Hello everyone

[Level000]

Hello to you all.

My name is Jonathan Ryan from the eastern USA. I have been interested in martial arts for a long time, though I'll admit, I saw a few movies and thought, 'Hey that's so cool!' But now that I have grown a bit, I would like to think that I gained a new respect for martial arts.

Being really a peace-loving kind of person, I used to get bullied all the time, and I never could fight well, ending up only getting my own rump kicked several times, even when I knew I couldn't win, I still fought, if just for the sake that I wouldn't be a whipping boy for all their pent up aggression because, and I quote them, 'He won't do nothing!'

So my interest grew, more into a self defense and the defense of my friends, as opposed to thinking it was just cool. And even as those years faded into high school, the interest held. And Japan always held a certain.... Charm... That I loved. Generally, the people are very respectful, the culture so interesting, as well as the history and mythology. So it was also natural to fall in love with their ninja and samurai. As I researched and dug at this topic, I found out much.

I have now graduated high school and am 17 years old, almost ready to join my nation's armed forces. So I figure a really defensive art like ninjutsu would not only allow me a deeper understanding of the culture, but would be fun and interesting to learn, as well as highly productive.

In with that, I love swords and knives in almost every way, sharp metal over round lead most of the time, particularly my favorite weapon, the katana. So I also have an interest in aikido and iaido as well.

So after searching, to my dismay, I found that the nearest dojo to my home is 58 miles and a little over an hour in drive time. Very sadly, I couldn't consistently go up there for classes, and something like this, I believe you are entirely devoted to the study, or not at all. And that may not be the case, but for me, if you learn something, devote to learning it, not do one class whenever you feel like it.

So I started online for a set of instructional aids, and came up with quite a few, all of which I had doubts on. Titles like 'become a blackbelt in three/two weeks! Only $299!' really seemed to be at least I hope, a joke.

So it finally came that an experienced friend of mine said to start checking forums, as they mostly have good honest information. So after an hour of browsing, I found this site and jumped in.

So now, I suppose my conclusion, I would like information on these martial arts, it's why I joined, my main problems are that; the distance to the nearest ninjutsu dojo, I will probably be moving soon, joining the armed forces, they put you where they need you, so I feel that a month to 3-4 a little too short a time to spend at a dojo before I move and feel like I wasted the instructor's time, and lastly, financially, I'm not all that ready, waiting on my paperwork to go through so I get get my military job, to start earning a paycheck. Any help or information you all offer will be very much appreciated.

I want to thank you all for your time reading my long-winded message. And lastly, if you have any questions related with or pertaining to the message I just posted, please feel free to ask. Any other questions you can ask as well, but please keep them in good taste, as I am sure you already will.

[Webmaster]

Welcome aboard. Looks like you got the earlier difficulties taken care of.

We have a number of folks connected to the Ninjutsu/Ninpo community, and hopefully they can assist you.

[nirgle]

Welcome to the forum. My main piece of advice for you would be to have a look at other arts to see what's out there. I wouldn't (this early on) narrow your interest to just one art. A lot of schools will let you take a class or two without committing (contracts, etc.) to see if it's "for you", so go out there and see what fits you the most.

[Abbax8]

Welcome to BudoSeek !

Dennis

[Level000]

Well, thank all of you for the welcome.

I am starting tai chi, working on the I believe 'yang-style 8 form', and I also hold interest in aikido and iaido, not just ninjutsu, though I do stress ninjutsu because it has a stronger interest for me than the others so far. But thank you very much for the advice and I will surely use it in the future.

[Ramirez]

Hey Jonathan, I always recommend judo as a first martial art, you can probably find a recreational non-profit club somewhere near you, the local YMCA, college or even high school and so on. Usually it easier on the wallet, a great way to get fit and don't let anyone tell you different, it is an excellent martial art for self-defence.

After that, unless you intent on a Asian martial art, I would suggest boxing for the same reasons above.

[FShekosky]

Welcome to the forum!