Why dont more people learn martial arts?

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  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    i train at a school called Denshinkan (previously Koryu Uchinadi South Australia)

    the style is koryu uchinadi which teaches self defence methods based on the theory of Habitual Acts of Physical Violence (HAPV).

    in other words, we dont learn the regimited attacks and defences you see when people think of traditional karate. no one is going step into a perfect long stance with a punch aiming at the point between your mouth and nose. its up close and personal.

    everything we learn is done in a 2 person drill, and also has a solo version for practise.

    the school is in the northern suburbs of adelaide.
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
    Im a black belt in Okinawian Sanchin-Ryu. Been studying for 14 years, teach a weekly class
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    One, the expense. Classes, registration and certificate fees, clothing kit price.

    Two, I took my son to karate for a couple of years and really didn't like the "spiritual" part of it, did him the world of good. 2 of my other kids tried a local self defence jujistsu (sp?) class where it was more relaxed ( they werent bothered by uniform and you only paid per attendance) and would have considered going there but it moved further away. No real fees meant they went where they could get free/cheap space.
  • xginanax
    xginanax Posts: 333 Member
    I do Martial Arts! i love it! and have being doing it for like 15 years now! comes in handy when an *kitten* think they tough! hahaha
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I'll be doing muay tai when I'm close to my goal weight. My hubs does it already. A lot of people are talking expense - hubs pays $10 a session. My daughter also takes taekwondo -$10 a lesson again, different places. =/

    I'd LOVE to pay that amount! It cost my son $35 per week for one session, which was 45 minutes. This was the kiddie class.

    That is exhorbitant. Are there no other classes around where you live, what you are paying there is extremely expensive.
  • SilverStrychnine
    SilverStrychnine Posts: 413 Member
    I tried it. I didn't like it.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I have a gun and family that make people disappear...nuff said

    Not much good if they get the gun off you and shoot you first though.
  • emmaholmes38
    emmaholmes38 Posts: 20
    I do kick boxing. Its great fun and great for keeping toned, flexible, fit and for losing weight fast. Its burns more calories than any other exercise.

    The best thing is you learn self defence if however you need it at any point. I would recommend it to anyone especially women.

    I also find it helps get rid of any anger build up just to go along and punch a bag letting of any steam.

    Im totally addicted and do 8 hours a week and it works out cheaper and more fun than I pay for the gym.
  • newbeetler
    newbeetler Posts: 197 Member
    I am thinking about takeing my girls to a class on a Saturday morning.

    Local class has moved into the gym behind our house.

    One of my daughter has Cerebral Palsey which affects her legs and co-ordination/walking. Although only mild.

    Thinking about doing Tae-kwon-do as this is the class that is behind our house and I think the kicking will help daughter with co-ordinating her legs and keeping the muscle's worked which can waste away from cerebral palsey.

    From my point of view I have always wanted to do a martail art but there has always been things holding me back :

    1) Time
    2) Money
    3) Lack of respect. I am anti-leadership and see everyone as being equal. I fear that will breed in me a lack of respect for the sensei even if he/she could kick my *kitten*
    4) Confidence. I lack the confidence to walk into a class. Maybe taking my daughters would help me get over that.

    I do leave you with this one thought though and this is from personal experience.

    Martail arts are good for helping you if you are attacked. That only works though if you are better at the martial art than the person who is attacking you.

    A friend of mine had been doing Tae-Kwon-Do for 3 years and got attacked. He tried to use the martial art and was put into hospital for a week as the person attacking him had a black belt. My mate was of a lower skill level.

    It might teach discipline but you still get muggers who use it to their advatange and do not respect the rules of the art in the street.
  • Kanlassak
    Kanlassak Posts: 101 Member
    For me, my parents made me take both swimming and martial arts classes when I was young. The swimming I loved so I kept up with it, but the martial arts was mostly frustrating to me. It's really hard for me to chain movements together the way it was being taught, so I stopped after one block of classes.

