Martial Arts

TaeKonDomama · June 2009

How many people here are into martial arts? And which ones? As you can tell by my screen name I do TaeKonDo. I started it back in October of last year at my highest weight. I'm not exactly sure the number at that time. I do know when I started at a gym it was 378 and that was May 9th. But I credit my TKD fro getting me ready to lose this weight this time.

I was in my fist tounament yesterday and brough home two 3rd place trophys. One was for my form and the other was for sparring. That is full contact padded up sparring, not the easier one step kind. Full contact is full exercise kind I tell you. You get the arobic as well as strength training in it as well as the balance needed to keep from falling on tush.

brainey100 · June 2009

Congrats on your trophies. I've been training in muay thai for two years now. We don't have any trophies or awards; we just train hard and spar hard. Definitely a great workout if you find the right gym and instructor. Hope you have continued success and good luck on your wieght loss.

kitty_cat023 · June 2009

i am definitely into martial arts, more specifically taekwondo too! i trained under wtf, and unfortunately i moved quite away from my school and couldn't find one that was as good in my area, so i figured if i couldn't do the sport i loved properly, i would train in a completely different area and i took up jiujitsu a few months back. i definitely do not like jiujitsu as much, it only reinforced how much i really love taekwondo, and i am itching to go back ASAP!! i wish they had it on here under the exercise tab, would be curious to see how many calories you burn doing it! anyway, congratulations on the trophies!! what organization do you train/compete under?

Learning2LoveMe · June 2009

I always wanted to try martial arts but I'm scared to feel stupid if I end up in a class where everyone knows what to do and I know nothing. Sounds really stupid but its kept me from trying it. :grumble:

Do they have classes for adult beginners?

DaniNei · June 2009

I always wanted to try martial arts but I'm scared to feel stupid if I end up in a class where everyone knows what to do and I know nothing. Sounds really stupid but its kept me from trying it. :grumble:

Do they have classes for adult beginners?

I know what you mean, I don't want to be 15 years older than the kid next to me.

Moogle · June 2009

I do karate, aikido and kendo- so a very full schedule: karate/kendo on Monday/Wednesday; aikido on Tuesday and karate/aikido on Saturday, plus an hour training with one of the black belts- I'm a brown belt in karate- a step away from black and have a purple in aikido/kendo (two steps away from black in our school).

I train adult beginners frequently lizagna. Trust me when I say I didn't know a roundhouse kick from a front punch on my first day. Two years later, I've started teaching classes on some nights. Most schools will take you through all those kicks and punches before they start you on kata or sparring.

As for being 15 years older than the kid next to you, one of my training partners is 16 and I'm pushing *coughthirtycough*. Doesn't bother me in the least. She's the same belt level as I am, so rather than working with someone who's younger, I work with someone with the same skills as me.

kitty_cat023 · June 2009

absolutely! i felt the same way when i started, but everyone is in the same boat, and i'm sure (they were at my school) very supportive and welcoming. i think every adult has that thought, so when you feel intimidated that "everyone knows what to do" they all started somewhere, many as adults, and they all thought the same thing walking through the door! i highly recommend martial arts, and taekwondo more specifically (obviously), it's very beneficial beyond exercise.

TaeKonDomama · June 2009

lizagna, you said:

I always wanted to try martial arts but I'm scared to feel stupid if I end up in a class where everyone knows what to do and I know nothing. Sounds really stupid but its kept me from trying it.

Do they have classes for adult beginners?

I started just taking my kids to our class. But it brought back my passion from when I was younger and would copy the moves I would see in movies. But yes they do have begginers that are adults. I started off at 36 and very close to 400 pounds. I am the oldest in our class. But I had watched them and the class fit well with my family. Check around your area at the diffrent choices. Some will not be right for you but hopefully you could find sone that is. Most places will allow a visit to either do one class for free or just watch it to see if it is the right one for you. Believe it or not the weight or age isn't my biggest problem. I am almost deaf in the speech range. So that is where I have most of my trouble (especially now) because my instructors have to act everything out for me. I had asked the owner specifically about taking on the challenge of training me with my many "challenges" and he was up for the job. Whwn I started I had to crawl to the side to use the wall for support to get up and down. Now I have very little trouble getting up. I am still slower than the others but progress is imprtant.

DaniNei, you said: I know what you mean, I don't want to be 15 years older than the kid next to me.

