How well do you remember?

[Sam]

Random question I was thinking about. How well do you remember when you started your martial art? Are you like me, do you remember the day you went in to find out when you could try it out, the day you went in, the time, who you talked to?

Do you barely remember what year it was? Are you somewhere in between?

I remember perfectly - it was Tuesday, September 7th, 2004, the day I signed up. Like 4:30 ish lol. I talked to Joe, who happened to be my friend's instructor. We had met once or twice, but we didn't know each other. My best friend's mom (not the mom of the friend who took kenpo) was there. She wanted to get me signed up for good because I KNEW that I wanted to do it, but they made me do the trial month first which turned out to be cheaper anyway. Like 3 minutes later I was out of there, scheduled for a lesson with dan on that thursday at 6 pm.

(wow I didnt realize I remembered this SO well...)

My first lesson I learned the kenpo bow (the basic one) and was told that was as formal as we would get. (I was SO nervous, lil me in this lil room with this 6 foot tall jolly blonde giant who could KILL me...) I learned basic blocks and punches, and maybe some kicks that first lesson. I remember having my right arm injured too so I couldnt do the right inward blocks very hard... (long story)...

anyway, how well do you remember?

 

[MA-Caver]

I recall most of the details of the first steps of my journey ... (it ain't over yet ) names escape me but events leading to my first instructor(s) and subsquent travels and influences are there.
Good question/poll Samantha because I believe it's important to remember your beginnings because how do you know where you're going if you can't remember from whence you began?
Remembering also honors those teachers who help you along the way. :asian:

 

[Franc0]

I remember my old man signed me up on my 11th B-Day back in '71. My 1st instructor was Master Moc Kan Sent in Miami, Fla., who taught Choy Li Fut & Hung Ga Kuen Gung Fu. Since then I've trained in and earned instructors rank in a myriad of different systems, and I plan on being the never ending student for as long as I can stand. :asian:

Franco

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Good question. I remember very well my entry as a young adult into a TKD dojang. However, I started Judo at the age of five and most of my memories of that time are blurred. It's funny, but I remember fellow dojo and dojang students of twenty years ago better than most of my high school classmates.

 

[silatman]

I have studied years ago but had a long break so I'll relate my current story

I got a phone call from my brother in law asking if I had seen the ad in the paper about some art called Pentjak Silat. What the hell is that was my first question, some martial art he replied. I then went to the paper and saw some old guy with glasses trying to look tough with a kris in one hand and a knife in the other. My first thought was 'that computer nerd is going to hurt himself if he doesnt put them down'.

How wrong I was.

 

[Gemini]

I remember everything very vividly.

I signed my son up on Jan 11, 2000. I chose TKD because he has mild cp and I thought this would be good PT for him. They wanted me to join the adult class, and I reluctantly came back that night. It would also be something we could do together. Reluctantly, that night, I entered the class. My performance was so dismal, so humiliating, I hated it. I was so mad at myself for getting so out of shape, I signed up that night as self punishment. After about a month, I started to see improvement and quickly became an MA nutcase. I Started Hapkido 2 months later. HDGD in Feb. 2002 and Kendo in Sept. 2002.

 

[terryl965]

It was 1965 and my father said your training begin now and he side kick me and the rest is history been doing this ever since, my love for the Art and all the great people over the years have kept me going.

Terry L Stoker

 

[dscott]

October of 2003. I had going to an oriental therapy place (actually....I'm stilling going) and my therapist asked me if I would be interested in attending a class that his friend was teaching. I was immediately excited about this because I had always wanted to train in MA as a kid. I asked my wife (then girlfriend) if she wanted to go as well and we both went. I stuck with it, she didn't.

 

[mj_lover]

i know i was six or seven, when i started judo, i have fague memories of it, ah, the early ninties, fond memories..i think..

 

[arnisador]

Definitely. I was 14 years old. It was called American Self-Defense Studios, and they taught a modified version of American Kenpo (though they never used that name and it would be a few years before I made the connection). I was scared of the sparring, where contact was made (with gloves).

 

[goshawk]

Heh, I'm sort of a mix between the "every detail" option and the "I remember the era it was" option. I started judo when I was about 6 years old, and I only vaguely remember those years at all. Plus my Dad was always randomly teaching me how to throw a proper punch or get out of a wrestling hold or something. It sort of gives me the impression that I've always been in martial arts, one way or another.

