Who here has taken a martial art?

[johnnie]

About 4 years ago I took some Tae Kwon Do and made it to orange belt, but I stopped after a few months because it wasn't what I was looking for. I was 35 at the time and it was killing me because it felt more like I was taking aerobics instead of an art. My plan was to go into something like Kenpo or a more of a traditional type of Karate.
Now I am 40 and I think I would fall over after a 20 minute workout, but who knows?
So who here has taken a form of martial arts and to what degree did you take it through?

[kick-ass-bob]

1. I am currently taking sanshinkai karate.

I am a brown belt.

Definitely not like I'm taking aerobics - but there is definitely aerobic activity in it. Our style is a mix of 5 different types, so its a combination of hands and feet techniques.

[johnnie]

5. Well, we would do 45 minutes of calisthenics

And then 15 minutes of actual instruction. Running, stretching, push ups, sit ups and all that crap. Then he would show us a few things and we would practice for 15 minutes.

[kick-ass-bob]

7. We have 15 minutes warm up/stretch

and 45 minutes for instruction.

Yours sounds bad. (to me)

[fertilizeonarbusto]

2. I can use a broadsword

Love it, frankly. And it's taught me a lot of emotional discipline.

[distantearlywarning]

12. Yeah, well, I can use a rapier!

SCA, Fertilizeornarbusto? :-)

[txaslftist]

17. I can use a can-opener. Does that count?

[aden_nak]

3. I am a 1st Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do (style Chung Do Kwon).

Sadly, I don't think my style is really taught much in the US anymore, since the federation that taught it is more or less disbanded. Ah well.

[melissinha]

4. Black

Got a black belt in Tae Kwon Do in 1995. Haven't really practiced since... but... boy if I had a chance to get at Bush I would take him down...

[Ready4Change]

6. I did, but Mom made me give it back.

:)

[johnnie]

8. Ba du dum

Lol.. Good for your mom! :)

[txaslftist]

16. "Ba da dum?" I never heard of that discipline. Is it like Kung-fu?

[redqueen]

9. I took a blended style for a couple of years.

I was lucky because my instructors had each trained in several disciplines, so they taught us what they considered the best from their experience. Mostly it was kung fu, boxing, and grappling, but we also learned bits of aikido, silat, tae kwon do, muai tai, and more.

I had just made purple belt when I quit.

[BigMcLargehuge]

10. I am currently studying Hapkido, Kuhapdo, and Haedong Kumdo

I am at the Red Belt level in Hapkido. I've been a student for about 6 years. There are no belt ranking in either Kuhapdo and Kumdo, but I've been studying them about as long.

I am 35 years old.

As a child I studied Shotokan Karate for a short time. In high school I studied Kodokan Judo and competed regionally, I stopped when my parents opened a restaurant and I had to work rather than throw people around, at the time I was a purple belt. As a late teen I studied Parker Kenpo Karate. I studied for about 4 years and earned my advanced green belt (there are LOTS of belts and degrees for each belt in Parker Kenpo). I stopped studying to attend an Aikido school briefly.

In college I spent some of my free time sparring with Taekwondo, Shotokan, and Muay thuy students.

The Hapkido school I attend is very rigorous, which helps explain that there aren't many students. Our traditional "90 minute" class usually lasts two or thre hours and breaks down like this -

45 minutes of calisthetics (Jumping jacks, crunches, pushups, leg lifts, in reps of 50, five reps for each exercise) Sometimes we do a cardio workout too before the regular exercises.
10 minutes of stretching
20 minutes of conditioning exercises (basically beating on one another and doing dynamic tension exercises). Sometimes we practice break-falls and throws.
60-90 minutes of requirement-sheet techniques (there are 14 pages of these) but we generally focus on one or two groupings. Techniques are done fluidly, to simulate actual fighting (so the "dummy" is encouraged to be unpredictable), and at almost full contact, with follow-ups, until submission.