It really isn't a problem if you get the right class for you. They have beginners come in all the time. We had a new guy a few months ago who looked in pretty good shape that was there for a while. He was much younger than my years and a LOT smaller. But he was having a very hard time with flexability and was amazed that the fat woman, me, was able to almost touch my toes and he could barely get past his knees. He dropped as many males do after they learn that they are not going to come in and start sparring right away. Only one male has remained in class long enough to progress and he is now a brown belt. But is surrounded by us ladys ranging from 16 to 37.

Moogle It sounds like you have avery full schedule. Keep it up, it sounds great. By the way we have an 11 year old in the JR class that is a black/red belt. I figure he started about the age of 5.

kitty_cat023: Our school is a USTT specifically a Christian TaeKwonDo one. At the last tounament (my dd competed but I just watched. I could not yet fit into my dobak bottoms) Our ladies went up against a lady trained in jiujitsu and ours all had the chest protectors but she didn't and would grunt and groan at being kicked in the chest. Which is where you aim for the points. But afterwards one of our cometitors overheard her telling a friend that she had got the 1st place trophy because she knew if she left her chest guard in the car the opponents would not like kicking her chest unprotected. That was the reason for the exageratted grunts. If that is a common tactic that is trained in that branch I see why you prefer TKD. I am hoping that was just her personal tactic, not one she was taught. It is not very sportsmanlike. I hope you find a class for yourself that you enjoy before long. I LOVE mine and would hate to have to leave it. As far as how many calories are burned I found one free place on the web that I could put in my weight and type of activity as well as duration of it and it calculated up how many calories get burned. For my 1 hour I typed in ( I left out time for the sitting while others went) it said I would burn over 1600 calories a:noway: t my weight. I did the calculations for my 17 year old and she was mad because hers was much less calories burned. I told her that the heavier burns more because it uses more muscles just to move all that poundage. At 370 (at the time) that is a whole lot to have to manuver around. But she was saying there is no wonder she is always hungry after class.

TheMaidOfAstolat · June 2009

I always wanted to try martial arts but I'm scared to feel stupid if I end up in a class where everyone knows what to do and I know nothing. Sounds really stupid but its kept me from trying it. :grumble:

Do they have classes for adult beginners?

Me too! I thought that I was the only one. I want to start taking Savate classes...there are none in my area...so I might just have to start taking some kickboxing classes as tha will be the closest I can get to it.

chgudnitz · June 2009

Karate is great, not just for the exercise, but for the discipline and self confidence it creates. I have a black belt in shotokan and would highly recommend to anyone.

Any good school will have something for beginners, that's where everyone starts. And PLEASE don't go just for the trophies and awards from tournaments. I hated them. In forms, most of the time it is a mixes style tournament, so if the judges are one style of martial arts and the contestant is another style, they tend to be judged differently.

The reward comes in how you feel about and carry yourself. It is an awesome thing, but requires A LOT of time and dedication. If you go into a school and all that you see are walls full of trophies get out, you don't want any part of tournament schools. They do not typically (before anyone sends me hate mail, it's not always the rule) train in the proper traditional styles.

TheMaidOfAstolat · June 2009

Karate is great, not just for the exercise, but for the discipline and self confidence it creates. I have a black belt in shotokan and would highly recommend to anyone.

I did shotokan back in highschool...we had a teacher who started an after school club. I made it to blue before he left for a new job at a local college. I wish that I had the opportunity to continue study under his guidence. He was a wonderful master.

frankborelli · June 2009

My whole family is in to Tae Kwon Do. My wife, 11-yr-old son and I are all currently brown belts. My son should be testing for his brown-stripe soon. If we all keep working hard we can get our black belts in about a year.

For the lady near the beginning who said she was afraid of "looking stupid"... if you go to a studio... a dojo (japanese), dojang (korean) or other school and someone makes you feel stupid, LEAVE. While the martial arts - and mixed martial arts as they are growing - are a great tool to learn self-defense skills, more often than not they are a better tool for fitness and self-discipline. I like the fact that with TKD my son is also learning bits and pieces of a second language (Korean). He can count to 50 and say things like, "Thank you, sir!" and "You're welcome" and is learning more as he grows.

Many schools will let you train as much as three times per week, one hour per session, but if you have a good instructor who knows about your weight loss goals, he (or she) may let you add in a class here and there to increase your exercise rate without charging you extra. After all, he has to be there anyway and one more student in the class costs him nothing.

