Taekwondo

OMG!!! I love TKD!!! I would go every day if they had class everyday,,tho my master would probably not want to deal with me that much..lol I do 2 hours twice a week,,sometimes 3 hours but that extra hour is usually helping newer people so I dont actually get much of a workout so dont count it,,if I am doing more teaching then actually work,I dont count those days,most of the time we get a pretty good workout,I would say equal to a 5-8 mile jog,,now it depends on your dojo,,at ours warm ups can be running down the street or playing dodgeball,,or who knows what our master comes up with,,some of its pretty insane! and most nights we work pretty hard,small groups so we all get a lot of work in.Our instructors keep us moving..I say try it out,,almost anyone can get the first several belts without to much problem.Its mostly attitude,"I CAN do this" as apposed to "I CANT do this" Give it a try,at least the gyms around here,are very positive energy, with awesome people!

My husband and I have been practicing Tae Kwon Do for about one year now, and we love it!

The workout is great - it is cardio, strength, balance and flexibility in one! How hard it is depends on your sabum and the overall level of your class, but I can't imagine a class that isn't going to make you sweat and out of breath in minutes.

The great thing about Tae Kwon Do (and that goes for any martial art) is that you are working out AND having fun AND learning something useful. We are lucky to have quite a few black belts in our class and they are just amazing - their strength, endurance and agility is simply inspiring.

One of the reasons I preferred TKD over other martial arts is that Tae Kwon Do heavily focuses on kicking techniques, and I love kicking things! You'll be doing a lot of jumping (although maybe not in the beginning) so make sure your knees are up for it. If kicking and jumping is not really your thing, there might be other options for you.

Regarding feeling self-conscious: Every time we have a new person starting, our sabum reminds us of the fact that we were all once beginners who didn't even know how to do a simple side-kick, and that we need to have patience and, most importantly, that we need to be careful when sparring with a new person. So don't worry about 'being the new one'! Remember that if you don't start, you'll never get better!
If this is weight-related: We have people in our class who are overweight, and they do just fine! Sure, their kicks aren't as high as some of the others, but hey, neither are mine. What is important is that you push yourself and you try hard and you want to improve, and while I can't speak for your local dojang, ours is very welcoming and respectful of anyone who just wants to work hard for it. It's all about mentality, and people are respected for doing their best.

Also, one tiny little thing, but it is a 'dojang' in TKD, not 'dojo' (the latter is Japanese, TKD however is Korean, hence 'dojang') - Just thought I'd mention it

Awesome! Hope you like it (but I'm 99.9% sure you will), let us know how you go!

My brother did TKD and he was in incredible shape from it! Look into the different classes and levels they offer. They usually have classes oriented towards those who are looking to get into shape and don't want the hardcore in-your-face coaching that comes to those looking to make it into the olympics.

The white belt classes or even a family class would be a great place to start. See if the gym will let you take a trial class or watch one of their classes to get a better feel of whether or not you want to take classes.

Different masters have different ways of running their classes. If you don't get the right vibe from one of them look into another. I remember my brother trained at one place where the master was pretty friendly and the workouts were team oriented. Another place he visited for a training session was very uptight and the master was "old fashioned" and strict.

Things TKD has to offer: Cardio! Although a sparring match is only a few minute long, it takes more endurance than you'd think. The training will leave you in great cardiovascular health. Flexibility! In order to prevent injury, the masters usually put a great deal of focus on improving flexibility. And most students do. Strength! TKD students usually run a lot of drills. Repetitive use of the muscles will increase your strength and muscle mass.

Have you tried a sword workout? I started with TKD and a couple of my classmates got started with Steel MBS. Its pretty cool...combines martial arts with a little tai chi.

So how's it going?

My son has been taking TKD off and on for about 2 years (he's 10 Y.O. now) and just got his green solid belt. He's DYING for me to sign up so we can take the family class together.

I'm apprehensive about it for a couple of reasons:

1. I'm painfully self-conscious in such settings which is why I refuse to dance.
2. I'm terrible at learning choreography (which is what it looks like to me).

I'm in fair shape and I run 3x week so I'm not worried about the physical part and the instructors are great. It's a very kid and family oriented dojang. I was expecting the Cobras from Karate Kid but it's not like that at all. I almost wish it was. I was in the Army and the rigid training environment is comfortable and familiar to me. Now I'm just rambling...