What was it that made you decide to take up Martial Arts?

[Dragon Fist]

Hello Martial Talk Forum,

Just curious, what was it that made you decide to take up martial arts?

· Did you get beat up a couple of times?
· Did you watch a kung fu movie and wanted to be just like them?
· Was it someone that influenced you?
· Was your father a martial artist?

For me it was Bruce Lee, I wanted to be just as good as he was in the movies.
I wanted to be able to protect my friends and family like he did.

Your response is greatly appreciated.

 

[Raewyn]

I used to do Zen Do kai when I was a kid but gave it up. wish I hadnt now. It wasnt until a tragedy occured in my family that I decided to start again. I thought there must be more to life then sitting around on my butt drinking, and smoking, so I just went to the phone book, looked up in the yellow pages and rang a number!!! Havent looked back since!!!

 

[Drac]

Yep Dragon Fist, you guessed it..I got picked on alot and I thought because of my weight and lack of coordination that I was doomed to me a punching bag..Boy was I wrong...

 

[TigerWoman]

Well, its winter in Minnesota. You have a choice, a health club or the treadmill. I got real tired of the treadmill. My daughter convinced me I could do TKD with her. I thought, why not, I could always stay a white belt.
I really thought I would never want to break boards. First board was two months later at the fair demo. TW

 

[markulous]

I just kind of fell into it. I was at a friend of my parents house and he had a speed bag and he taught me how to hit on that and a heavy bag and helped set myself up with them at my house. And about 3 years later his son started teaching a MMA system and of course I joined.

 

[Eldritch Knight]

Ninja turtles, back when I was 9. You can't resist those little guys!

 

[clfsean]

My parents... we moved from a tiny town in south central Ga to Atlanta... I suffered culture shock & withdrew socially.

So the folks put me in the Taekwon Do club at Lockheed where my dad worked & 25 years later, multiple injuries & several ranks in different styles I'm still playing the game. Progressed a little with a long way left to go...

 

[INDYFIGHTER]

I took a few months when I was about seven, then the school closed but I never forgot the stuff I learned in that class. I remember I wanted to goto a tournament and my folks wouldn't let me. After years of listening to my cousin tell me I should check out his Kempo school I stopped in two years ago and I've been taking lessons ever since. I competed in my first tounament last year at age 28 and had a blast! Your never too old to have fun. I'm in the best shape now than I have been in years and I'm meeting great people.

 

[shesulsa]

Always had an affinity for it - dunno why. Then got attacked several times, then dated an instructor and the rest is history.

 

[Sin]

wel I have been a big fan of matrix movies and I loved the fight scenes. Also i did get pick on a lot (witch has now all ceased to be a problem) and I had a friend that his dad owned a dojo and he would show me little things here and there. Also I saw he get into a fight and just toy with the guy. the whole time the guy he was fighting wa angry and my friend was smiling blocking everything the guy had until the attacker was tired and walked off. A true inspiration. too bad he had to switch schools, it got to the point i was showing him a thing or two

 

[terryl965]

Father had no choice, he was a military instructor. Marine corp. As my father did me I do my son's, they have no choice either. God Bless America!!

 

[mj_lover]

My parents started me in judo when i was 7-8 ish, mostly because i wasn't really confident, and was having bullie problems at school. Think it payed off pretty good......y'all don't mess with me! %-}

 

[Flatlander]

I got sick of being subservient. I came to the realization one day that all my personal qualities that I disliked were either directly or indirectly the result of a lack of confidence.

I saw a poster on the wall at university that declared "learn Jeet Kune Do, the art of Bruce Lee", and I thought, "gee, that's perfect for me. Nobody could beat Bruce Lee."

Since then, my growing understanding of the Martial Arts has helped me to discover myself, sowed the seeds of confidence and self worth, and taught me many things. The most important of those being, I'm not Bruce Lee.

 

[Blindside]

Because my best friend was doing it and it looked fun.

It still is.

Lamont

 

[YouAgain]

I wanted to be a Jedi, 8 years later I can only open automatic doors with my mind!

 

[Dragon Fist]

Wow, thank you guys for all the great responses so far, please keep it coming.

It seems to me that no matter how or what got you into martial arts, it has been a positive part of your lives ever since.

 

[Dragon Fist]

Well I have been reading the posts that you guys have submitted so far and found that it was interesting to find that Family/Friends and TV Personalities were the primary reasons for getting into Martial Arts.

I would have thought that it was because we got attacked or picked on.



Here are the counts so far.

• Family or Friend - 5
• TV Personalities (Bruce Lee, Ninja Turtles, Matrix, and Jedi) - 4
• Attacked or picked on - 2
• For Fitness - 2
• Dated Instructor - 1 - hehehehe

 

[rainbows]

I just randomly decided one day when I was 11 years old that I wanted to try a martial art. A friend's brother was a member of the local kenpo club, and he took me to my first class. I never looked back.

 

[Sarah]

There are a few reasons why I got into Martial Arts, I dated a guy when I was 18, he was a BB in TKD and he had the coolest collection of weapons.

Then when I was 20 a friend and I started training under Ian Waite, I stated mainly for a confidence/fun thing, I only stuck with it for a couple of years (to busy partying).

Then when I was 26 I got to the point where I thought there had to be something better than sitting an my butt doing nothing, so I looked up my Current MMA Dojo, then one year after that started JJ because I just cant get enough.

 

[Dragon Fist]

coolest collection of weapons.

I started collecting weapons myself; they really are, as you would say. "Cool".