Why dont more people learn martial arts?

anabell31

It sounds fun. But for some reason it's engrained in my head that that's one of the things you had to start out doing as a little kid to be any good at. Like playing an instrument or dancing (though I'm slowly learning otherwise)

DonPendergraft

Reasons? Here's just a few:
1) Time. To become proficient requires a pretty large commitment of time and not everyone can spare it.
2) Cost. Some folks, particularly with families, have pretty tight budgets and can't afford the cost.
3) CCL. Many states now allow concealed carry. You can't karate chop a bullet.
4) Confusion. The idea that just learning a martial art prepares you for a violent encounter is erroneous as all martial arts are not created equal. Learning point karate, for example, is not the same as learning Muy Thai or BJJ. How is person who isn't knowledgeable supposed to figure out where to go to get the proper training?

The first three apply to me now. I did spent about four years studying BJJ some years ago and I feel pretty good about being able to defend myself. But I'm a very busy IT manager who supports a wife and four kids, so things are tight. And I pack heat. I listed number 4 because I know it's true for many. I'm not here to argue about any of the points, only to answer your questions. You wanted some reasons, so what the heck, I thought I would share. Good luck!

Crystal_Pistol

Exercise has to fit into my schedule. I typically can't commit long term to any class. I have equipment at home so I can workout whenever I squeeze some in. The financial part is also huge. I've downsized so much in my life that I can't imagine myself adding a monthly fee for anything.

saxnviolin

I joined in January and I absolutely LOVE IT! It is motivating and the hour is a great workout. It is expensive ($140/month) but
I figured it's more expensive to pay for a gym where I wouldn't go regularly and certainly more expensive to be unhealthy. I signed up for 6 months and my little white belt now has 2 stripes (mixed martial arts).

KyleB65

I train in two martial arts; Capoeira & Jeet Kune Do.

During the time I have been in these classes I have seen many people come & go. Some of the people who come and go quickly are those who want to get into shape but do not have the commitment. These are the September & January crowd. Most of the others who come and then leave are those who want to be Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan but are not willing to put in the time & effort.

Then there are those who never try because they think they cannot perform or that everyone in the class is Bruce Lee and they will not be able to keep up.

In the end, training in a martial art requires that you walk through the door and stay. Like many things in life the training is difficult and time consuming. As it should be! Nothing worthwhile is or should be easy.

That being said, Martial Arts has opened my eyes to what I possible. I highly recommend that anyone interested at the very least give a class a try.

zorbaru

I'm not into black eyes and cauliflower ears.

neither am i. i almost cant watch UFC for some of the cauliflower ears those guys have.

but in 25 years of training, ive not once been injured from martial arts. yet my wife has had all kinds of injuries from netball (a non contact sport).

a good school should train with control. if your technique is good, power will come with adrenaline in the street. but if your technique is bad. speed and power will mean nothing.

If I was ever mugged on the street I would throw them my purse and be done with it

absolutely. avoidance and escape should always be number one priority. infact, one of the best quotes ive heard was that of a local radio announcer who said "ive won my last 10 fights by 100 metres"

learning martial arts doesnt guarantee victory. what it does is to help stack the odds to your favour. if you play roulette, and put 1 chip on 1 number, your odds of winning are less than if you put 2 chips on 2 numbers etc etc. you can always still lose, but i want as much knowledge in my favour as possible. just as learning to swim doesnt guarantee that you wont drown, but it will give you a better shot of making it to land.

cjones0992

I've been wanting to get into kickboxing, but the main reason I haven't is intimidation. It may sound dumb, but I am just embarrassed. I plan on getting the courage to take a class this fall when I transfer schools (the school I am transferring to offers free classes at the rec center). Looks like a great workout and would help reduce stress.

saxnviolin

cjones try it! I love the kickboxing! I got a pair of great pink gloves online. :-)

susannamarie

I train in two martial arts; Capoeira & Jeet Kune Do.

During the time I have been in these classes I have seen many people come & go. Some of the people who come and go quickly are those who want to get into shape but do not have the commitment. These are the September & January crowd. Most of the others who come and then leave are those who want to be Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan but are not willing to put in the time & effort.

Then there are those who never try because they think they cannot perform or that everyone in the class is Bruce Lee and they will not be able to keep up.

In the end, training in a martial art requires that you walk through the door and stay. Like many things in life the training is difficult and time consuming. As it should be! Nothing worthwhile is or should be easy.

