city/province rich in martial arts?

jackwalsh

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I will be graduating from high school this spring, and wish to get heavily into martial arts. By this i mean hours of practice every day. I would like to move to an area where this is a martial arts "scene" so to speak, where i would be able to find a good gym and fellow enthusiasts. I have attempted to look using google, but its hard to judge gyms by their web sites. I have little martial arts experience, but am extremely physically fit and would like the training to be as tough as possible. I know this sounds like a noobish question, but asking a web board seems my best option to gain a wide range of objective responses.
thank you in advance
 
If you want a large number of schools/styles in a smaller area look at areas like California, Hawaii, New York, Texas. They tend to have more schools in a smaller area then say here, Kansas City.
 
First of all what MA do you want to do? Second of all where are you? I assume you're in Canada and if that's the case then you're best bet would be to go to any metropolitain city. I know Montreal and Edmonton have some good MMA school as does Toronto. I live in Ottawa and there are also several very good MA schools here. It all depends on what you want to do, but I assure you that the big cities will have a lot of selection for you.
 
Albuquerque, NM has a rep. for having an exceptionally large number of schools per capita, and there's certainly a variety there. Of course, NYC and SF are always good chocies.
 
Let me toss the practical monkey wrench into the discussion...

How do you plan to pay the bills? For training, for rent, for food... Lots of us would love to spend many hours training but have to deal with the realities of putting food on the table and keeping the roof over the heads of our families.

The economy today may well drive where you can find work and what you can do outside of work.
 
first of all i live in the u.s., and have just started so I dont know what style I would like to follow, which is why I would like to be in a city with a wide variety of martial arts. also, to jks9199, the reason requesting this information is so I can look at the jobs, apartments, schools, and taxes of various cities and balancing them to find the cheapest. Also, as a single, offspring-less teenager with low standards in room and board, the demands on my bank account are not high.
 
first of all i live in the u.s., and have just started so I dont know what style I would like to follow, which is why I would like to be in a city with a wide variety of martial arts. also, to jks9199, the reason requesting this information is so I can look at the jobs, apartments, schools, and taxes of various cities and balancing them to find the cheapest. Also, as a single, offspring-less teenager with low standards in room and board, the demands on my bank account are not high.
The United States is a rather large place. If you're not going to college -- and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that -- you will, especially in the current economy, find yourself rather more challenged than you expect to find work and pay the bills. Unskilled labor areas like landscaping will have fewer jobs, because fewer people will have the money to pay someone else to take care of their lawn -- and there simply aren't but so many places that are large enough to bring in someone.

You've got a great dream -- but you need to look into the realities of making it real. Selecting the area by the number or variety of martial arts schools is rather unrealistic -- especially since there remains an excellent chance that the current recession will become a depression. Look around where you live now; find out what it takes to rent a place. Assess your job skills. And I'd suggest a chat with the military recruiters. Among other things -- there are often a number of martial arts clubs/schools available on or near bases.
 
If you enlist in the U.S. Marines you can get a free trip to Japan courtesy of Uncle Sam and off duty, you can practice all the martial arts you want straight from the source.

I know nobody wants to go to war but you could become a Japanese translator, probably guarantee yourself a spot if you graduate in the top three. I hear the Japanese steakhouses are fantastic on an open grill flame and the nightlife is excellent, enjoy watching the ladies dancing. :D
 
I believe yourpriorities are backwards, find a good enough job and then go get training. Remember growing as a person is great but surviving the world is even better.
 
I will be graduating from high school this spring, and wish to get heavily into martial arts. By this i mean hours of practice every day. I would like to move to an area where this is a martial arts "scene" so to speak, where i would be able to find a good gym and fellow enthusiasts. I have attempted to look using google, but its hard to judge gyms by their web sites. I have little martial arts experience, but am extremely physically fit and would like the training to be as tough as possible. I know this sounds like a noobish question, but asking a web board seems my best option to gain a wide range of objective responses.
thank you in advance

Better question... where are you at now? What's close to you?
 