    Now, if fencing counts, I have a lot of fun with that. But mainly it's the fun of playing with swords and stabbing people
  • Cassi_Eats_Apples
    Cassi_Eats_Apples Posts: 235
    Because a can of bear mace is way cheaper then 70bucks a month for martial arts classes.
  • kryptonitekelly
    kryptonitekelly Posts: 335 Member
    I love martial arts. Sadly I don't have the money to join a classasi already climb and go to the gym!Back in the day, at school for about 3/4 years I took part in kick boxing, karate, a little bit of judo (didnt like it), taekwodo...and in uni, I took part in ju jitsu for about 6 months :)
  • grizzlymaze
    grizzlymaze Posts: 185 Member
    Wax on, wax off. I just watch the master Bruce lee. I may not be a black belt, but I can fend off any offender with confidence. I'll lay the smack down and put boots to *kitten*'s. Boys will be boys, and me and my brother would wrestle around in our youth.
  • lookslikeyoda
    lookslikeyoda Posts: 161 Member
    I've never had the confidence until recently, admittedly going to a professional trainer or a class would be expensive but I've just been working from dvd's. Its not the best method but its great. I've always had knee troubles so I never thought I could kick but in just a short few weeks I almost accidently kicked the door off its hinges. Its great for exercise and even tho I'm not great at it, if a bad situation ever came up atleast I can attemp to defend myself and with time I know I will be great at it
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
    I took classes in college. I loved it. Now there is nothing near me where I can sign up to continue. The nearest places are over an hour away and are honestly kind of sketchy. They don't seem well taught. When I was in college I was in a major city that had 4 or 5 good schools just for the one style I was learning.

    Then there is the fact that around where I live there are two kinds of places. Places where your not going to be attacked anyway. And the really sketchy drug deal places that if your around that area at night your likely to get shot.

    Martial arts really won't help with either of those.
  • cavemancop
    cavemancop Posts: 42 Member
    people dont because

    a. intimidating
    b. expensive
    c. difficult
    d. it hurts if you are training correctly/enough

    I currently just train jui jitsu, but have also trained in judo, karate and krav maga. You need to have the passion to learn and train otherwise you will not succeed in the sport.
  • tiffygrl12
    tiffygrl12 Posts: 40
    I don't think there are any places around me that teach martial arts to adults. But fencing seems much more interesting to me anyway and it's offered by my college.
  • HorrorChix89
    HorrorChix89 Posts: 1,229 Member
    I have a gun and family that make people disappear...nuff said

    Not much good if they get the gun off you and shoot you first though.
    If they can do that then I deserve to die...just saying
    tumblr_lg3olfWJAM1qcrzkko1_500.gif
  • hannahlbur
    hannahlbur Posts: 221 Member
    I have been doing kickboxing for 4 months and love it - have just done my first belt. Also did Krav Maga for a few months but have not stuck with it.

    I don't think most people would look at it from a self defence angle - I think a lot of people do martial arts because they enjoy it and it's their preferred method of exercise.

    It isn't something that everyone wants to try - either because they just don't fancy it or they are too self-conscious, worried about their fitness, worried they won't be good at it. It took me a couple of months to pluck up the courage to try out kickboxing as it is scary when it is something new (and I went along on my own too!)

    Your school could maybe try tailoring classes to target different people - I do a women's only beginners kickboxing class so I found that much easier for me to go along and try. Had it been a mixed skill/mixed sex class I might not have gone along.
  • xMedullaOblongatax
    xMedullaOblongatax Posts: 136
    I would love NOTHING MORE than to have the opportunity to train in Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Brazilian Ju-Jutsu, and many others. I firmly believe that martial arts is a very important lifestyle, and there have been a few times in my life where knowing how to fight would have made a BIG difference for me. Even if I had a gun and a can of mace, I would STILL learn martial arts, because you cannot always rely on your weapons; if those weapons are ever taken away from you for any reason (which can and does happen very easily), all you have is your body, and you should ultimately rely on yourself to get things done. There ARE attackers who will not be contented with just your money; they will beat, rape, and/or kill you as well. I also want to be able to properly defend my loved ones from such situations.