On the other hand, I remember precise details of when I started with this club and got serious about it. I'd seen the place next to my bus route a bunch of times, and it advertised Ju Jitsu as well as a bunch of other stuff. I figured Ju Jitsu would be fun, kind of a reminder of Judo, so I walked in to check it out on Friday, September 10, 2004, at about two-thirty in the afternoon.

Ralph (the owner & head instructor) was out at the time. Greg was teaching a lesson, but he walked over to welcome me in and give me info. All I saw was some young (and ridiculously hot, I might add) guy in a funky black gi, and by the time I left I had been talked into trying out kenpo instead and was signed up for a trial lesson the next Monday.

In that first lesson with Greg, I learned the bow (which was so complicated ), basic stances, blocks, strikes, and kicks. I also learned Knee of Vengeance and giggled a lot at the names. Oh yeah, did I mention I was hooked from that lesson?

...Whoa. Seems like a lifetime ago. Crazy. Thanks for the poll, Samantha, s'neat to remember this.

 

[Drifter]

Back in August, and my first lesson was on Thrusting Prongs.

 

[karatekid1975]

Great story people. I remember my first day in TSD (my first art). Well It was Oct 2000 (don't remember the date, though). I talked to the instructor for about 5 minutes. I was back the next day to try it out That dojang just "felt right." I knew it was the place to be, eventhough I knew nothing about MA. Actaully, I still train there twice a year when I visit family in NJ. Sheesh, I miss them guys/gals there

 

[jfarnsworth]

July 16, '89. I walked in and the head instructor said get some pads on and spar. I said that I didn't know the first thing about fighting. He then told my buddy to show me how to do a front snap then put the pads on. So, I learned a front snap kick then put the pads on and sparred :idunno: . I got beat up but that's apart of learning.

 

[Silat Student]

I took a little Karate and TKD but they're almost not worth mentioning because of the short amount of time that I was in them. I consider my Martial Arts life to have begun when I was contacted by Guru Stark after posting an inquiry about Silat on his site. Turns out that he was getting ready to move from Wisconsin to the East Coast of Florida! The first Silat "lesson" that I went to was a seminar with a few other folks, sort of a get to know each other deal. I came away with a bloody lip, a torqued out shoulder and a general soreness.....but I was hard pressed to remember when I had had more fun or been as challenged. I've been hooked since.

 

[Sam]

July 16, '89.

*counts*
On that date, I would have been 8 months and 20 days old. heh.


(Assuming that there are 31 days in june that is)

 

[Kane]

It was a long time ago, when I was a wee little lad. I think I was about 7 years old. I think I remember the year and some of the practice lesson, but not all of it. My first martial art was freestyle wrestling, from there to ju jitsu about an year later, and then about 4 years after ju jitsu I did some judo, and about 5 years after starting judo I did some TKD. I also did some BJJ and fencing when I was 12 and 16, but only for about an year.

 

[TigerWoman]

I went with my daughter since she had persuaded me to join. She and her younger brother were already red belts.

I remember being last in line, being on the wrong side. I remember not knowing what the heck they were talking about way up there..and also remember that there were.so many before me! I thought I was in good shape then but later that week was feeling practically every muscle.

The warmup exercises were okay but I didn't have good balance. My lesson was alone. He, the master instructor, showed me 8 basic kicks which I had to practice by myself over and over and over for forty minutes. Then I did front kicks on the hanging bag for about five. Then at the end we all did crunches. And then we did all the bowing and "gibberish" that it seemed then and I was outta there! Not hard to remember. But looking back, it certainly was my easiest practice. TW

 

[Aikikitty]

Summary---My mom and I started July 15, 2000---Saturday morning.

We were very nervous. I remember who was there, who taught us the stretches, tried to teach us how to roll, and our first technique was tsuki kotegieshi with the ikkyo pin. After class I went to go see the X-Men movie in the theater and the next morning I was sooooooo sore from crouching over trying to do forward rolls that I could barely go up and down the stairs to my Sunday School class! That was all nearly 5 years ago.

Robyn :asian:

 

[evenflow1121]

Actually, lol I am a little disappointed. I do not remember the month, I remember the year, it was 1987 and I was 8 yrs old.