Man, I would LOVE to pack it all up and just go somewhere to train... Like an MMA/MT school in Thailand, or a BJJ camp in Brazil...

Training, beaches, and beautiful women. That would be heaven.

Back to reality: got a job, bills, etc. I want to go back for more school and that's going to require some serious dough. I also want to buy a home soon. I've recently discovered that while I would absolutely love to train, all the time, I have material needs that have to be met.

You might think you want to train all the time, but life experience adds a certain level of creativity that definitely shows up in your fighting ability. Life experience also helps create a certain level of gravitas and charisma that you can use to avoid a SD situation.

Find you happy medium and above all else (especially since you're unattached) look out for your best interests in the long term, as well as the short.
 
I am with Nolerama on this one. It would be nice to try and do what you are wanting to do, but this is not the 1800's and I am not Quai Chang Cain. Try what you have in your area and get some idea of what you are after, then go find the place you want to train.

It also might help us better help you, if we knew more about you. Go introduce yourself in the meet & greet section.
 
i'd love to take a tour of the grappling arts of the UK...cornish wrestling, catch wrestling, & backhold. i know that doesn't answer the question, but it's a dream of mine.

jf
 
Jack,

I can relate to what you want to do. In the early 90's, I really wanted to train in full contact kickboxing. Watching it on ESPN, I was hooked! I had a job as a grade school custodian & I barely ever had any $$. One of the best FC kickboxing trainers on the planet ran a gym 25 miles from my home. So, I'd leave my house at 6:30 am in the dark to travel 25 miles to train with these guys. It was a great experience! I had an amatuer fight, & trained with & among some of the best in the sport.

My trainer also encouraged me to finish school so I could get a real job. He knew I had no future in his sport & wanted me to excel at what I could better accomplish. I did finish my masters degree while I trained there & he was as happy for me as if I'd won a world title.

I now live in MA-rich Los Angeles where EVERYTHING is available. From the best MMA, boxing, XMA, BJJ, Olympic TKD etc. trainers & schools...many are located here. I run a small Taekwondo school here & I have another job that pays the bills. But, if I didn't run a school in this town, I'd be hard pressed to afford to train here in L.A. Because where we are, EVERY school in every Art is expensive!

I'd encourage you to find a job doing something you enjoy, in a place that you enjoy, (And that you can afford), & look for a school that teaches something that interests you. Most colleges have on-campus MA programs for students. Go to school & take those classes. The YMCA, & community centers often have great programs, too.

All my best to you!
 
San Francisco is a huge mecca for martial arts, especially traditional Chinese arts. I moved here in 1994 without a job, and trusted to the Fates that I would find some way to make my life here.

I've been tremendously happy here ever since. But I had finished my BA degree first, the economy was healthier at that time so finding a job wasn't as difficult as it would be today, and it was still possible back then to find a spot in a Victorian house with 5 or 6 housemates, each paying about $350 for a room.

Now, I'd be surprised if you could find a room like that for under $800. A single bedroom apartment can cost you as much as $2000, and unless you have inherited a bunch of money, forget about ever owning a house, at least not in the City. Prices have come down, but San Francisco has still remained very expensive, altho you could go across the Bay and live in Oakland for a lot cheaper.

So while I love San Francisco and I believe it is second to none in the US for martial arts opportunities, you better have a means of income lined up or you are gonna have some real difficulties.
 
thank you all for the input, it helped quite a bit. I've come to realize that it's really about your own levels of motivation and commitment, as schools can be found anywhere. I realize times aren't the best economically, but a "horrible" U.S. economy is far better than a "great" year for many other countries economies. so far, id like to thank everyone, this board has been a great help to me with research into what I want to do with the martial arts.
also, as far as a career, most of my mature life I have been brought up in a colorado mountain town, and basically have been a little grommet at the local ski area for years. I love this enviroment, and so will hopefully start a career in this industry. You get to work in the mountains, be outside, and have free riding. Plus, summers off so I can afford to take a few weeks for a martial arts camp. Just wondering if any of you work at ski areas?
 
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