. I'll do some research on these, however, I don't know that I will find any in my area. would you personally advise against online training? such as video seminars and whatnot? I mean, I understand that training with a master in person is far more rewarding, but as for learning basics such as forms and thoeries? 

I also would like to personally thank you for all your help and wisdom. I will not hesitate to ask if I have any further questions


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## Chris Parker (Jul 10, 2014)

Misplaced Swordsman said:


> Akido, Kyudo, Iaido. I'll do some research on these, however, I don't know that I will find any in my area.



Aikido is in your area, as is Iaido&#8230; Kyudo I'm not so sure of. To get you started, Aikido is a Japanese system that emphasises a lack of aggression, blending with an opponents incoming force and energy, and controlling them primarily with joint locks. It can often include some aspects of sword and staff work. Iaido is a system of sword drawing&#8230; there is Koryu (old school) Iai and Seitei (formal, modern) Iai&#8230; the most common you'll see is the Seitei version. There are 12 techniques total. Kyudo is Japanese archery&#8230; both that and Iaido are fairly precise on the way they do things, so can be a great way to get your mind under control.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> would you personally advise against online training? such as video seminars and whatnot?



Not a chance. Can't be done. Videos are great as a reference, especially after learning it in the first place, but not to be learnt from.



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I mean, I understand that training with a master in person is far more rewarding, but as for learning basics such as forms and theories?



No, basics are harder to learn from a video, believe it or not. There's just too much to get right so it forms a good base to progress from. 



Misplaced Swordsman said:


> I also would like to personally thank you for all your help and wisdom. I will not hesitate to ask if I have any further questions



Not a problem. This isn't wisdom, of course, it's just experience&#8230; we've answered these questions many times, and will again&#8230; ha!

By all means, ask away.


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## donnaTKD (Jul 10, 2014)

if it all comes down to money then boxing is the way to go and you'll learn loads of stuff - it isn't simply about hitting something hard 

then when time comes move onto muay thai - boxing will give you a definite grounding and starting point for muay thai


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## TwentyThree (Jul 10, 2014)

Some additional advice:

1) Don't ignore recreation/community center/YMCA programs. Some of them are very inexpensive and can be very good - at worst, it's a good place to start.  Also, if you attend college, it's not unusual for martial arts to be offered in one way or another on campus. Again, even if it isn't ideal, it can get you going.
2) You might have luck finding an inexpensive (or even free) training group on meetup.com.

Good job listening with an open mind.  Mr. Parker's advice is excellent.


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## Dirty Dog (Jul 10, 2014)

TwentyThree said:


> Some additional advice:
> 
> 1) Don't ignore recreation/community center/YMCA programs. Some of them are very inexpensive and can be very good - at worst, it's a good place to start.  Also, if you attend college, it's not unusual for martial arts to be offered in one way or another on campus. Again, even if it isn't ideal, it can get you going.
> 2) You might have luck finding an inexpensive (or even free) training group on meetup.com.
> ...



I'll second this. Our school is YMCA-based. The cost is $40/month for members and $60/month for non-members of the Y. And there are scholarships for those who can't afford those rates. No contracts. The going rate in the community seems to be in the $100-150/month range, with at least a one year contract, plus mandatory participation (read: entry fees) in "in house" tournaments 2-3 times each year.


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## OnlyAnEgg (Sep 7, 2014)

Welcome to Martialtalk!


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