Starting Out In Martial Arts Training

People want to start martial arts training for numerous reasons but all will suffer with first time nerves, regardless of the reason for taking classes. Thankfully, whether you are starting at the dojo, kwoon or gym, there will be people in the class, students as well as the instructor, who will make the first lesson hurdle easy to overcome.

However, regardless of your reason for taking up martial arts training, or whether you are, young or older, man or woman, adult or child you will feel some anxiety about starting. One reason to take up martial arts is to improve fitness and drop weight. People assume that martial artists are super fit and trim and are intimidated as a result. This is due to preconceived ideas of what a Martial Artist is. For example, someone wanting to train to lose weight and get fit will have the idea that the class will be full of trim, super-athletes ready to kick butt! While this should be the case it rarely is. There will be people attending who were or are in the same boat as those wanting to lose weight. These people will be able to empathise with you and help you along.

Others want to take up the martial arts because they are tired of feeling intimidated or bullied. The self defence side of training is what interests these people. Big scary martial artists can be very intimidating in themselves, particularly before you actually get to meet them. Even then there is a tendency for some to look, well, a bit mean. Usually, they have a lovely soft under belly. In addition, everyone one of them was a beginner at one time and some of them will have been scared too.

Often the idea that they will be the only woman in a class is enough to stop many female's participation. While this is true there are many fantastic female martial artists and many of these are teachers too. Besides nowadays there are even professional female boxers and cage fighters! It's worth remembering that all of these were nervous beginners at one time.

Children can join a martial arts class for many reasons. Some want to be a Power Ranger, others are simply bored, while some are pushed into it by their parents. This initial push can be because they are being bullied or are unfit and overweight, whatever it can be intimidating for kids too, even for the wannabe Ninja Turtle. However, kids being kids overcome this pretty easily, even the shy ones, once they get going.

The important message is that even the instructor was a beginner once and any worth their salt will be able to put the most nervous beginner at ease. Then the teaching can begin and anyone, and I mean anyone should be able to do something well. It might take a few lessons to find what you're naturally good at, but it WILL happen. AND it will happen quicker and more easily with a good instructor supported by good students; these things tend to go hand in hand.

The trick is to do your research. Checkout the websites and local listings on business directories, find classes that appeal, phone them up and then turn up and have a go. If not you can at least watch and join in later if you feel comfortable, alternatively, bring a friend for moral support. But whatever you do, and for whatever reason you want to start martial arts training, DO IT!


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