reason for starting

[Nadine]

I wanted to know why you did start with your martial art. Was perhaps a kind of philosophy decisive?

[Musubi Dojo]

To become a jedi knight.

[moogong]

I had always wanted to and the timing was right. At 18 years old I could have started much worse things than martial arts.

[KZMiller]

I was in love with Tokugawa-era Japanese art, culture and philosophy. When I went to college I discovered they had a karate class and signed up. It turned out to be Wado ryu, and though the art itself is solid (very solid I was to find out much later) the instructor was a jerk and I went into archery and judo instead. I didn't find my true love, though, until I found Shotokan karate with an excellent instructor. It broke my heart when I had to move out of the area. But from that experience I was able to find other schools with great instructors. The art almost didn't matter--Sosuishi-ryu jujutsu, Shito ryu karate--what held my dedication and interest was quality instruction and working out very hard without endangering life and limb (beyond the usual risk of accident--accidents happen. It comes with the territory.) My favorite instructors were generous, humble, skilled, patient while at the same time they didn't tolerate showing off, wimping out, flailing, punishing (where your partner starts striking hard or going faster than the drill speed to prove that he can win or put you in your place) and encouraged things like black belt clubs (where groups of people who join about the same time encourage each other and practice outside of class together in order to achieve black belt.) I'm not picky, I just know what I like. :D

[Harlan]

I just wanted some exercise.

[KZMiller]

Exercise is good too!

Oh, I forgot to mention that eventually the Tokugawa era love affair ended, but we're still friends. :D I have to admit my heart still goes pitter pat when I hear about a museum exhibition or a new movie set in that era. But I stayed in martial arts for the sake of martial arts rather than a desire to immerse myself in Asian culture.

[pennmartkd]

I got into it out of a combination of being tired of being bullied and a fascination with "Black Belt Theatre" on Saturday afternoons. The style was more because it was the only one that was in my immediate area. Got lucky I suppose with a good teacher.

[Rasputin]

I took my wife to a jujutsu lesson because she was going to be a school psychologist, working with troubled brats. I fell in love with the classes and decided to attend with her.

[CEB]

I was a boy and in 1974 my brother who is 14 years my senior came home from the Army. He was a Shotokan black belt and a Karate teacher. I wanted to be like him.

[Jaclyn]

To become a jedi knight.

To become a ninja turtle, in my case. ;)

Seriously, exercise was the primary reason. I tried joining a gym at first, but treadmills and exercise bikes just bored me to death, and so I found it really hard to keep up a regular exercise schedule.

So then I tried exercise videos, and I found that the only ones I actually liked using (as in I looked forward to the next exercise session and didn't have to drag myself to the DVD player) were the Tae Bo and Cardio Kung Fu vids.

After a while I got bored with the routine and wanted to learn new moves, so I decided to try actual martial arts classes, where I'd have more variety in routines. I tried a whole bunch of martial arts schools, discovered that I liked karate best, and just went on training in it. :bow:

Ironically, now I sometimes go to the gym to supplement my karate, and I no longer find treadmills and exercise bikes boring. Just needed the right motivation, I guess. ;)

[torbjork]

I always wanted to do some martial arts "stuff." While I was studying at the university of Oslo, I used to volunteer for a guide/host service for new students, and in the process of showing one group around the campus, we went to a "sports and athletics fair" for lack of a better word, where the different student sports clubs had stands handing out information and sometimes showing some of the things they did. You can see the list of clubs here: http://www.osi.uio.no/osi/english.phpit's in Norwegian but there you are - as you can see we were not spoilt for choice even limiting the selection to martial arts.

Anyway, I talked a little to the different martial arts people, but the taekwondo club had really nice homemade chocolate cake, so I ended up staying and talking at their booth longer than at the other ones - plus they were really nice. The rest, as they say, is history. To this day, though, a lot of people are taken aback when they find out I picked my martial art for gastronomic reasons :D

EDIT: There's a charmingly informational little movie in English at the bottom of the page.

[drosera99]

To learn to defend myself.:o

[Mano]

When I was a conscript in 1999, a certain criminal type in my unit threatened to kill me. I got scared. Dealing with that threat is not why I have stuck around, though.

[AlecMag]

I honestly don't know. I started when I was 5-6 then quit when I was about 7. I started back up originally for exercise and for something to do over the summer, but now I love TKD :D

[aglusk]

I started for much the same reasons others posted here. I got a desk job, and started gaining weight and losing muscle. I tried going to the gym, but I needed more motivation and structure.

So, I researched and started Tae Kwon Do. I picked my school from recommendations from friends. One said "If you want a good workout, that's probably the best school in the area". I figured it would be a good way to lose some weight and get back in shape, while learning a bit of self defense. I remember thinking, when I started, that I'd like to get to green belt (5th gup).

Now, several years later, I've achieved red belt (3rd gup), and have no plans on leaving. The Martial "Way" has become a part of me in a way I never imagined. Now I have the motivation to train at the dojang whenver life, family, and work schedule permits, as well as go to the regular gym several times a week. I've not only lost that weight and gotten in better shape, I'd say I'm in as good of shape as I've ever been.

[Badjer]

I was always interested in martial arts and my parents put me in it when I was 9 because I was always being picked on in school by the bullies because I was so quiet. They enrolled me in TKD at the time. However, I was also in boy scouts and one of their days changed so my parents took me out of TKD because at that time my parents considered scouts more important.
I became fascinated with comics and began reading these kung fu comics published by Jademan Comics. My parents noticed that I always read them instead of Marvel or DC. Then my parents read an ad in our local tv guide about classes being offered for kung fu and enrolled me in the class where my training began. 19 years later.......

[Jonathan Randall]

I started for much the same reasons others posted here. I got a desk job, and started gaining weight and losing muscle. I tried going to the gym, but I needed more motivation and structure.

So, I researched and started Tae Kwon Do. I picked my school from recommendations from friends. One said "If you want a good workout, that's probably the best school in the area". I figured it would be a good way to lose some weight and get back in shape, while learning a bit of self defense. I remember thinking, when I started, that I'd like to get to green belt (5th gup).

Now, several years later, I've achieved red belt (3rd gup), and have no plans on leaving. The Martial "Way" has become a part of me in a way I never imagined. Now I have the motivation to train at the dojang whenver life, family, and work schedule permits, as well as go to the regular gym several times a week. I've not only lost that weight and gotten in better shape, I'd say I'm in as good of shape as I've ever been.

Now that's a great martial arts' success story. Good work. :bow:

First time I started, I was only five and my parents enrolled all of us in Judo - which we practiced for a number of years. Later I studied strictly for self-defence. Eventually, I stayed for the assorted self-improvement benefits of MA training.

[loki]

Originally, it wasn't philsophical or conscious really. I just loved how it felt to do it. I was/am a short guy and in high school I was 135 lbs soaking wet with rocks in my pockets, more a 'theater/orchestra geek' than an athlete' in terms of school participation, but played sand lot sports and ran around the neighborhood during the big 80's Ninja craze.

An added 'motive' for me too was I saw martial arts as a link to my Okinawan family origins. My mother wouldn't take me to classes because she grew up in Okinawa during the post WWII/occupation and it was not a great place for locals. There was a lot of rebuilding/reorganization, so no real social services/support/welfare for poverty class folks. My mom associated "Karate" with street punks and Yakuza type of activities she witnessed back home and not the noble warrior code that I envisioned. I started out learning by association from friends who took formal classes and were willing to teach me along with a neighbor across the street who had his BB and ran a garage - I was kind of an informal private student since he wasn't teaching anywhere at the time.

Looking back, I'd say there was a sense of freedom and control in studying/practicing martial arts that I didn't have as a kid when my parents had to drive me everywhere, school was planned out for me, I wasn't old enough to drive (and couldn't afford my own care if I was old enough).

It really came down to something that I could do that was for no one else but me, in the beginning.

Now, things are obviously different after 25 years. But, I think, in the beginning that sums up the motive that got me going.


I wanted to know why you did start with your martial art. Was perhaps a kind of philosophy decisive?

[nagle]

Self-defense and wanting to do something different than the typical health club workout.

[Tomu]

Like others here I found myself out of shape and needed a structured environment. Also, being married with 3 young children really had me questioning my abilities if the need ever arose.

[Jonathan Randall]

Like others here I found myself out of shape and needed a structured environment. Also, being married with 3 young children really had me questioning my abilities if the need ever arose.

Good reasons.

Welcome to Budoseek!

[aglusk]

Now that's a great martial arts' success story. Good work. :bow:


Thank you, :bow: .

The real success story here, is that lately I have even managed to not irritate my wife with my training. It helps that I mainly go at 5am, far before she thinks of getting up. That may change a bit as my teaching responsibilities start increasing. Though I think she is finally starting to give in, just a tad, hopefully enough.

[Tuna]

I started after I read the book about the philosophy of my martial art, I got it in my hands by accident when I was at my best friend's place and after reading a little bit in it, it sounded quite interesting to me so I went with my friend to the club.

[elder999]

There were a multitude of reasons: I was sickly child, and a congenital klutz, and my parents thought it would help with both-it did! I also had to "defned myself," which was my dad's primary motivation for starting to teach me boxing and judo. Mostly, though, and this is embarassing, but, at age 11, I wanted to be James Bond.......

......funny how life works out...I'm more like a black, muscular version of "M.":laugh:

[FierySquidFace]

6 months ago, I was in the happiest period of my life. I had a nice home, and a wonderful wife that I loved with all my heart. 5 months ago I learned that she was banging her coke fiend ex boyfriend as soon as he got out of prison. I lost everything; my wife, my home, my job. I was completely alone, and wanted to die everyday. One day I came very, very close. Later, I realized that I couldn't go on like that anymore. Something had to happen immediatly. I thought back to when I took BJJ as a teenager, and how much it did for me. So I quit smoking and getting high, found a great school, signed up for all the classes I could afford, and started excercising and training everyday. It has literally turned my life around. I love my school, and I've gained a new mindset of growth, learning, commradery, and opptimism.

[Vagabond]

Mastery of my body and mind.

[Michael J. Bray]

:bow:There are some interesting expiriences here. As a boy growing up, I thought Bruce Lee as "Kato" in the "Green Hornet" TV series was just TOO cool. My parent's wouldn't sign me up for karate classes, though I begged and begged. When I turned 18, I was working and decided martial arts was where I sould spend my money.....:bow:

[WhiteBeltJones]

Was interested in BJJ, but ended up checking out the Judo classes that were held in the same location.

Got instantly addicted. Have remained addicted to Judo since.

[DSuter]

Played around with a kung fu - karate mix when I was a teenager then left it alone for a while.
A workmate of mine had been practising aikido for a long time and asked if I was interested. As others have said, I got lucky with a good instructor and never looked back.

Why start? I liked the philosophy of this particular club.

Now starting on the koryu path, again, great instructor with a lot of integrity.

Dean.

[ant]

Like someone else said, I wanted to be a ninja turtle too! Of course, after a few years I began to realize that even if I became a ninja, there wasn't much I could do about the turtle part.

But I've stayed with it for both the exercises, and the life lessons that I've learned, patience, humility, focus, etc.

[RickMatz]

The original Kung Fu TV Series.

[rainesr]

I wanted to study since I could remember but my parents wouldn't let me. I started when I was out on my own and had the $$$. I used to watch Kung Fu reruns with my dad every Saturday night and any other martial arts show I could find. I used to read books and watch videos from the library.

~Rob

[Soke Skip]

Back in 65 I had a girl friend who was taking a jiu jitsu class at a jr college, we broke up, i kept going.
Martial Arts changed my life and I lucked out with all my Instructors and training. Sanzo Seki, Judo Gene Le Bell, Hayward Nishoka, Kim Kahana, Jack Garrett, Robert Carver, Mark Barlow, Masayuki Shimabukuro, Miura Takeyuki Hirefusa, Doug Cobb, Charles Falk, There teachers and students and friends and the people here at BudoSeek. They have enriched my life and my familys over the years.
I am still learning from all of them and teaching new people, THE WAY OF LIFE AND SPIRT OF THE MARTIAL ARTS.
Remember this, always keep in touch with your teachers and Friends, before you lose them.

[RobQuinnJr]

I started Kenpo and Arnis long ago...I was barely able to stand. My dad taught. So basicly no reason, my dad just wanted us to be able to defend ourselves. How far we took it was up to us. Since his passing I have been planning to return to Kenpo and Arnis in order to reconnect with him.

[seiwasou3]

Bullied at school, first day at 14 learning martial arts and suddenly once it got out I was "studying martial arts" I was left alone. Then would take time to improve my skill by cutting class going out to the school gym and kicking stacked chairs over. Anyways by 17 I was interested in nothing but Martial Arts. So by the time of Deciding about Final Entrance exams for Uni, I met with the School Guidance Counsellor, and he asked the question, what do you want to do? Answer don't know. What do you enjoy? Martial Arts. Then do that. Well I did, 17 contacted the Japanese Embassy, found a guy travelling to Japan at the same time to study Ninjutsu. Got the details. Moved to Noda in 1991 at the age of 18. Left when I was 25, and it is a life path. But I learnt that Budo brings the tools to balance life, but you must live life to have balance. Family, Friends, Work, Fun, Commitment. If you focus on any one too much you will lose balance. So I think at 14 I was looking for surviving school (lots of big polynesians, I was up to their shoulders and would literally bounce off when playing rugby). But by near 40 I am just happy to be home with my family and providing them with a balance of direction, fun, and throwing a few shuriken.

[Mark Jordan]

I always wanted to do martial arts for many reasons - I'm fascinated with the art, to defend myself, to be fit, to build confidence...After high school, I joined the Navy and served for 6 years. It was there that I got my real taste for martial arts and I got hook ever since.