Finally, look into what else your school or studio may offer. Ours offers kick-boxing as well as TKD. Two different instructors and styles. The kick-boxing is more self-defense oriented and is a MUCH stronger cardio workout.

Back in the day... before my daughter grew up and moved out (just two years ago) I was doing three TKD classes each week with my wife and son, and two kick-boxing classes each week with my daughter. If I'd been paying better attention to my diet I'd have been in great shape at a fantastic weight!

FatDancer · June 2009

Greetings MFPs! I just wanted to check in to let you all know that I am a huge fan of MMA.

My Son is a Martial Artist and has taught me a few moves...my son has taught me how to perform an arm bar and a leg bar...when he demonstrates moves on me it is quite painful and he doesn't even begin to apply any pressure...frequently he wants to teach me a move and often times I tap out on his hand when he starts to reach for me.

I do love to watch the cage fights however...it is such an honorable, extreme sport...the mental and physical training of fighters is so admirable!

paulamma1 · June 2009

I always wanted to try martial arts but I'm scared to feel stupid if I end up in a class where everyone knows what to do and I know nothing. Sounds really stupid but its kept me from trying it. :grumble:

Do they have classes for adult beginners?

Always. I'm a brown belt and started a couple of years ago, hmmmmm, I turn 46 next month.

But then again I live and breath by:

"Phuck 'em if they can't take a joke!"

TaeKonDomama · June 2009

chgudnitz : I agree if the walls are covered with the trophys the focus may not be the best for the person. Our school has a small trophy shelf and our focus is on improving what we each can do. Like I said when I went in I was pretty near 400 pounds and could not get on or off the floor to do the stretches on it without crawling to the wall for support. My instructor said to do my best and when I could do more to do more. But he is very concerned about not getting us injured. I have gotten first to where I could stretch better and start doing a few of the exercises on the back. That was impossible for me starting out. Now I can get up and down and do all the exercises the others do. Even if I cannot do quite as many as them. Like I said it is progress that is important. I was just proud of my trophys because I was in such bad shape starting out. I am still in the upper 350s. And if anyone tells you that it is easy to do all the jumping and punches and kicking at that weight they are nuts. But I am doing it, even though it is a challenge. It was my first tounament and I was going against kids that are a lot more flexable than me. So I was just happy I could hold my own in that situation. I was not trying to say tounaments are mega important. They are just something cool to do occasionally to gage your progress against a larger group of competitors. Other schools and styles can help you move diffrently and make you better prepared in case you need to defend yourself in real life. It is also due to taking TaeKwonDo that I have been able to make a real diffrence in my health. I am losing weight the right way for the first time in my life. I never had the self disapline before the class. But if my school had focused on trophys I would not have been joining in the first place. It would remind me too much of that bad school from "Karate Kid" and I would not have gotten that thought out of my mind. I enjoy training for the training of us, not for plastic little guys. Even those that only stay for the first month take some confidence back with them that maybe they didn't have starting out.

My son had a problem with the class because he was not fond of the dicipline he needed. Plus he is a big boy. At the age of 10 he is 5 ft. 5 in. tall. So he had the poblem of trying very hard not to hurt he young ones he was in class with due to age. He was moved to the adult class because of his size, but missed to kids his age. So he ended up dropping for a while. He is planning on going back in July. I told him to wait because June was focusing on getting us all practice on forms and sparring practice for us competing. Then we will be belt testing the last week. He would have ended up not being able to do much until after tests anyway because he dropped too early to have learned his form well enough. This way he starts back when all fo us that pass will be learning new ones ourselves. So he will be "ahead" because he will know a little of his starting out.

chgudnitz · June 2009

What made you decide to get into Tae Kwon Do in the first place? It's actually the style I started out with and believe me I understand it's not easy for larger people. I moved to shotokan after studying the differences and decided shotokan was good for me. We used to joke about tae kwon do that when you guys jump, we just waited for you to land, then strike. Anyway, thats something else.

One of the things I would do when instructing a class was separate the ones practicing for tournament from the other students. This way they could practice the very specific things they needed and the rest of the students could still develop their skills and discipline.

You should be proud of your trophies, I know I used to be. I did not mean that so much on a personal level, I think we should ALWAYS celebrate our victories. I meant it more on a "if thats all your school cares about" type level. It sounds like you have an instructor that cares about his students, and that's great.

