What got you people into the Martial Arts?

[Black Belt Jedi]

I am wondering what got you people into training into the Martial Arts? It can be for many reasons for improving your health, improving your self-confidence and self-esteem, learning to defend youself against bullies at school, or it can be the influence of so many Martial Arts movies and TV shows, growing idolizing so many Martial Arts movie stars.

When I was a kid growing up in Eastern Toronto, I grew up watching boxing and pro wrestling. I have also grew up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even watched the movies. I also watched Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and I grew idolizing Jason David Frank. I had other influences such as Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, Jean Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White. They are awesome Martial Artists. So at age 20 I decided to give Martial Arts a try and until day I loved it.

 

[Cyriacus]

Self Defense. This was after leaving School.
Or, that was My Main Reason anyway.

I was never really exposed to it by the Media - Unless You count some Melee-centric Video Games.
My Interest came to no small extent from watching My Father Train one day. From there I figured, hey, maybe I should try this.
That, coupled with a Predisposed Preference toward that sort of thing, more or less set off a Chain Reaction of Me liking it, and keeping it up to this day.

EDIT: Actually, lets add some more Backstory. Before this, like, WAY before this, Years, I tried some MA for the Sport side of it. I didnt like it, and it didnt stick, let alone leave an Impression.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

At age 46, I thought it would be a good idea to get some physical exercise, and I didn't much care for the idea of riding a stationary bicycle at a gym. There was an Isshin-Ryu dojo within a mile of my apartment, and I remembered Isshin-Ryu from having worked with Angi Uezu in Okinawa when I was in the Marine Corps, he's an Isshin-Ryu teacher of great renown. So I checked out the dojo, liked what I saw, and joined. It's been a blast ever since then.

Oh, I also joined because I was starting to worry that I no longer packed the gear to kick major *** and I needed to be able to prove to myself that I still had the stones. I do.

 

[Ironcrane]

To be honest, I really don't know. I was just born with interest in martial arts. And I jumped right into it the first chance I got. For me it began with Goju-Ryu, and later on started cross training in Kung Fu. My Goju school eventually fell away, so Kung Fu ended up becoming my primary. I try other things when I get the chance. (Currently struggling with Judo) I've branched way out since my early days, but I still have a special fondness for Goju.

 

[Balrog]

I had an interest in it in high school; I kept getting beat up but my parents wouldn't let me take lessons. When I was a freshman in college, I started training in Taekwondo and I really enjoyed it. I had a 20 some-odd year layout, then started over again in another style. I was much more able to appreciate the lifeskills that came with the training by then and I've stuck with it for 24 years.

 

[jks9199]

I made a wrong turn in Albuquerque...

Actually, had interest for years and years. Did the usual stupid, borderline destructive stuff (including "learning" from books...) and then some friends found out about this club, and they started, so I checked it out. About 25 years later... still learning.

 

[Blindside]

My best friend started doing it and it looked like fun. (I was 12).

 

[Big Don]

I always wanted to, for reasons I can't really explain. When my son turned 9, lessons were his birthday present, I started a week later. He's 15 now, I'm a Black Belt. If I wasn't learning AND having fun, I wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes, let alone 6½ years.

 

[Kong Soo Do]

A second-hand Bruce Tegner paperback, bought at a garage sale got me interested in the martial arts. In my adult life, the need to use the martial arts defensively (and occassionally offensively) necesitated the need for proficiency in the arts.

 

[Monroe]

Split between self-defence and fitness. I already swim and jog. I tried going to a gym but found classes uninspiring. MA was originally a friend's idea that she chickened out on going to with me. I'm definitely liking this. Her loss, my gain.

 

[Josh Oakley]

My mom and dad put me in martial arts when I was five, and it just kind of... clicked with me.

 

[poollshark]

I was in the 7th grade and it was my day to be the school bully's target in English class. I was raised to not take any crap but wasn't given any skills to back it up. Needless to say I got my butt handed to me. Little did I know my English teacher was a 3rd degree BB, Mr. Vincent Pezzi. He offered to teach me, I accepted.

 

[Buka]

First it was comic books, then The Lucy Show.

 

[Black Belt Jedi]

Another reason for me to train and study Martial Arts was to increase my self-esteem, my self-confidence, and my health. I wasn't satisfied by the way I look, I was caught up in the school life eating the wrong foods and not losing much weight. But when I got into Karate I lost the weight, even when I was going through Black Belt training. When I was in elementary school I was called fatso and chubby, but now people are telling me that I lost weight.

I have trained with students that have different kinds of reasons for doing Martial Arts. In this generation it is mostly some kids are forced into it because they sit around at home and play on their computer for hours. While others took up Martial Arts because they are being bullied a lot in school. I have met some students that have no father or have divorced parents so they took up training to look for a father figure and to avoid being caught up in the gang life. It is cool to see so many diverse reasons for joining up at a club.

 

[shesulsa]

Always thought it was cool, wanted to learn but my parents never wanted to foster the "tomboy" in me. Started training with my now ex-husband. When he physically attacked me after years of threats and a history of other types of abuse and violence, I got sick and tired of being a victim. At that time, I also had two little ones who depended on me.

I found a HRD school in a local gym, found that it was effective against other martial arts. Knowing I needed this, I started training. Still learning after 14-15 years in this non-WHRDA school.

 

[kbarrett]

purly self-defense, I wasn't very good at defending myself when I was younger, so I started training in TSD in 1980 and will never quit.

Ken

 

[MariaK]

My father died of pancreatic cancer a year ago (in Russia while I was working in the USA) and I felt terrible, lost any interst towards life. Then I understood that I needed something that would help me not to think about death and all the terrible things that happened in my family. So, it was just an idea that formed during several days, like an inner push that I needed to do martial arts. I'm a 39 years old female, never practiced MA before or had any intertest in martial arts movies/Eastern religion etc. I've been training for about 8 months already (taekwonod WTF), next week - blue belt testing and can't get enough of it. Well, I should say I'm completely puzzled - looks like MAs is really a strong system that helps you to survive.

 

[Hordfest]

I took a pre-modern Japanese history class and it really sparked an interest in Okinawan karate. This, along with a desire to improve and focus myself led me to a Shuri-ryu dojo. This was a couple weeks ago, I am now hooked and can't stop training!

 

[chinto]

I wanted to be better able to defend myself and those I love. That required the ability to do so unarmed as well as armed. So I started to train.

 

[Xue Sheng]

What got me into the Martial Arts? :hmm:....... EVIL :EG: and a desire to strike fear in the hearts of my fellow man :EG: