Why we started training and what we think now...

[OzPaul]

Hi all, I was hoping that we could discuss why you started training and also your thoughts about your chosen system (like, dislike etc.), from when you started until the present day. I grew up watching allsorts of Kung Fu movies but i was never able to attend Martial Arts due to family arrangements so when i got my license, car etc. i joined a Wing Chun school which my friend had been training at for 4 years. My initial reaction was ^*&%*$ this is awesome! and i studied there for 4 months. Due to work circumstances i had to choose another system to train in so i went to a number of schools for the first free session to see what i thought was right for me and i didn't find anything for around 2 months. I then e-mailed the local Kenpo school which was a system i knew nothing about and as soon as i attended a class i was hooked! The economy of motion, science behind the art, ever changing techniques really got me and i have been hooked ever since. I am still a massive fan of Wing Chun and one day will continue my study but due to the current circumstances i am focused on Kenpo. Please let everyone know what you have and would like to study as i think everyone can learn from one another. Cheers, Paul

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I started training because a friend and I had always said that when our kids got to 6 years old we would start them in martial arts. We, like a lot of people, thought all martial arts were basically the same with different oriental sounding names. We had a very well known and respected tkd master who lived in our street when we were kids, so we tried to hunt down one of his clubs in our local area. On the first night of training our little 6 year olds were a little nervous at starting the class so the instructor said we could join in if it would make the kids feel more comfortable. Anyway, by the end of the lesson we realised two things, the first was that our kids were too young for martial arts (we started them again a year later), and secondly we absolutely loved it and signed up immediately. That was about 5 years ago now, and I have hardly missed a lesson since. In hindsight Im glad I chose tkd because the heavy emphasis on flexibility and core strength has completely fixed an ongoing back problem I'd had for over 15 years, these days my back is like new. Also, I love kicking and sparring and tkd has plenty of both. Fortunately my tkd club also has a heavy emphasis on punching because I dont think I would have liked to train somewhere where its 80% kicking. Next year I will get to grade for my 2nd dan if all goes to plan and my only regret is not starting martial arts when I was younger.

 

[shesulsa]

When I *first* got into martial arts I was also into dance training in college, so it was a nice compliment to what I was doing and I thought it was cool.

I was dating a Sam Pai Kempo black belt whom I later married.

Kids happened and my training went down the toilet. I tried starting up again with him but our marriage was too toxic so I quit, I left, and moved - as he likes to remind me every time we speak - a thousand miles away.

There was no Sam Pai Kempo here and I actually (and quite literally) stumbled upon some renegade Hwarang. I was told the style is useful in combating other martials arts - this really got my attention.

Tired of being a damn victim ... I started training again.

In retrospect ... I don't know what I would have done differently given my particular circumstances. While I'm not as physically able to do as much as I did (in fact, I'm nursing some bothersome injuries ... *still* ...) I still really like it.

 

[sfs982000]

Hi all, I was hoping that we could discuss why you started training and also your thoughts about your chosen system (like, dislike etc.), from when you started until the present day. I grew up watching allsorts of Kung Fu movies but i was never able to attend Martial Arts due to family arrangements so when i got my license, car etc. i joined a Wing Chun school which my friend had been training at for 4 years. My initial reaction was ^*&%*$ this is awesome! and i studied there for 4 months. Due to work circumstances i had to choose another system to train in so i went to a number of schools for the first free session to see what i thought was right for me and i didn't find anything for around 2 months. I then e-mailed the local Kenpo school which was a system i knew nothing about and as soon as i attended a class i was hooked! The economy of motion, science behind the art, ever changing techniques really got me and i have been hooked ever since. I am still a massive fan of Wing Chun and one day will continue my study but due to the current circumstances i am focused on Kenpo. Please let everyone know what you have and would like to study as i think everyone can learn from one another. Cheers, Paul

I first got interested in the Martial Arts the same as you, I was a big fan of kung fu movies and tried to read anything I could on the subject. The town I grew up in at the time didn't have a "commercial" school per say, but I found out through a couple of friends that a guy was teaching Poekelan Tjimende out of his garage. I watched one class and signed up right away, unfortunately after about 4 months he got transfered and I moved to Shotokan which is where I stayed for about 4 years. Since then my love for the martial arts has never died and even though I've had various set backs over the years I've been actively praticing again for almost 3 years and I love it as much now as I did the moment I took that first class so many years ago.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I started training in Isshin-Ryu because I wanted to start an exercise program that I would stick with; I dislike running and repetitive mindless exercise that doesn't engage my mind as well as my body.

I stayed with Isshin-Ryu because I love it. I'm totally hooked, some 3 years later.

