Why dont more people learn martial arts?

zorbaru

I was helping out my sensei in a shopping centre display last weekend, trying to bring more students to our school. When he was talking to them he made what i thought was a great point.

People learn to swim so they dont drown if they fall in the water. they do first aid courses to help people that are injured. why isnt learning martial arts to protect yourself from an attack seen as something just as important?

and lets face it. you arent around water all the time, and if you dont know how to swim, you probably wouldnt go near it anyways. but you are around people everyday. so what is more likely? being attacked in the street or drowning in the ocean?

for those of you that dont do it, i would like to hear your reasons why. this will help me (and in turn my school) bring in more students as we will be able to eliviate some of the reasoning that people have.

and if you want to lose weight (and i know you do, thats why you are here), punch "karate" into the exercise database and see what it comes up with. you will be buying those funny white pyjamas in no time.

Kdingo

I don't because it's expensive.:frown:

I always wanted to but I can't even afford the gym.

susannamarie

I don't know, I wish I did, but starting (Aikido) has definitely changed my life much for the better.

queenpushycat

I love martial arts... but I can't kick....

My genes have more dancing style and kicking *kitten*... :laugh: not your stereotypical asian.

Trail_Addict

Because Chuck Norris said I didn't need to. :laugh:

Seriously though, would love to try some Krav Maga!

susannamarie

I love martial arts... but I can't kick....

My genes have more dancing style and kicking *kitten*... :laugh: not your stereotypical asian.

Pick one without kicking!

(Like Aikido -- hint hint )

eashelton53

It's too expensive.

kat65

My son did martial arts for two years. I had no interest in it. I prefer belly dancing. Everyone has their own gig.

phil6707

try Aikido, no kicking there

islandjumper

I don't because it's expensive.:frown:

I always wanted to but I can't even afford the gym.

^^^ This....I did Jujitsu for a year when it was free and was provided while I was a student, and I'd love to do it again, but it's a bit pricier than I can justify. Also it's not always easy to find studios...where I grew up we didn't have a martial arts studio within a 30 mile radius of me...and then it was only Karate (I've always wanted to do Kung fu - the nearest studio was over an hour away from me!)

queenpushycat

I love martial arts... but I can't kick....

My genes have more dancing style and kicking *kitten*... :laugh: not your stereotypical asian.

Pick one without kicking!

I actually like Wingchun after watching Ip Man... :bigsmile: but... it's expensive. I did kickboxing... that's when i realized i suck at it. Dancing is more my style. :laugh:

JacksMom12

I'd love to, but certainly don't have the expendable income. I can barely put diapers on my son on my income :-(

LorinaLynn

I grew up living by a river and fishing in a boat on a lake. I've had a lot more opportunities to drown than opportunities to fend off an attacker.

Pebble321

Because I'm too klutzy and might get hurt.
And because of the cost and the inconveniece of getting to a class. I prefer exercise that I can do at home or on the streets (ie. running) in my own time.

I'm not too bothered by the thought of getting attacked, perhaps I'm naive, but I live in a pretty safe part of the world and I'm generally aware enough to avoid getting myself into dangerous situations. I am more likely to drown or be attacked by a shark at the beach. Or get run down when I'm out on the streets running.

sarah44254

I want to SO BADLY but the courses are too expensive in my area.

zorbaru

expense is an interesting one.

i dunno what the costs are like over there, but her in australia the price of MA varies greatly. from as little as $40 per month up to $150 per month and more.

i couldnt kick either when i started. and i did TKD (first) which was kicking intensive. in the end i was quite good at it. The style i do now has kicks, but are all low level (the only time you should kick someone in the head is when they are on their knees). thats the idea of learning something. if we were good at it before you started, you wouldnt need the classes.

Belly dancing is a great work out (ive known a few people that have done it) and i did break dancing for a while, but i was no good at it. but neither are going to help me if someone decides that my face needs a fist massage.

im not saying that people should go out there and train until they are bruce lee. but i would think that it is a valuable skill that everyone should have for their own safety, much like swimming.

