Why you started taking martial arts

[Chiduce]

The Old Martial Arts Movies Like; The Maple Leaf, Fists Of The White Lotus, Master Of The Flying Guillotine, Five Fighter's From Shaolin, etc, And Bruce Lee! Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[PaN]

Ever since I was a little kid that saw ninjas fighting in movies, I dreamed about being the best there is in these arts, and saving good guys from the bad guys;-).. Now it's a little different. Now I'm doing it more of just myself, it seems to help me a lot with my life generally. Although I haven't been training long...:asian:

 

[disciple]

It's a bit too late to post here I think since most of the members have...but what the heck I'll post anyway
I have always been interested in ancient chinese culture. But because I was born in a non-chinese speaking country, I had no chance of learning anything (I have chinese lineage but too lazy to learn chinese language from my parents ). So when I came to US about 5 years ago, I wasted no time and started leaning chinese wushu along with chinese language, calligraphy, and all :ultracool

salute
:asian:

 

[manugw]

The reason was because I wanted to make exercise and at the same time llearn self-defense techniques

 

[Ms J]

so how long have you been learning your martial art and did you find out yet that martial arts and self defense are 2 differant things" generaly speeking" yet?

Ms. J...

Note: yes there are expceptions but as i dont know what art your studying i am making a general statement>

 

[Drunken Master]

For me it was a combination of reasons.

Firstly, for self defense, which I think everyone starts for aswell. Aside from that I started to increase my fitness and also I the spiritual path that my style takes was interesting.

Deep eh!

 

[thaiboxer]

well my family have boxing deep rooted, i never really did it seriously, but was always interested in fighting, but never really took the steps until last august.
An incident where a guy came up to me and was being quite aggresive, which I didnt take to kindly too, but nothing really happened of it (it involved an ex that i had parted ways with and apparently she was talking too much about me to this new bloke and he didnt like it obviously - he was a coworker of hers).
anyhow later on i found out he was a TKD exponent (so much for respect for others etc etc) , and i thought to myself, (even though i was reasonably confident in my abilities punching wise) "i dont really know how to block kicks", i had heard of muay thai and its effectiveness, and a week later i attended my first class (after trying to build up a little fitness the week before - i couldnt even run 0.7 miles to start with, now i do rigorous training regime, funny how you can build it up, and also lost 10kilograms to boot).
So i guess i started because i was inquisitive about the martial arts i guess, and to be completely safe in the knowledge that i can defend myself if threatened, and also to see what people are really capable of, and what im personally capable of, ive enjoyed every step of the way so far, its helped me physically and mentally, and hopefully will continue to do so.

 

[Chris from CT]

I originally started martial arts because I wanted to have more self-control. (I'm sure my parents wanted that too.) They called it "anger management issues." The last thing my parents wanted to do was to sign me up for a class that would give me "license to kill." They heard from a few people, but it was actually a friend of the family (who was very into the martial arts) that convinced them that signing me up would be a good thing. I went to different schools and different styles before I found the teacher that could "show me the way." I eventually found out how much there really was to gain from the martial arts.

...and I'm still addicted! :cheers:

Take care.

 

[Turner]

I have no time or reason for when I first started training in the combative arts. It simply seems to be something that has boiled in my blood since birth. As early as I can remember I would play-fight with my brothers as indians, knights, or robin hood and developing drills and techniques to better defeat my brothers with my hands and feet, knives, swords, maces, bows, and staffs.
Being the quiet bookworm type who corrected the teacher in class and who moved around a lot I was a high-powered bully magnet. I'd walk by them and their hands just couldn't help knocking me around. It wasn't something that I wanted to live with, so nearing the end of the 2nd grade I wanted to end it. I had never seen a movie nor had I seen a TV show so I didn't even know that the "Eastern" Martial Arts existed. I went to the library to check out books on Wrestling and Fencing and happened to find several books by Bruce Tegner, Stephen K. Hayes, and a few others. Due to pride I didn't let anyone know that I was learning because I didn't want anyone to know I was having trouble in school, so I practiced my punches, kicks and throws on trees. At first I totally bounced off the trees with my strikes and hurt my back while practicing the throws, but finally as I learned how to put my hips into the action the tree would respond by its leaves shaking. <I imagined they were shaking with fear, but I am sure they were really shaking with laughter>
I continued to practice in secret for 5 years all the while struggling to get better because if I was practicing how to fight, wasn't everyone else? I never felt confident enough in my ability to defend myself that I endured the hands of the bullies. Finally, when I was in the seventh grade <and the new kid once again> some huge overgrown ape of a kid took a particular disliking to me. He took offense to something I said and came after me. He had me backed in a corner with no escape and something just erupted inside of me. He threw a huge roundhouse punch and I just ducked and popped him square in the kisser <I've still got the scar from where one of his snaggle teeth busted his lip open and embedded itself in my hand>. His hand hit the wall and then some how we went to the ground. I immediately got a backmount, but didn't know how to choke so I just stayed there to keep away from his fists <got a lot of jeers about that> and luckily a teacher showed up. I expected only bad to come from that since I am the son of a preacher, but my Dad only had two questions when I handed him the piece of paper telling letting him know I was suspended: "Did you start the fight?"and "Did you finish the fight?" After that people came to me asking if I would teach them and I did.
My Dad took a little notice in my practicing and told me that he had trained in several arts as a young adult and promised to teach me and would correct my technique on a very rare occassion as did some neighbors, but I mostly just learned from books and from trial and error. When I was 15 my Dad finally decided to make good on his promise and showed me a few stances to which I told him "Yeah, I know em." and he asked me to demonstrate what exactly I knew <I bet he was thinking, "Here we go with the teenage know-it-all phase."> but after I finished demonstrating my ability and then sparring with 4 of my students at the same time he told me that he couldn't teach me anything and that I was far better than he ever was so he decided to send me to a dojo and that is when I began my formal training in Goju-ryu karate.