Part of the reason is the style. It suits my capabilities; direct, aggressive, fast. Good use of hands and feet, no kicks above the obi. Strong stances, hard punches and kicks, and in my dojo, we wallop each other good and hard.

Another part of the reason is the dojo itself. Great instructors who are dedicated to the art and in fact volunteer their time - the dojo makes no money, no one draws a salary.

Another part of the reason is the people. My dojo-mates are my friends. I care about them and I really enjoy seeing them twice a week.

It has become part of my life now. If I ever have to work late and can't get to the dojo or I get sick and can't go in, I hate it. I need to train.

I can't imagine feeling the same way about a Jazzercize class or running on a treadmill. Just sayin'...

 

[Phenix_Rider]

I got hooked in college, after I didn't make the cut as a walk on for track, and decided ice skating wasn't for me when I got cut- literally. An odd kid in one of my labs invited me to a demo. Turns out he became a pretty good friiend, and beating the tar out of a heavy bag was exactly what I needed. Loved that school, wish I could go back to stay.

Worked in the middle of nowhere for a few years, and could onl find "family friendly" basments and racketball courts to train at. Gave up on them, and went to the Y on my own.

Moved to Philly, found what I thought was a good school. Turns out they keep tacking on fees, and I'm feeling increasingly less enthusiastic toward the school, but still love my art.

 

[shima]

I always had a love for all things Japanese and anime related. A friend of mine, the summer before our 10th grade of high school, told me she found someone who taught sword and that I should come to the weekly Saturday morning lessons with her. I was super excited! So we started learning Iaido in a small class of 5 all summer every Saturday morning at 9am (which for a high schooler is pretty early for a weekend wake up, haha, but I did it anyway!)

Fast forward to the end of the summer. We were training at a local karate dojo, and after our class ended, the karate classes for Saturday always started. Well we had some mutual friends in that class, and one of those friends convinced me to stay and try out the karate classes finally right around the time school was starting back up. I tried out a class and was immediately hooked, so I got my parents to sign me up for that as well.

I did Iaido and Karate all through high school, and competed in every tournament I could get my hands on. (tournaments were like a drug, I got such a high out of competing back then!) I got a total of 33 trophies from my high school days But I haven't competed since then (we'll get back to this thought later in this monologue...)

I went off to college at the end of 2003 (I grew up on Long Island, went to college off near Chicago in northwest Indiana), but kept up my studies since one of my best friends also was the same rank as me in that style and we went to college away together, so we practiced regularly together so we could continue belting. December of 2004 I got my sho-dan in karate (with my friend).

Contined working hard at college, taught some basics as part of the intramural program to those interested in martial arts at the university. Graduated in 2006 and then stayed in Northwest Indiana after graduating since I got a job out there. In October of 2007 I decided it was time to find a dojo out there, and visited and loved the local Tae Kwon Do school. Enrolled there and by May of 2009 I received my 1st degree black in Tae Kwon Do. Through a partnering school we also taught Small Circle Jujitsu at the same school, so I studied that and got up to purple belt.

In July of 2010 I was relocated for work to California (just south of San Francisco). Took me a little while to get settled in but in January of this year I finally went out and visited a bunch of different schools. The school I fell in love with and joined in February 2011 was a kenpo karate school in South San Francisco. In addition to being fascinated with kenpo when I took one of the free trial classes, I also was really drawn in by the school because I learned the main instructor was also an iaido instructor. So I just knew this was where I was meant to be.

So I started because of my fascination with Japanese culture, but I stayed with it because it was just so intriguing to me and I loved the physical and mental fitness that came with it.

I haven't competed since 2003, so I've never competed as an adult or a black belt, but that's my goal for this year! I'm hoping to compete for the first time in 8 years at a tournament that's coming up in June out here.

 

[SouthPaw]

I always knew i needed a martial art. I always wanted it to be boxing. I grew up ashamed and angry and I just had this knowing that if I could get up into a gym and learn to strike--a bag, a person (sparring--I never wanted to mess anybody up) to have that experience, to be engaged in a fight and remain relaxed. Get used to it, get to that point-- I knew it would open doors for me. But all I did was read. I read about Shinto, first, and then the concept of Yin and Yang, Taoism and Buddhism and then Shaolin/ Chinese histories... etc etc. I am still reading today.

Few months ago I started in TKD and it was everything I thought it would be and more (the art, not the dojo). I stopped going because the school was not what I wanted. I may be searching for a school for a long time. I am now training Kung Fu and using what I'vel earned from TKD for core/speed/footwork conditioning.

