What Made You Pick Your Art?

[MJS]

When you first set out to begin your journey in the Martial Arts, what was it that made you choose the art that you did?

For me, the Kenpo school I joined was the closest and most convenient for me at the time. Not knowing much about the art, I figured I'd at least give it a try. I soon saw how effective the material was and how well rounded the techniques were as far as nature of attack goes. Kenpo is and always will be my base art.

BJJ- I was introduced to this art by a training partner. Not knowing much about the ground game, I really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, my eyes were opened to a whole new world. While its not always the best idea to go to the ground in a fight, its a good idea to have some knowledge of the ground.

Arnis- One of my Kenpo instructors was ranked in Modern Arnis and offered classes a few times a week. My eyes were opened to a new world of weapons as well as some devastating empty hand SD. The beauty of this art, is that there is a smooth transition between the empty hand and weapon based material.

 

[Simon Curran]

For me it was fortunate happenstance.
I initially joined the club to train in Kung Fu, but my instructor was planning on starting a Kenpo class (I was the first student) and suggested that Kenpo might be more appropriate (I am less like a crane than a blundering klutz....)
A few years later, I am glad I followed his advice, and although I have tried several different martial arts before and since, I am quite satisfied that Kenpo is the most appropriate for me, and at the end of the day I think that is the most important factor.

 

[green meanie]

I wrestled in high school. When it was over I started looking for arts that were comparable so I could stay on the mat.

 

[bobster_ice]

My dad took me to a karate class when I was four and that is where I started.

 

[Sin]

Well...I kinda fell into mine...At my school no specific style is taught, we take Bruce Lee's Phylosophies(sp) and apply them effectively...My instructor has had a background in many styles...So in other word's I train in Livingston style....(Livingston=Instructor's Last name) and he has named it China-Te.

 

[Drac]

Getting too old to do all that jumping up in the air and spin kicking..Besides the gun belt, boots and ballistic vest makes such moves even more difficult.

 

[Xibalba]

I started in TKD when I was 14. I was interested in MA, and had a friend who did TKD.

In college I switched to the MSU Karate Club, where we teach Pukang Tang Soo Do. The club is actually quite eclectic (which was what attracted me in the first place), and we have always fought with 'open' rules (hands to head, groin techniques, etc), which was different than my old WTF TKD school. I liked it so much I am still training and teaching there 17 years later (man, am I THAT old?).

I was introduced to BJJ and Kali in the early 90s through a couple of friends who trained at a school that taught both (among other things). I knew nothing about ground fighting, and getting choked out for the first time was a revelation - I knew something had been missing from my training. I also picked up some of the Kali just because I like weapons and thought it was practical.

There is my training history, in a nutshell.

Peace,
Mike

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

In the simplest terms, my style was local and inexpensive. I was interested to discover that it was an amalgam of techniques and styles and I believed that would be enjoyable.

 

[DeLamar.J]

When you first set out to begin your journey in the Martial Arts, what was it that made you choose the art that you did?

For me, the Kenpo school I joined was the closest and most convenient for me at the time. Not knowing much about the art, I figured I'd at least give it a try. I soon saw how effective the material was and how well rounded the techniques were as far as nature of attack goes. Kenpo is and always will be my base art.

BJJ- I was introduced to this art by a training partner. Not knowing much about the ground game, I really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, my eyes were opened to a whole new world. While its not always the best idea to go to the ground in a fight, its a good idea to have some knowledge of the ground.

Arnis- One of my Kenpo instructors was ranked in Modern Arnis and offered classes a few times a week. My eyes were opened to a new world of weapons as well as some devastating empty hand SD. The beauty of this art, is that there is a smooth transition between the empty hand and weapon based material.

I wanted to train in the same school as my dad. So I didnt make a educated choice on what art I wanted to learn, I just basicly wanted to train with him. Now that I am older I have cross trained in a few standup and ground styles.

 

[KenpoTess]

Seig dragged me to a class one night

Back then, to me, there was only Karate.. I was so naive. I didn't realize there were many different systems. But over the years, I've tried a few others and really think Kenpo is what I'm to do

 

[Rich Parsons]

Well in Jr High and High school the big schools were either Tae Kwon Do or Modern Arnis or both.

I had a friend in college who was ranked in Modern Arnis. I had seen some of the people move and liked it. The idea of weapons training from the beginning intrigued me. It also gave me a chance to learn how not to break everyone I came into contact with by learning control levels.

 

[Grenadier]

When I first started, there was a Shotokan school in my area that was heads and shoulders above everyone else in the area, yet they didn't charge as much. I had briefly thought about joining one of the other schools, as it wasn't too bad, but during my visit to that school, the owner of that school (he taught his own style of Karate, similar to Shotokan, but under a different name) held a ceremony at the end of the class where he promoted himself from 5th dan to 7th dan, and I never came back.

