Martial arts you quit , early ???

quasar44

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15 yrs old - quit TKD in about 3 weeks . Never liked the class and remember trying to do all these high kicks and not even coming close . Old nasty Instructor

17 yrs - wing Chun do - lasted few months and felt like I learned zero of value. Nothing

21 yrs BJJ with Gi- I just hated that giant gi .
Who would of thought I come back years later when no gi emerged. My fingers were busted up in just those 2 months I was there
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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What are you considering early? There are a few that I only went to 1-2 classes, after that was isshin ryu which I quit after about 6 months.
 

marques

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My list would be long. After nearly 10 years seriously into 1 system, I tried more than 20 clubs/styles in 3 countries. Never lasted more than 6 months, for different reasons.

Even when I thought it was completely rubbish and that I could teach instructors their own style, the room was still full of happy people. So I stopped complaining about the services, and started assuming someone was getting something from that; just not fitting my needs. Anything is good enough, for someone else. :)
 

dvcochran

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15 yrs old - quit TKD in about 3 weeks . Never liked the class and remember trying to do all these high kicks and not even coming close . Old nasty Instructor

17 yrs - wing Chun do - lasted few months and felt like I learned zero of value. Nothing

21 yrs BJJ with Gi- I just hated that giant gi .
Who would of thought I come back years later when no gi emerged. My fingers were busted up in just those 2 months I was there
I am not sure I understand the OP. What is the question here?
 

Headhunter

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There is no question. He is looking for the perfect training that he can learn and be functional in all situations in a short time with little practice and no discomfort.
yeah sounds that way when he quits after 3 weeks because he can't do head kicks.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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yeah sounds that way when he quits after 3 weeks because he can't do head kicks.
Depends. He was also 15. And we weren't in the class..if he was overeaching and getting annoyed about it, that's one thing. If his instructor was trying to get him to do headkicks right from the gate and getting annoyed that he couldn't, that's another.
 

Rusty B

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Hmm... when I was 6 or 7... I got the boot from Tang Soo Do after about a week. I was hyperactive, couldn't sit still and pay attention, and was overall disruptive.

At the age of 12 (in 1992)... I was actually turned off by martial arts because of this experience, and didn't open myself back up to it until about 2 years ago: I was enrolled in "karate" - it claimed to be Shorin-Ryu, and I felt I wasn't learning anything. This was at a recreation center in Salisbury, MD. I was enrolled for about two and a half months. Everything they were "teaching" me, I had every intention of letting it go out the window and fighting like I always did whenever the need arose. Looking back (I'm in REAL Shorin-Ryu now), it was indeed a scam. The instructor didn't even pronounce the "do" in "karate-do" correctly. The two katas I learned? Nowhere to be found on Google or YouTube.

However, I was so bitter about my experience with martial arts that I'd be on Facebook trash-talking it and trolling people who are into it.

Something clicked, and I decided to open myself back up to martial arts in 2018. My daughter and I checked out a hapkido spot. I really liked it, but... after the mandatory 1 week trial, the cost was $225 per person per month. Furthermore, I moved to another city not too long after.

I tried to find a closer hapkido spot... but couldn't. I finally gave in and decided to give karate another chance.

And I'm definitely sticking with it this time.

Interestingly enough, when I signed up... I was asked if I had any previous experience in martial arts.

I lied and said "no," as I didn't want to tell that negative story.
 
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Buka

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Greek Goju Ryu for six months. But the nearly two hour commute did me in.

Went on to a lot of other things, that I still train for decades now.

And where the hell does the time go?
 

drop bear

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The chun. Which just got very cult like very quickly.
 
OP
Q

quasar44

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Some martial arts are better fits for others

TKD would have never worked with me
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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Some martial arts are better fits for others

TKD would have never worked with me
Agreed. My hips and back suck, so I'd never be able to do the high kicks from TKD. I also could probably never do the weight training needed for middle/high/college wrestling, since I strongly oppose messing with your natural weight to gain an advantage. And before I learned what was wrong with my back/how to help it, most grappling arts wouldn't have worked for me. We're incredibly lucky in this day and age that different styles are so rampant so we can find what works for us, and then figure out how to add to that.
 

Dirty Dog

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Agreed. My hips and back suck, so I'd never be able to do the high kicks from TKD. I also could probably never do the weight training needed for middle/high/college wrestling, since I strongly oppose messing with your natural weight to gain an advantage. And before I learned what was wrong with my back/how to help it, most grappling arts wouldn't have worked for me. We're incredibly lucky in this day and age that different styles are so rampant so we can find what works for us, and then figure out how to add to that.

Just FYI... high kicks are not really mandatory, unless you're going in for some really high level competition.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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Just FYI... high kicks are not really mandatory, unless you're going in for some really high level competition.
In most of my ken/mpo schools, there are strict requirements for each belt, which include the type of kick. I've never closely looked at a TKD school's requirements, but I always assumed high roundhouse/front kicks was part of it. If I'm wrong about that, then I'd have no issue there. But then OP would really need to clarify the issue he had as a teen.
 

Dirty Dog

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In most of my ken/mpo schools, there are strict requirements for each belt, which include the type of kick. I've never closely looked at a TKD school's requirements, but I always assumed high roundhouse/front kicks was part of it. If I'm wrong about that, then I'd have no issue there. But then OP would really need to clarify the issue he had as a teen.

The Chang Hon forms do specify targets (low/med/high section) for kicks, but the taegeuk and palgwae systems do not. And while not hitting the head high target zone will result in a lower score, it wouldn't prevent your from passing, assuming you performed the rest of the pattern to a reasonable standard. I don't know about other systems, but I suspect not. Perhaps @Earl Weiss will chime in and tell us if not being able to kick 6' in the air would prevent you from earning rank in the ITF, but I can assure you that you can earn Dan ranks in KKW and MDK TKD without doing the splits.
 

skribs

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In most of my ken/mpo schools, there are strict requirements for each belt, which include the type of kick. I've never closely looked at a TKD school's requirements, but I always assumed high roundhouse/front kicks was part of it. If I'm wrong about that, then I'd have no issue there. But then OP would really need to clarify the issue he had as a teen.

At my school, we don't expect beginners to be able to hit the head. That comes with a combination of technique and flexibility, which doesn't come overnight. We do expect students to kick as high as they can when practicing their techniques; especially when demonstrating them during the test.

For advanced belts, we keep in mind the age and body condition of the person. Kids and teens are mostly expected to be able to make head kicks. The 60-somethings are not.
 

Rusty B

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At my school, we don't expect beginners to be able to hit the head. That comes with a combination of technique and flexibility, which doesn't come overnight. We do expect students to kick as high as they can when practicing their techniques; especially when demonstrating them during the test.

For advanced belts, we keep in mind the age and body condition of the person. Kids and teens are mostly expected to be able to make head kicks. The 60-somethings are not.

At my spot, they don't even want you kicking too high at lower belts, even if you can.
 

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