Sometimes we substitute kicking drills for techniques.

in Kuhapdo/Kumdo we do 50 practice cuts to the head, 50 to the body, 50 cuts to the body with a squat, 50 cuts that sequence temple-temple-head-body. We then cross the floor with alternating step-kneel-cut, stand-step-cut, forwards and backwards, five times (it takes about 20 alternating cuts to cross the floor). We then perform our forms as a group then individually. We warm down by practicing 5 minutes of kneel, draw, cut, clean, replace. We then change to Shinai from steel and preform a half hour of Kumdo drills. Once a month we dress in armor and have Kumdo matches.

[distantearlywarning]

11. Goju Ryu Karate.

Made it to green belt (one belt below brown), but had to move away to a city where there was no dojo in that style. I loved it, but like you, am now out of shape and would probably keel over if I tried to do even 10 minutes of a Gojo Ryu workout.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. For the last time, it wasn't me!

I didn't take any martial arts. Not yours, not anyone else's. You can check my apartment. Again.

I told you I didn't take it, now leave me alone. It was a guy in a black hooded sweater - like I told you originally - who took it, and ran out the back door before I could even say "Hey - stop!"

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

14. My first question is:

Where do you live? In the US, where you live is a determiner as far as choosing a martial art, as some are more highly represented in some areas than others. Let me know that and perhaps I can help you.

Oh, I am a Nidan in Isshinryu Karate, a very no-frills Okinawan style.

[johnnie]

20. Cleveland

The dojo I was at had an instructor that was 19 years old. He was very good and was an Olympic stand by. His father was a Grandmaster and was well known in the arts. He passed away about a year before I started and his son took over. From what I understand the place went down hill after that. My instructor was pretty impressive, but lacked the training skills.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

23. Well, one of the best suggestions I have:

Look in the Yellow Pages. Go visit each school and watch a class or two. If you see something you don't like, trust your gut: leave. If they talk like cult members: leave. If something triggers your bullshit filter: leave. If you see gratuitous and idiotic violence, especially higher belts on lower belts: run away as fast as you can.

Shop like an informed consumer, ask hard questions and expect honest answers, avoid mumbo-jumbo schools, avoid contract schools(go for monthly dues only) and find a style you are comfortable with, one that suits you physically, intellectually and emotionally. Most of all, find a school with instructors who are, first, good people. There are way too many thugs, clowns, con-artists and frauds out there with schools.

The person makes the art, but first the art molds the person. You will find your combat effectiveness in the fullness of time. Never overnight.

[johnnie]

25. Thank you

I wish I could afford more one on one classes, and maybe some day I will. I'm out of shape these days, but I always thought the spiritual side of the art was worth pursuing.
Your post reminds me of what happened here last summer. After I left my last dojo, I was going to check out a place that was near to my house and it taught Kenpo, which I was interested in. One night while watching the news I see that place on the TV and they are talking how they busted a prostitution ring that they were running. I don't know if it was a good or bad thing that I didn't join up there..lol.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

26. Yeah, I remember.

Jay C. Will. A real pioneer in Oriental Martial Arts, in the US and in Parker Kenpo in particular. I have absolutely no idea what that man was thinking, if he was involved in such a thing. Madness. Utter barking madness.

Look, as you investigate schools, always keep your bullshit filter on high. Also, ask the local cops for the school's reputation. If it is good school with good people and well-run, they will know and they will tell you.

[txaslftist]

15. Shotokan Karate.

[da_chimperor]

18. I took tae kwon do when I was 7

but then I quit after a month because the instructor was mean and made me cry. Fucker.

[johnnie]

21. LOL

You should have hung in there for a while, then kicked your instructors ass for making you cry when you got good enough. :)

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

24. There is an old martial arts term...

A very old traditional term, for that instructor:

Jerkoff.

[ashmanonar]

19. 1st dan black belt in shorei goju karate.

it was a pretty broad field, lots of different styles worked in. i'm out of shape now, but i could probably still do most of it.

[MonkeyFunk]

22. I took Ishinryu Karate for about 9 years.

I had just gotten my brown belt when I stopped going. It's a very straight-forward Okinawan style of karate. Not pretty, like Tae Kwan Do, but a good workout and very effective.