Xaspar

I don't because it's expensive.:frown:

I always wanted to but I can't even afford the gym.

Exactly! I can't afford to pay attention, nevertheless the exorbitant fees they ask for martial arts classes.

Macrocarpa

Bluntly, I don't like combat.

nicehormones

I would have a blast learning martial arts. Just can't afford it, unfortunately.

sarah44254

as little as $40 per month

$40 is no small fee in my world. That can feed me and my boyfriend for nearly 2 weeks. And we scrape by that way to be able to save up for health costs and such. At some point I will have a better job and I will be able to afford fees like $40 and higher without a trouble. But now, that is impossible.

BarbWhite09

Because I have no interest in martial arts whatsoever....

unmitigatedbadassery

I love martial arts. I did some as a kid. I've been into them ever since. I didn't want to get back into it before because, basically, I was too fat and unhealthy. The main reason I don't pursue it now though is because I simply can't afford it.

mamagooskie

I don't like the clothing and sound effects......that is the only reason I don't do it.

rdunlap81

I love martial arts... but I can't kick....

My genes have more dancing style and kicking *kitten*... :laugh: not your stereotypical asian.

Pick one without kicking!

(Like Aikido -- hint hint )

Or Judo???

latinabubbles

If I had the money I would get back in. My son made it to black belt in kung fu. I made it halfway to purple. We both took krav maga as well. I LOVED every minute of it. it was awesome. One day I hope to be able to train again. It was wonderful the things we learned and pushing our bodies to learn.

Anomalia

I have a black belt in American karate and a black belt in Kenpo karate and it didn't help me.

Takes2long

I used to take kickboxing at the local Y. It was fun, and the instructor took the time to show us proper form. It was a good workout, but more aerobic then anything else. A few years later, a friend was talking about kickboxing, how she got in shape, and it got me interested in taking it up again. This time, it was at an actual dojo, with real 'blackbelt' instructors. We hit the pads, kicked the bags, broke boards. I LOVED IT!! They would have karate classes, and I'd get a glimpse of what they were doing. Always looked like fun. There was a few women(morning kickboxers) that were also doing karate, and they'd talk about this kata, or the next testing cycle. It seemed very involved, not for me. Ok, 18 months later, still kickboxing with my morning regulars and the instructor asks us if we'd be interested in an adults only class, offered in the morning. Most of us said yes, and we all gave it a go. 18 months after that first class, I'm on my 7th belt, testing in a week for my 8th belt! It looked intimidating, and sounded very complicated. Lots of movements that you have to memorize. And I cetainly didn't want to be in a class with a 12YO that would put me to shame!! I tried it because I liked our instructor, I liked the other people that were starting with me. We were all "older". Self defense wasn't the reason I tried it, but after 18 months, I do feel more confident that I could defend myself if necessary. Oh, and it IS a great workout!!! especially when it's sparring day:bigsmile:

inetgirl

To expensive! Also, which this is only in my area, the beginner classes are a mix of adults and kids. I don't want to be around them when I have my legs going. lol

rdunlap81

My boys do karate, wrestling, and jiu jitsu. I love to watch them but don't feel comfortable in doing it myself. It is a great way to learn self defense and also burn calories. I just have a fear of exercising or doing anything with people watching.

Captain_Tightpants

My old tongbeiquan instructor (Ma Yue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovbGFPvks9o&feature=related) used to tell us "If you learn karate, kung fu or taekwondo or taiji for 5 years and try to use it in a street fight, you will get your *kitten* handed to you but if you learn it for 15 years you will probably win. Judo, Aikido, Krav Maga, Ju Jitsu... you'll probably do better earlier on in your learning.

30yearssincebikini

It's expensive. Not only the monthly costs, but the gear, and every time you have to go to a tournament or try out for a higher belt, it's more money. I took it with my kids in the nineties and besides the money factor, we kept getting hurt. Even in no touch sparring, there were always accidents where people got hurt. In one no touch sparring episode, I got paired with a six foot male and he kicked me in the back. It still hurts.