Another new guy

[Starmada]

Hey all, I've come to pick the collective brain, so to speak.

I've been looking into taking up a martial art, and I thought I should get some info before I dig too deep into it. No doubt you get this all the time, but I'm not sure which specific art to take up.

My primary goal in taking one up is mental discipline, focus, and clarity. My mind is a clouded mess, and I feel like maybe martial arts could help. Tai Chi sounds good so far, but maybe you all know of another one.

My current physical condition is not too bad, but could be better. I work in retail so I spend quite a bit of time walking, and I quit smoking about two years ago.

If I left anything out, let me know. And thanks in advance for any tips you might have.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Welcome to MartialTalk. Hope you enjoy it.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.

 

[jezr74]

Welcome Starmada, have a read through some of the forums in the different styles, and see if you can get a feel for what arts your drawn to.

Better yet, visit the schools within your radius of travel and try out the free lessons and get some first hand feedback. You will then have a bunch of questions that might be more targeted towards whats right for you.

 

[oftheherd1]

Welcome to MT.

If you check schools in the area, evaluate their attention to discipline, physical and mental. You wouldn't want to mistakenly get into a McDojo.

 

[Jenna]

@Starmada You say your mind is a clouded mess? how is that? Welcome and wishes for success in your search Jx

 

[Starmada]

Well I have pretty severe ADHD, and it's really hard for me to focus on anything. I'm already seeking professional help on it, but I feel like it wouldn't hurt to try a little old fashioned mental discipline training as well.

 

[Jenna]

Sounds like a great idea! Awesome that you are looking to help your self under your own steam!

Had you knowledge that MA or physical activity can help alleviate your ADHD? It does seem intuitive that it might.. I am just curious because depending on what training aspect you feel would help you most in gaining back your clarity well that can help in deciding on a particular MA beyond what is nearest to you..

Best advice is as already given to sample as much as you can and see what feels right to you.. Though if you have an idea of what might benefit you most, that might narrow down your field of search Wishes, Jx.

 

[sfs982000]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Kan Ryu]

Dear Starmada.

Welcome to MT!

I think you are absolutely right, MA can help you in many ways.
I also think Tai Chi is a good choice for you. It is a very grounding and calm way of learning movements and mental focus. It is however very rarely (as far as I have experienced) taught as actual self defense. So, you may with time wish for another art for this training.
As the other replies you have received, I recommend scouting in your area for schools that seem interesting/true to you.

I practice Qi Gong besides my main practice of Japanese Martial Arts. Qi Gong is absolutely not MA but, is often mistaken for Tai Chi.
Many aspects of both are the same or similar and both arts (Tai Chi and Qi Gong) are often taught side by side.

I wish you the best of luck!

Kan Ryu.

 

[Brian King]

Welcome to Martial Talk Starmada,
Congratulations on kicking the smoking. That is an achievement that you can be proud of!
Most martial arts will be able to help you to focus, work on mental discipline, and develop clarity. What is more important that the art in my opinion is that you get along with the instructor, meaning that their teaching style suits your learning style. It is ok to ask them if they have worked with people that have ADHD and that are on medication. Take a class or two if offered and see if the students are the type of folks you would enjoy being around and learning from. Are they respectful, safe, and do they seem skilled? Is there enough physical work to keep you interested, enough mental work?

Double check with your doctor's regarding your meds if you are taking any and the soon to be added physical regimen.

Good luck on your training. There have been many people with ADHD that have achieved great results with their martial path. That said, if it doesn't suit you, that does not make you a bad person or a failure. There is also dance, yoga, archery, working with horses, etc. Lots of opportunity to work on self.

Regards
Brian King

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Welcome to MartialTalk!

In regards to training check out several local schools and see which instructor you would like to train with.
Then give it a try and if you have any questions about an instructor feel free to ask here.

 

[Buka]

Welcome aboard, bro.

 

[Langenschwert]

Welcome to MT! You've been given a lot of good advice on this thread. However, you don't even need martial arts to achieve focus. Any kind of discipline such as yoga or music will have similar effects. I was probably more "focused" when I was a full-time musician, to be honest. That was due to lack of choice... be the best or starve.

Regardless of what you choose, one of the most important parts is to push through that "breaking point" that your mind throws up once things get hard and you feel frustrated and think to yourself "what's the point?". That's the real threat. Once you're past that, things get easier. It's not about how good you can get. If you have a good teacher, trust the process of training to get results. If the training is good, you'll get there. Whether it takes half as long or twice as long as everyone else doesn't matter. It takes as long as it takes for you.

What will get you there is truly, completely, utterly asinine amounts of repetition.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Welcome to MT

My primary goal in taking one up is mental discipline, focus, and clarity. My mind is a clouded mess, and I feel like maybe martial arts could help. Tai Chi sounds good so far, but maybe you all know of another one.

Any martial art can fall under the category of a mental discipline. However you may also want to look at Aikido as well