I also wish I had had the guts to start years ago. My kids will be enrolled early.

 

[Bushido Spirit]

Great topic...

I began training to be "cool" to begin with. As the yrs. progressed, I have found such a deeper understanding...spiritually, mentally, and physically.

It's still "cool" though...

 

[threethirty]

I started because the town I live in is kind of rough. I spent a lot of time in school here getting picked on or fighting, and then a couple of years ago a friend of mine was assaulted and then robbed by some high school kids. They hit him in the head with a brick and almost killed him, so that was it for me, I needed something.

As a bike commuter I tend to notice my surroundings a bit more than my fossil fuel burning counterparts. I kept riding by this place that had a blinky sign that said they did a free week trial.

So I went in. I was looking for something like Judo, I had a bit of an anger problem and didnt want to learn what I felt was an offensive style.

It's been 7 months or so now, I have really tamed my anger, learned how to be a complete person. I even found religion. I have gone from an angry atheist leaning agnostic to curious buddhist

 

[Josh Oakley]

I got started training in Tae Kwon Do when I was 5 year old. My parents felt it necessary for me to be able to defend myself. Then we moved to Washington and I attended Karate at the YMCA, and then Trained at the Cliff Lenderman Academy of Martial Arts (and it's funny because I stopped by his dojo earlier this year and he's A LOT shorter than I remember him being when I was kid).

At some point my parents got divorced and there was no money, but my brother and I trained (and fought) a lot.

Then in High school. I made a few friends that were martial artists, and we trained quite a bit. After I got back from basic training we all rented out a house where all we did was train, breakdance, and... uh... spend quality time with the ladies. During that time I got exposed to AK, Kung Fu, Ninjutsu, Capoiera, and Jungyae Moosul. It was great training, and those guys kicked the crap out of me! This lasted throughout my college years.


During Junior high and high school I was on the wrestling team. Acually, one of the people from my wrestling team, Ben Henderson, made it to he big time and now is a UFC fighter. me I took classes in Yang Style Tai Chi under Ron Jorgensen, because the guys thought I should get something in me that would make me more fluid.

In 2003 I got mobilized to Texas, and took classes in Kung Fu San Soo under Paul Schroeder. When I got off my deployment I continued San Soo under Weston Vermillion. I loved Mr. Vermillions classes, but I got tired of the hour drive it took to get there. So I started looking around.

In 2006 I was going to a movie in Kent, WA and passed by a USSD, decided to look in, and met a great instructor by the name of Alex De Anda. He had a great personality and solid basics. So I signed up and did shaolin kempo, eventually running a dojo in that system. while running that dojo, I got to met Frank Dux, and he invited me to come to his classes as well. He's become a mentor to me, a great friend, and an amazing instructor.

In 2010 I deployed to Iraq, and when I came back my dojo had become a Z-Ultimate school. I chose not to return to that system (and anyway, my instructor had resigned earlier that year. Now I am a live-in student of Mr. Dux.

For me, martial arts was a part of my life style. I can't actually picture my life without martial arts.

 

[No man]

In October '09 shortly after my birthday, I found out that my best friend for years (who was more like the older brother I never had) and the girl I thought I loved (who insisted we remain good friends and nothing more) both of whom constituted my entire social life (and on both of whom I was dependent for approval and social validation to keep me out of the yawning abyss of depression that constitutes my emotional baseline) were engaging in activities of a casual, physical nature. I was distraught, and couldn't stand the sight of either of my emotional crutches. For the first time, I was forced to carry my own weight and collapsed under the burden.
It was almost more than I could stand, having to walk the gauntlet at work every day in that condition.The social friction came from all angles, personal, professional and otherwise.
Real men don't know sadness. Your emotionality isn't conducive to the environment we strive to cultivate here at AUTOCORP.(actual name withheld to comply with company policy)
They expected me to turn it off, like the flick of a switch, but when I couldn't despite the fact that I wanted to more than anything, I had no recourse. "Come in for your shift today or don't come back."
I wanted so badly to escape my compulsive interaction, with all it's empty "How are you?"s and false "Fine, thank you!"s
When I wasn't forcing myself through my day job I was wallowing in misery and anesthetizing myself with various chemicals. I dreamed of a room in an ashram or monastery somewhere on the other side of the planet in a village where no one spoke my language, where I could actually be as alone as I felt, and at least be free from having to pretend I was okay. In reality, airfare is expensive, and I don't have a passport, and besides, in moving across the world, I would only take my baggage with me. I needed to create the ashram within,or I knew that I would stagnate and die long before my corpse was buried, just like so many of my ancestors.
I looked in to a local dojo where an old friend of a friend from high school is an instructor.
I tried a couple classes, talked to the instructors, felt out the atmosphere, and based on what little training I had before hand, I knew this was the place for me, despite it being the first and only place I scoped out. I've been studying Pyong an do ever since, which is essentially kang duk wan/ chang moo kwan (shotokan and northern chuan fa) as taught by PGM Baird, as well as meditation principles behind yang style tai chi chuan and chi kung, which taught me to listen to the ambient noise between my ears, how it can effect my reality, and how to still the noise so I can now assume responsibility for my own emotions, and prevent myself from inducing and/or prolonging my depressive episodes.
As I see it now, my kung fu is a part of me inseparably. It's study and the results thereof make me a more effective and competent human being spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.

