What did you know when you started MA?

[Bruce7]

I did not know much about MA.
A friend of mine did judo and showed me a few things.
The only other thing I knew is what I saw In the Kung Fu movie.

When I walked in the door I thought I was doing karate from the signs.
Then I was told it was TKD. I thought what in the world is TKD.
Many many years later I figured out I had learned a mixture of Karate, TSD, and Hapkido under the name TKD.


When I had gone to other TKD schools,
it never occurred to me the reason they were a little different.
I thought their teacher was just not as good as my first teacher, which was true.
It never occurred to me that they were teaching TKD correctly.

 

[Hanzou]

I watched some Kung fu movies, and of course Enter the Dragon. My friends and I goofed around and actually ended up learning some solid stuff. Actually had some decent kicks before I started taking karate.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I was like 3/4...I don't think I even knew what MA was, except that my older brother did it.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I was 14 and didn't know anything about fighting or MA, but felt the need to learn MA for confidence, and also for something to devote myself to. Sparring was a little scary at first (I had this strange dislike of getting hit) but kept at it. After all, part of why I was there was to overcome my weaknesses. As President Kennedy once said, "We do not do things because they are easy, but because they are hard." So, I stayed with it - for 50 years. And after all this time, I still dislike getting hit!

 

[_Simon_]

Nothing of note! I knew that I was a moody, depressed, prideful young adult hehe. Didn't really know anything about MA except in video games.

Oh and from WWE/F, which me and my brother frequently performed on each other, especially on the trampoline . Got pretty good at some submission holds! Ended up not in a submission art though haha.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I was 7. I knew what I saw on TV.

 

[hoshin1600]

On my first stint in 3rd grade all I knew was David Carradine and the kung-fu series.
When I joined again on my own at age 14, I had been watching PKA kick boxing and had a bag setup where I new and could preform all the basic boxing punches and spinning back fist (which was popular then) front and round house kick and a spinning cresent kick i picked up from the chuck Norris movies.
I was also way into nunchucks.
I wish I had video tape of me back then because I'm sure I was horrible and laughable despite my memory thinking I was really good when I walked through that dojo door the first time.

 

[Graywalker]

My Dad, he had some training and taught my brother and I. Boxing, karate, Escrima. But, I didn't walk into a Dojo until I was 14. My brother went into boxing and trained in the same gym as Tommy Morrison in Jay Ok.

 

[yak sao]

So, I stayed with it - for 50 years. And after all this time, I still dislike getting hit!

Keep at it, you'll eventually work through it

 

[KenpoMaster805]

I know a lil when i started like kick and punch but since i started martial arts i learn a lot i took saido or goju ryu when i was 12 then i had to quit then i took taekwondo when i was 16 or 17 then i had to quit then at age 19 to 20 i had a best friend though me tai chi eskrima chi gung and wing chun then when i moved i studied shotokan for 6 months then i moved to my home town and ive been doing kenpo karate ever since and i learn a lot more ive been doing kenpo for 7 years and im a 2nd degree brown

 

[WaterGal]

When I started TKD, I think all I knew was that "nobody bodda me!" from the Joon Rhee TV commercials lol. I was in 8th or 9th grade, and I went with my little brother to take a trial class and decided to give it a shot.