Keep with it, it sounds like you are doing very well. And remember Tae Kwon Do student, keep your feet on the ground and don't get caught in the air with nowhere to land. Simple life lesson in there, make sure you have a place to land BEFORE you take a leap.

CoachFoland · June 2009

I was a taekwondoist from 6th grade through college. I also took hapkido in college. I loved it. Then life started.

One of my new fitness goals to is start again. I will be training in Krav Maga starting in September. I'm very excited about it!

TaeKonDomama · June 2009

chgudnitz: There were several factors in my chice of martial art. One big one was the area I live in des not have a lot of martial arts to choose from. I have noticed that within an hour drive there are several more studios popping up. Another factor was that my ds is homeschooled and really needed to get around kids. So when my dd came in from school after having talking to a girl in one of her classes and asking about taking the TKD class, I agreed to loo into it. I got the instructors email and asked him questions before we even went. I had to do that instead of just asking in person due to my hearing loss. We were invited to have a class to see if we would be interested. I was also told not to worry about my deafness, they have a blind blackbelt. So I knew after that and watching the one class it would be a good fit for my kids and I. The higher belts were messing up a bit on the forms and he never belittled, he just showed them step by step until they got past their block. If we had tried a diffrent place I am sure I would never have gotten to where I can do any of it. But this dojag the instuctors care about the students and even though there is the "one more" doing drills once we think we are done, it is where if we really are spent they say next time we need to do one more than this time untill we are caught up to the others.

When we started our drills for the yellow belt I am at now it involves ajump kick. For a while I was having to "fake" it. I was told to only do it if I was felling confident that I could without hurting my knees. As it is I have to have a wrap on one ankle and one wrist each class anyway. So they didn't want me to blow out my knee. But I'm sure you all know what I mean about this. But when you get presented with the challenge you just have to figure out a way to overcome it. So I was wrapping my knees at the first few times trying it. But I no longer need those wraps. And can get the kick almost hip high. WHich for such a size is a decent kick. It is cool to see our red and brown belts do the kick. Oh and I have even seen our blind black belt do it and hit the target with no problem.

Don't worry that I may have taken offence about the trophy remark. I knew exactly to what you were refering. I think I'm going to search up some about these other martial arts you all are into. Not that I want to change I don't. But I think the diffrent cultures and diciplines are neat to learn about.

djjustjohn: It is good you found one to start doing. As soon as you get going I think you will realize how much you really missed it. It looks like it was a part of your life for a long time. Have fun.

FireMonkey · June 2009

I've started Nisei Karate 1 month before my 50th birthday. It's a community club so we have adults and kids training together. But I think most clubs don't have kids train with adults. I just got my brown belt and am now working towards the black belt - at least another year.

I also practice Tai Chi. If you're new to martial arts, you may want to consider this for starters. The moves are very similar to other martial arts, just slower. And even though it's slow I break into a pretty good sweat each time.

TheMaidOfAstolat · June 2009

I'm starting Krav Maga shortly...and I'm sure it's going to whip my butt. It's been a while (6 years) since I did any form of martial arts. I'd really like to take Savate but there is no one around here that teaches it exclusively. The guy that I'll be taking Krav Maga also teaches the kickboxing class at the same gym (it's only a gym for martial arts and bootcamp style workouts). I'm going to be dead the next day. :laugh:

hblack · April 2010

I have been doing TKD since I was 6. It is an activity for all ages. I have trained next to very young kids, and very old people. In my black belt testing we had a 6 year old testing and a 60 year old testing. If you find the right club, it doesn't matter the age of who you are training with, it is a second family that wants to help you be your best. I have had to quit recently because of school and work, but I definitly plan on taking it up again when I have the time. I am also going to be teaching my mom TKD as something for exercise once a week once school is done. She is 50, I am 18, so it truly is something for all ages. As well, you do what you can do, and you do what you can do as well as you can, if it isn't perfect no one cares, its about making an effort in all that you do. So don't be afraid. Try a few clubs in your area, see the feel, meet new people, it really is a great experience. Get your kids into it WITH you, there are MANY family classes, so you can train with your kids and wear them out and get some exercise for yourself. Don'y be afraid to try it, no matter who you are, your first day is about learning and you build on that. No one can 'laugh' at you or make you feel like you 'suck', because on their first day, they were just as bad. If you live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, K.H.Min TKD is an awesome school, it is run by a family (the Dad is the Grandmaster and his 2 daughters are the head instructors) and it has a family feel to it. Check TKD out, it is an awesome sport and a great opportunity to keep in or get in shape (also you gain a LOT of flexibility!!).