That being said, Martial Arts has opened my eyes to what I possible. I highly recommend that anyone interested at the very least give a class a try.

This whole post is spot on for my personal experience as well.

57rainbows

1) Expense - So many other things I do with that money; I can't spend it on a class like that.

2) Pain - I have sensitive joints with arthritis-like symptoms that don't do well with high impact activities, and I won't enjoy a class that makes me hurt. I've had enough pain, I don't like more of it.

fiberartist219

I would like to, but right now I can't seem to fit it into my schedule. I can do workout DVDs at any hour of the day, but to get off work, go to a studio with the right clothes and somehow manage to fit dinner into an evening would be stressful. I also don't like the idea of waking up early on a Saturday... there's just not a time slot that I think I could consistently attend a class, and if I am not consistent, I probably shouldn't bother.

Eventually I will find the time to do it, but now is not it.

shady81x

Blehhh my dad keeps trying to get me to learn Aikido... and my main excuse is - I'm too lazy :laugh:

Mhmm... but srsly, if I ever learn a martial art, it would probably be muay thai.

AmberXenon

I love martial arts. My style is Minna-Jiu-Jutsu, which is a combination martial art of traditional Jiu Jutsu, Savate (French floor fighting), Karate, Judo, and Thai boxing. I've been in the class since April last year and I've lost 56 pounds since. That was my big motivation for losing weight in the first place....I want a Black Belt! We also learn how to defend from various weapon attacks like chains, belts, bats, and knives.

My classes (aside from buying your gi) are some of the most reasonably priced I've ever seen. It's about 10 bucks a class, for about 2 hours. Not too shabby in my book.

getalife9353

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.

While some parents do have their children take swim lessons as a "life skill", most adults swim for the enjoyment of swimming for recreation, fitness, or compitition. The people that I've know that took MA training, did it for the finess benifits, enjoyment and compititions. Not so much for self defense. Basicly the same reasons others may swim, run, cycle, etc. Really how many people to you know that have used their MA skills for self defense in a real street fight? Considering the amount of time I spend on or in the water, vs being in an area that I am concerned about getting in a street fight, the swimming ability is much more important for my safety and enjoyment.

As for why I don't do MA.... No interest....

I don't think promoting MA as a life skill for self defense is going to win over most of the general public, at least not in the area that I live. I would more promote it as a means to fitness, recreation and self accomplishment of reaching the various levels. (belts).

wittlelacey

I did martial arts for two years in middle school! I loved it. My parents wanted to save money so they asked if I'd take the whole summer off, and I never ended up going back. I don't do it anymore because of the same reason-financial problems. As a child it was only 50 dollars a month, but even that would be putting too much strain on my family's money situation. But I do love kickboxing workouts and whatnot

Captain_Tightpants

I would love to get back into it but I had to have back surgery five years ago and I'm terrified of landing on my back and putting myself back in surgery. I know fear shouldn't stop me from doing anything but... :frown:

zeeeb

the cost.... but yeah, i don't understand why more people don't do it.

i've just started my 5 year old daughter in tae kwondo. she loves it. the cost is big, but i thought if i can get her a couple of years of tae kwondo, then she can choose another sport if she so desires. but it will give her a good base for confidence, self discipline, respect, self defence etc.

my kids classes are $15 AUSTRALIAN per class, and $40 each time they do a test / level... so it works out to about $200 a term and $1000 a year if they go once a week, and that's only the expenses i know about, who knows what else might pop up...

and then if they get to the top level it's $1000 to do the test, but if they were that committed to get to that level, i'd fork out a grand, because they would have had to have put in many years of discipline to get that far.

but yeah, swimming lessons are a must for all kids too, they need to know how to swim for their own safety, and swimming lessons cost $15-20 per lesson, so it's not that much more $

RockOnDawn

I would love to learn martial arts, however I know I would have to work around my work schedule, also the possibility of being injured is not fun, I could not afford a broken arm, and my husband had a fit when I mentioned it because he says he likes my pretty face, and the fact that I have teeth. Also, it would be a financial strain as well.

LilRedRooster

I did martial arts for eight years. 2nd degree black belt and all. Loved it, and miss it like crazy. Only reason I don't get back is money now.. We just don't have extra money to put into it. :-/

AZKristi

Seriously though, would love to try some Krav Maga!

That sounds great, I would feel like such a badass if I learned Krav Maga!