Its a part of who I am. I can't imagine the person that I would be without the martial arts playing a huge role and I can't say that I would want to imagine it. If the practice hasn't saved my life, it has at least saved me from injury on several occassions. I've only been in 5 or 6 real fights in my life, but most where against multiple opponents or against someone with a weapon and one time against multiple opponents who had weapons, but when someone asks me if I've ever used the martial arts I use one of the last things that have happened to me:
One day I was working on a house, and I was on a ladder removing staples from christmas lights that were getting in the way of the project. Well, the ladder was on unstable ground and just fell. Everything just seemed to stand still. I placed my forearms on the roof and hooked the top of the ladder with my leg as it was falling and reset it just using my feet. I didn't feel any fear and I don't think my heart rate went up very much, if at all. My father, who was on the roof looking at me at the time, later said that he wouldn't have known anything had happened if I hadn't told him <as if I were just having a normal conversation, so he described it.> that there was no ladder supporting me.

Sorry for rambling

 

[D.Cobb]

Originally posted by Turner

Sorry for rambling

Ramble on man, that was cool!!
--Dave
:asian:

 

[Lucy Rhombus]

There are two things I've always wanted to learn: karate and drumming. Well, eight months ago, at the age of 32, I realized that now was as good a time as any to fulfill one of those dreams. I looked up "martial arts" in the Yellow Pages and called a couple of places. One sensei called me right back, and we talked for several minutes.

I visited his dojo and was impressed by the skills of the students. I signed up right then for two classes per week. A few months later I increased to three classes per week, and a few months after that I started taking four classes per week. It's great because as a freelancer, I can take the smaller afternoon classes where you get more individualized attention as well as the more crowded evening classes where you feed off the energy of the other students.

Three months ago, I convinced my husband to join me. He was there for three weeks when he ruptured a disc in his back (not from karate) and had to undergo surgery. He returned a month after surgery and was soon awarded his second-level yellow belt, skipping a whole level! He advanced fast because he has someone to practice with at home.

And that's our story.

 

[Cthulhu]

And it's a good story, Lucky Rhombus Now that you've had a taste, any chance of seeing you turn your writing skills to martial arts topics?

Cthulhu

 

[Lucy Rhombus]

Hee, Cthulhu! I mentioned in another thread that I'm pitching articles on martial arts to all sorts of magazines. I have an article on the health benefits of martial arts coming out in Oxygen magazine in a few months (I interviewed my sensei plus the author of the upcoming Martial Arts for Dummies, who's an online buddy of mine), and Ladies' Home Journal has expressed an interest in my profiling women who have changed their lives through martial arts. I'm also pitching Boys' Life on an article profiling Boy Scouts who are advanced in martial arts (if you know any, plrease e-mail me!)

It was nice to find this board. I'm obsessed with karate!

 

[Cthulhu]

Yeah, I saw that in the next thread!

As for Home Journal, you may want to e-mail members Ms. J and DWright. Just click on the 'members' button on the upper-right and search for them to send them an e-mail or PM. There are a few other female martial artists on here as well.

Cthulhu

 

[Lucy Rhombus]

Thanks for the tip! I'll do that if I land the assignment.

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by Lucy Rhombus

It was nice to find this board. I'm obsessed with karate!

Please, tell us more about your style in the Karate forum!

 

[islandtime]

QUOTE]Originally posted by Rob_Broad

I once read that people start taking lessons in the martial arts for one of two readons. They have been beat up or are scared of being beat up. What's your story? [/QUOTE]
...............................................................
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Grab another beer for this tale also..
I had been in MA for about seven years and one day or over a period of days I just lost interest .I have no idea why, it just happened.. this lasted for about 15 years or so..Anyway I still was interested and kept up on what was happening, in the world of MA ,I just didnt go to classes or teach or workout.
(skip to the present time)

Last year I decided it was time for my youngest daughter to get some formal training and I did some research and had my wife enroll her in a classes taught at a dojo using the local YMCA as a space.

I took her to her first class and sat in and watched the class. I was asked by the Sensei if I would like to participate. I declined for a couple of weeks even thought I was getting that old flame back.
Then it happened..... They had a kobudo class and the Sensei did Iaido...
I was totally blown away. I had never seen this before. I had some Okinawan,Chinese and Fillipino weapons in my background but this was too different.

I was hooked big time. Now Iaido is a big part of my life and I am loving it. It is not for everyone but it is for me.


Gene Gabel

 

[Baoquan]

i started MA in my dad's garage-cum-boxing gym when i was six - i just wanted to play with the big kids!

Is it unnatural to still want to play with the big kids when your 26??

 

[Yari]

Originally posted by Baoquan


Is it unnatural to still want to play with the big kids when your 26??

Depends on the game, and gender


/yari

 

[TKD50]

Came home one night and the TV was blasting away in my (then) 11 year old daughter's face. The computer was blasting in my (then) 13 year old son's face. Right there and then I decided that they needed a hobby (Soccer season was over). Decided to train with them