patwil73 · April 2010

I have taken 4 different types of martial arts (Tae Kwon Do - Chen Tai Chi - Kung Fu - Akido). All were when I was much younger but I would love to get back in them. Each style has different things to recommend it (so here are mine)

Tae Kwon Do (took as a teenage, rank of black belt) - Very good for flexibility, strong cardio workout, great for discipline which carries over to other parts of your life, lots and lots of schools so if one doesn't suit you there will be another usually close by. They have a lot of tournaments which are very exciting to go watch and participate in. Full contact no stop sparring is one of the most draining exercises I have ever done.

Some of the downfalls include - it is hard on the knees and joints. If you have any problems with these parts of your body take it slow to get used to the movements. Most schools I went to had a barefoot policy (you couldn't wear shoes). My feet don't develop caluses, they just crack unless I moisterize them often so being barefoot is often painful for me.

Tai Chi (took in college for 4 years) - Movements are often very slow and graceful but done correctly they work almost every part of your body hard. It is wonderful for balance. Depending on where you live you might be able to do it in a park.

Downfalls include - it doesn't look like it would really exercise you, which if you are not doing it correctly it doesn't - so people can often become discouraged. Learning is more difficult as often you are watching the instructor lead you and the rest of the class throught the form. We often had experienced students in front and back so no matter which way you turned you saw someone who was doing it correctly.

Kung Fu (4 years in college too) - great for flexibilty and core strength. I personally found the moves and forms more beautiful than Tae Kwon Do because they appeared more exotic to me. Great for self-defense and an excellent cardio workout when going full steam.

Downfalls include - Difficult to always find a good school. The whip like motions used can be hard on the joints as well as the locks used. So many different styles that often going from one to another can mean starting all over (my instructor did a combination of styles which was really neat).

Akido (few months in my early 30's) - great discipline, good self defense, neat if you like moving people with little effort.

Downfalls - wasn't a great cardio workout for me (might have been the school), the falls are hard on your bones until you learn to do it properly.

I loved martial growing up and really should get around to joining again. . .Pulling up another page to search for schools in 3. . 2. . .

Murdog · April 2010

I've studies the Songham system of TKD since 1994. I know about the "jumping" situation. However, I never was a good jumper, therefore, didn't get into it in sparring. It's good to see that there are so many martial artists here. I haven't trained in a school since 2004. So, train on my own. Like anything else, it's tough to stay motivated and keep going.

I've been on again/off again every since. hopefully, we can motivate eachother to keep training.

Have a good day everybody!

HOSED49 · April 2010

I grew up watching Bruce Lee,so when I got out of the military I found the closest Martial Arts School which was an American TaeKwonDo school. I trained there for a year and a half, got my first degree black belt in 6 months(lots of double belt testing), and my trainee instructor collar. I moved and 12 years later began training in BJJ, Muay Thai,Kick boxing, boxing, grappling etc...
In an earlier post someone wrote, I dont want to look silly or stupid, remember this:
1)You probably felt the same when you started working out for the first time
2) Everyone has to start somewhere at some level
3) It doesnt matter what they think, are you having fun, are you enjoying what your doing?

One of the biggest things I have found, in all the martial arts I have trained, is that if students check their ego at the door, the classes are a hundred times better. Occasionalyy someone walks in and has to prove how tough they are. It is unfortunate but it happens. Dont worry about them, they wont last long, they have no discipline or honor. If you have fun during your class, if you learn from your mistakes, if you put fort hall your effort to your goals, then who cares what anyone else does. The workouts we do absolutely kill me, and I make tons of mistakes, I learn though, and I try harder. When I drive home, I dont care or even think about what so and so thought about me, I am smiling because I just survived one heck of a workout, I can tell my cardio is coming back around, I feel great, I am more confident, I am happy and I have learned something new and cant wait to go back and learn more....If you have that attitude, find a school, take a few free lessons, have fun and learn...oh and you will be getting in tremendous shape while you learn and have fun...kinda an added bonus!

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