When I went to college, the only Karate classes available were in direct conflict with my mandatory classes that I had to take for my major, and they were only available twice a week. So, I trained in Tae Kwon Do during my time as a college student. No regrets there, since it gave me a new perspective on things, and my teacher was a darn good one.

When I started grad school, I went back to Shotokan, seeing that there was a good school in my area.

When I switched graduate schools, I switched Karate styles again... Living like a gypsy wasn't too much fun in terms of having a stable life, but I don't regret it, since I got to train with a superb teacher, who also taught me a lot about myself.

When I left graduate school and started my postdoctoral fellowship, I was fortunate that I could continue training in the same style of Karate at a new dojo there.

When I left my postdoctoral fellowship, and started my first "real" job, I hunted high and low to see if I could continue in the same style, but there wasn't a dojo within 3 hours' drive. After a while, I finally found yet another style of Karate taught at a school that emphasized traditional teachings, and hopped on. I don't regret this choice, either, since it brought yet another world of wonderful experiences.

Thus, I've been pretty lucky in terms of finding good schools, and more importantly, excellent teachers.

 

[jdinca]

Sheer dumb luck. I went to the school on the advice of a friend as a good thing to do with my kids. I was hooked five minutes into the introductory lesson.

 

[Shirt Ripper]

Aikido is a good complement to my other training. Also, utilizes some distinctly different ideas.

 

[karatekid1975]

I had a job that I felt that I needed to learn self defense (I worked as campus security). And I knew about martial arts from watching the Karate Kid movies, but I didn't know anything about "styles" ect. So I just hunted for dojangs in my area. To make a long story short, I ended up taking TSD, because the dojang and the people just "felt right." Like I belonged there. I went with my gut feeling, and I was right. They mixed Hapkido, a little Jujitsu (there was also a seperate class and instructor for it), and Thai boxing in with TSD. It was perfect for me.

When I moved here (NY), I again hunted around for a TSD dojang. The nearest one was/is three hours away So I settled with a TKD dojang (my present one). I left feeling like they were too "sport" at the time. I ended up in a TKD style similar to TSD, but it was a mcdojang. I found out that this school (current one) changed there curiculum. They work a lot more self defense. So I came back. I've been here ever since.

I have also cross trained in a few other styles for fun. But I currently do Jujitsu. I found this instructor by word of mouth (through a friend).

 

[IcemanSK]

I started in TKD after reading an article in Kick Illustrated (anyone remember that magazine?) in 1982. My parents won intro lessons for me at an auction. I was hooked.

In the 80's PKA fullcontact karate was also really big. I thought "Bad" Brad Hefton was the greatest thing since sliced bread! In the early 90's, I got he opportunity to train at the same kickboxing gym as world kickboxing champ, Marek Piotrowski. It was a great complement to my well developed kicking skills.

When my trainer died in 1999, I started just boxing. I was content until I got re-itroduced to tradition MA (Okinawan Karate) again. That lead me to being asked to teach a TKD class at my local community center. That will start in April.

I can't wait.

 

[Gemini]

I signed one of my sons up for TKD intentionally because having mild CP, I thought all the jumping and flexability required would be good therapy for him. After watching him and seeing the physical and cardio workout he was getting, I reluntantly admitted to myself I was in dier need of the same and threw my tired, flabby, out o' shape butt in also. Who knew at the time it offered so much more.

 

[jujutsu_indonesia]

When you first set out to begin your journey in the Martial Arts, what was it that made you choose the art that you did?

To me it's always about location and convenience. At junior high I practice Taekwondo, which was available in my school as extracurricular activity. Same with Goju Karate in my high school. After I graduated from hi school, I looked for a martial art club near my house, and found the one I'm with currently. This club however, teach many arts instead of one, so I ended up studying Jujutsu as well, not just Karate. My current teacher studied Hakko-ryu and Takagi Yoshin-ryu and Wado-ryu and he teach us many things, in fact too many things, so I am always behind in everything and it's rather hard to keep up. But it's all fun anyway, after all, we train not to become superman, but to fill our leisure time with something useful

 

[Aikikitty]

My down syndrome brother (before finding the right balance of medication) would occasionaly get violent against my mom and I. My dad goes out of town often so we needed to find an art where we could defend ourselves without hurting my brother. Martial arts that focused on kicking and striking were out of the question. My mom asked the advice of a friend (who is a cop) in our church and he suggested that we try Aikido (his friend and former police partner teaches it). We had never heard of Aikido before then, but it's been the perfect choice for us and we've been hooked ever since. The dojo is farther away than we'd like, but it's worth it.

Robyn :asian:

 

[Kacey]

I was talked into starting by the guy I was dating at the time... that was 19 years ago, and I'm still with the same TKD instructor - I got very lucky!