TL;DR:
Kung fu has given me the tools I need to save me from myself, and for that I owe it a lifetime of dedication.

 

[Thesemindz]

I started training when I was a little kid because it seemed like something neat. I trained for maybe nine months or a year in Tae Kwon Do and then something changed and I was doing something different after that. I don't even remember what caused me to quit. Those things happen when you are a kid.

When I was sixteen a friend of mine in high school told me about this awesome kenpo school in town where he and another friend trained. My brother and I tried it out and fifteen years later karate has become the focus of my existence after my family. I work a day job to pay the bills, but I teach karate at night because it consumes me. If I could do it for free I would. No question.

I started going because it seemed cool. After a while, it was really about self defense to me. I was a fat, smart, ginger kid, and often bullied and made fun of. I needed a way to defend myself, although of course I never really have used it for that. But that's still a large part of what I teach. Real, applicable violence. Because everyone deserves to be able to protect themselves, and so many people walk in the doors not knowing how.

But once they learn that, and that doesn't take all that long, I start teaching everything else I love about karate. History, tradition, practice, study. I teach my students the way. Handswords and front kicks and grappling and throwing. Sparring and street fighting and sticks and knives and remote controls. And being a better person. Overcoming challenges every day. Focusing on the internal battle, and respecting the power that comes with the knowledge of applied violence. Not just hurting people, but finding ourselves in our pursuit of understanding how to hurt people.

I've practiced kenpo for fifteen years. I teach martial arts, self defense, sports combat, and street fighting. I love karate. It's where it's at. I keep journals of my training and practice. I keep journals of my techniques and all the classes I teach. I have a library of over a hundred martial arts books that I turn to for inspiration and study. I started in martial arts because it seemed cool. I'm still in it because it's the coolest effing thing in the world. I'm only a beginner, but I will try to walk the path.

I love karate. My practice of it has come to define my entire adult life to this point. It is the thing that I do. My brother is a drummer. My wife is a cosmetologist. I am a karate man. Everything else is a dream.


-Rob

 

[Omar B]

Mine is a story of childhood exuberance. I was a kid of 5 years old and already obsessed with Batman because I claimed the lot of my father's comics. I didn't know the difference between karate, kung fu, ninjutsu or any martial art, but I wanted to learn what Batman does. Luckily my prep school started an after school karate program that I joined.

The after school program became a team, the team started competeing and winning and before I knew it I'm 30 years old and still with the same Sensei ... though there was a long separation after breaking my knee in training then moving in the same summer at 16. Next thing I knew it was a new high school, then college, then work. After a while you start gravitating to your comfort zone again. I did try other styles, Choi Kwang Do, Bujinkan, but I realized I just love karate above all. I have not graded in a little over 6 years and I'm really not interested in it because I think further up is just a formality, I think I have a good handle on Seido Karate.

 

[mook jong man]

I just did it to meet chicks.

 

[stone_dragone]

My interest in martial arts came when I was about six and saw a Chuck Norris movie on TV with my Dad. I was fascinated and hooked by the idea of being able to fight with hands and feet. After that point, just about anything that had karate in it I thought was cool.

Fast forward to age 15, I was still interested. I had gotten some books out of the library and took copious notes and practiced what I could, unsupervised of course. My primary interest was in equalizing the size difference between me and those who were, on occasion, my antagonizers...in short, I wanted to kick their ***.

Shortly after starting, I wanted to be able to fight...then I only wanted to be able to defend myself with excessive force...

Now as I look back, my desire is to share my art and live peacefully. If I can't live peacefully, then I wish to kick *** well.

 

[Balrog]

When I first started as a freshman in college at 17, I had been the victim of bullying all through high school. I wanted to learn to stomp a mudhole in somebody's *** if they gave me a bad time. Along the way and over the years, I've learned how to do that, but much more importantly, I've learned how to NOT do that.