Starting in a few days.

[Rabbitthekitten]

I'm going to my first Taekwondo class on Wednesday. It's affiliated to the UKITF here in the UK and the ITF internationally. The guy who runs it is V Dan and there are about 10 or so other Black belts who also help out. So it seems like a big group of people who are involved.

I'm really looking forward to now although I'm a bit nervous because I'm quite a shy person and I won't know anyone. But I know I'll be fine after a few weeks.

Anyone got any good stories about adults starting out for the first time? I'd love to hear some.

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

I'm going to my first Taekwondo class on Wednesday. It's affiliated to the UKITF here in the UK and the ITF internationally. The guy who runs it is V Dan and there are about 10 or so other Black belts who also help out. So it seems like a big group of people who are involved.

I'm really looking forward to now although I'm a bit nervous because I'm quite a shy person and I won't know anyone. But I know I'll be fine after a few weeks.

Anyone got any good stories about adults starting out for the first time? I'd love to hear some.

 

[Red Sun]

I'll tell you about an older dude who came to my dojang a few months before i quit TKD.

He was a father with two kids, who wanted to get into MA for something to do. His social skills were almost as good as mine (i.e. a brick.) All you need to know is that it's a-okay to just hang around in the dojang, and you'll be completely accepted for doing so. Noone will mind if you just pace around before class starts, maybe doing some leg raises or light stretching or patterns. And if you do decide to go insert yourself into a conversational circle, noone will mind if you just stand there listening. Its fine! MA's should always have a (relatively) friendly atmosphere.

You've got nothing to worry about! You'll get to know everyone naturally by learning from them and training with them. You won't be strangers for more than a week (or 2 or 3 if theres only 1 or 2 classes a week.)

 

[Dirty Dog]

Adults make fine students. My wife was a grandmother long before her first class, and since she recently earned her 1st Dan, I think it's safe to say she's doing just fine.

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

You've got nothing to worry about! You'll get to know everyone naturally by learning from them and training with them. You won't be strangers for more than a week (or 2 or 3 if theres only 1 or 2 classes a week.)

I'll probably only be able to make 1 lesson due to work commitments. I guess it's normal to feel like this. I just watched some videos of the stuff that goes on. It looks to the uninitiated so complicated. But I know it'll be broken down into simple little steps and stuff. I just got to get started I guess.

I also watched the videos of some of the advanced stuff people do. I don't think I'll ever be able to do stuff like that. Flying through the air braking boards and stuff. It looks amazing actually. But it won't put me off seeing where I can get to. After I had my cycling accident I stopped exercising for a couple of years until I joined the gym and hired a personal trainer. After my first PT session I was about dead on the warm up. After a few weeks I was bench-pressing half my body weight, having never done weights before and having two years seriously not being able to even move my shoulder. So I know I'll be surprised at what I can achieve when I'm focused and determined with something.

Adults make fine students. My wife was a grandmother long before her first class, and since she recently earned her 1st Dan, I think it's safe to say she's doing just fine.

That's amazing.

I'll post an update Wednesday night on how it went.

 

[Kickboxer101]

From what I know there's no stories to really tell the adult turns up the adult trains and gets taught new stuff. I mean it's not like school where no one talks to the new kid. I remember my first session I met the coach shook his hand he asked if I'd had any previous training then explained the structure and other stuff then just wait around until it starts and most places everyone will be friendly I remember guys coming in to train and shaking everyone's hand and they shook my hand and I'd never met them in my life so everyone's friendly most places won't have the whole lets haze the new guy it's simply it's a new student he's part of our club now and then you're treated as equal as everyone else

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

From what I know there's no stories to really tell the adult turns up the adult trains and gets taught new stuff.

Well I meant more like guy turns up does 10 years and builds a career out of an initial hobby or makes the Olympics or something else inspirational. Or someone who initially sucked and did something similar.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Well I meant more like guy turns up does 10 years and builds a career out of an initial hobby or makes the Olympics or something else inspirational. Or someone who initially sucked and did something similar.

People who make it to the Olympics most likely started young and excelled from the start. That's sort of how it generally works.

I'm inspired by one of our students who is currently 1st Geup. She will likely test for Chodanbo in a 4-5 months.
She's 30, she was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, she has asthma, is mildly developmentally delayed (as is common with FAS), plus a couple other medical issues.
She never quits. We do 2 minute speed drills on the heavy bag. I've seen her push so hard that she pukes. Then she comes back and does it again.
I won't say that some of her issues are not occasionally an issue in class, but overall she's a very hard working student and she will earn her 1st Dan despite the obstacles life handed her.

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

People who make it to the Olympics most likely started young and excelled from the start. That's sort of how it generally works.

Oh yeah I get this but people must see this kind of thing happening. I went to school with a guy called Rendell Munroe who won Commonwealth, European and WBA boxing titles. Also when I was into cycling this guy turned up for a bike ride on his mountain bike. He was super overweight but he managed to do something like 50km having never cycled before. I turned up a few weeks later and he'd lost so much weight in just a few weeks. He ended getting into it so much he quit his job and opened a bike shop.

she will earn her 1st Dan despite the obstacles life handed her.

Yeah this is exactly what I mean. I love this kind of thing. It's so inspirational. Everyone has challenges in life and it's how you overcome them.

 

[TrueJim]

I think one of the things that bonds people in a martial arts school is that until you learn how to perform a technique well, you're probably going to look silly doing it. You practice, look silly, practice, look silly, practice...and then one day your technique suddenly looks good.

Since everybody is always learning new techniques (even the advanced students), everybody has a chance to look silly -- frequently -- in front of everybody else. I think the repeating pattern of looking-silly-together-until-we-get-it creates a lot of opportunity for camaraderie.

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

Since everybody is always learning new techniques (even the advanced students), everybody has a chance to look silly -- frequently -- in front of everybody else. I think the repeating pattern of looking-silly-together-until-we-get-it creates a lot of opportunity for camaraderie.

That is a really great way of putting it. Because everyone is learning, they may be at different stages of the curriculum but everyone is still learning.

 

[TrueJim]

...they may be at different stages of the curriculum but everyone is still learning.

That's exactly right. As people get good at a certain set of things, they add to the set of things they'd like to get good at, so it's like an endless cycle of practicing, adding more, practicing, adding more...so basically everybody is "bad" at the things they're working on now. No matter what your level, everybody in the room gets to be bad together at whatever it is they're working on. Normally that creates a really nice atmosphere of humility and camaraderie.