    The only thing that stops me from dedicating the rest of my life to these traditions is money. I don't have the free money each week/month to learn, and it burns me up that I don't. I have the fire, the want, and the need; I just don't have the money!!! Dx
  • Jess5825
    Jess5825 Posts: 228
    I really want to. When I was heavier I felt I was to big, so I joined kickboxing (cardio). My eventual goal was to join a martial arts. I just can't decide which one and I have yet to check out any schools. Honestly though, I'm not sure my schedule would allow for how much I want to go though, I work swing shifts, so unless they are open for classes in the morning I won't be able to go.
  • kaizen31
    kaizen31 Posts: 74 Member
    Money! It's just too expensive, between the monthly fees and testing fees. It's a shame, because I really enjoyed it as a teen.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I have plenty of life skills that I think are really necessary that a lot of other people (especially women) don't want to have. I can do basic plumbing, electrical and carpentry. I know some minor auto maintenance. I'm an excellent seamstress, a decent cook, and an awesome angler. I'm not very good with a gun, but I know how to fire one. I'm strong and I can run pretty fast. I'm not a great swimmer, but I can get myself to safety. I'm really good with animals and know how to react around strange dogs. I'm really lucky in that I've been approached by many more questionable dogs than threatening humans.

    Now I find that to be a complete person, I need to do martial arts. At some point, I just have to ask, "How many more skills do I need before I get officially labeled a superhero?!" :laugh:
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    . I can do basic plumbing, electrical and carpentry. I know some minor auto maintenance. I'm an excellent seamstress, a decent cook, and an awesome angler.

    i can call a plumber, an electrician and a carpenter, im a member of a road side assistance service. I have a tailor, can go out to eat and can buy fish at the markets.

    all of those skills are awesome, and i wish i was able to do them. i can cook quite well, can change the oil in my car. i love to fish but dont catch much. but if i get into a bind, i can always get help. if i find someone threatening me or my family, there is no one to rely on but myself.

    the following is an experience had by an instructor i know:

    "One woman was participating in a very half-hearted fashion. I asked her why, and she said (honest!) I don't think I could hurt anyone. I suggested that might change if she were being threatened with rape, and she shrugged and said I doubt it.

    Sooooooo...... I said what if the attacker said he was going to rape your child?

    10 seconds later my shins were bleeding, my instep was in agony and had I not moved, I'd have needed a knee recon."

    i understand that cost is a big factor. and if you cant afford to go but want to, then that is a shame. i am lucky enough to be able to afford to train, and go to a gym and still afford enough food to make myself need a website like this to lose the weight.

    someone earlier mentioned that they learn from DVDs. there is nothing wrong with that at all. my sensei's father (who was the previous sensei at my club, when it taught a variety of different styles) learnt ICHF hapkido by correspondance. and was still graded to first dan via video. so it can be done. just make sure you video yourself doing it because you cant see what you are doing wrong without being able to see yourself in the first person.
  • thesmallo
    thesmallo Posts: 4
    The link below is a good summary of many martial arts schools. After my experiences with the schools described in the video -- and worst -- I was lucky to find teachers who are really skilled in their arts which are legitimate systems with a real martial lineage.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcbe3Ao0ThU

    Need to do homework so maybe more later but two important things when trying to decide on training -- research and if the school is the teacher's/owner's primary source of income. Oh one more thing stay away from "black belt programs" and/or promises of "black belt" in three years.
  • FORIANN
    FORIANN Posts: 273 Member
    Do lots of cardio.

    Do strength training.

    Work on flexibility.

    Buy a Glock.

    That about covers everything.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Need to do homework so maybe more later but two important things when trying to decide on training -- research and if the school is the teacher's/owner's primary source of income. Oh one more thing stay away from "black belt programs" and/or promises of "black belt" in three years.

    Matter of fact, stay away from anything that guarantees promotions at any level after a certain time.
    If the student isn't ready, they shouldn't be put forward regardless of how much time they have.
  • JaySpice
    JaySpice Posts: 326 Member
    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.

    $150 is a lot a month. That's a pair of heaux shoes. If I get attacked I'd just use my stiletto.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    $150 is a lot a month. That's a pair of heaux shoes. If I get attacked I'd just use my stiletto.

    Hey, the time my mother got attacked (attempted choke from behind) in an alley in NY, she used her 4-inch heels on the instep of the attacker and then ran like hell :D
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
    its to expencive for me and i dont have a babysitter
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