What's Your Motivation?

[Lee Ch'a]

Hello, Hello, all my fellow MAers!
I was curious what got you all into Martial Arts, and when you realized you were addicted! ...I know I am. As well as that, what keeps you motivated? Who are some people you respect/look up to in MA that inspire you? (Could be famous figures, ie. Bruce Lee, or just people in your dojo/dojang/etc.) Not neccessary to name names if you do not wish, I just thought it would be nice to do a kind of tribute to these amazing people in our lives, and share our stories. And, since I've begun, I suppose I must go first.


I started as a 6 year old, and my mum likes to tell the story of how I decided I liked class but didn't want to practice at home. So, naturally, she took the silly little 6 year old out. I regretted it for years, and I conclude that I've been into Martial Arts as long as I can remember. I was out at age 6 with only a white belt, and at 16 a TKD gym came to our little town and I got to start anew! (As I still had my old belt, I now have 2 white belts...trying to decide if that is a good or bad thing, ha).
I truly became addicted this past year I think, getting into higher belts and just realizing the amazing journey that will start for me when I earn my Black Belt (and the amazing journey I'm already on!). It never stops; there's always something more to learn.
I'm kept motivated just by the fact that it's Tae Kwon Do, I want to improve myself (physically, mentally, spiritually), and it just means so much to me. Also, I very very much want to make my instructors proud. They've come to mean so much to me in these past few years, I will miss them when I am away at college.
Which brings me to people who inspire me.

I would first say my instructors, Mr. Pat and Ms. Lisa, who run a stern but encouraging gym. They are amazing teachers, strong, talented, confident, with just the right sprinkling of mischief and humour, and they know just how to bring out the best in their students. Someday I hope to repay them for everything they've taught me, in gym and out, but somehow that doesn't seem possible. Kamsahamnida is all I can think to say.
And, one more inspiration, their nephew Mr. Josh. This kid kicks major ****, pardon the expression. He is about a year older than myself (18), and a second degree Black Belt, and I'd believe he can do just about anything. If there's someone I'd like to be able to kick, punch, and move like, with that confidence, it's him. He is a great example of what any Black Belt should strive to be, very encouraging, and always pushes you to the brink. He knows his stuff all right.


Anyway, please, share your stories! I'd love to hear (read) them, and I'm sure others would too!

-Lee

 

[Blade96]

Never was interested in MA til 2009 when i got sick. I was sick whole summer, and one day i just pulled a bunch of dvd to watch and some were my blade movies. So i started reading about wesley snipes. i learned he did shotokan and i liked what he did in the movies. then my brain said 'you gotta do that' Huh? I never thought about doing MA in my life. it was kind of a wtf moment. Joined a kenpo school at first but it didnt suit me. Then found the one i wanted and joined in september 2009. Never looked back.

 

[Buka]

I saw Ed Parker on the Lucy Show in 1962 and that was that, I was hooked. I started training a bit in 69, went into it full time in 71, and been at it ever since.

 

[Cyriacus]

I watched a show on the Discovery Channel called Human Weapon.
It just got me interested in the whole concept of Martial Arts, so i started doing some research.
I then tried, in this order; Boxing, Judo, Kyokushin Karate, and Wushu. I stuck with each one for about one Month, and none of them really suited me.
Then I tried Taekwon-Do, after a conversation in a Restaurant.
I havent looked back.

 

[Lee Ch'a]

Blade- very interesting way to get involved, I'm glad you find a style to suit you!
Buka- I hope someday to be able to look back on such a long and faithful run of MA. Disclaimer: not an old joke. I'm just very young.
Cyriascus- A fellow Tae Kwon Do practitioner! That's quite a few arts you went through there- I hope to be able to learn some more about others in the future as well, but Tae Kwon Do I have a feeling will always be first and foremost in my heart. But all Martial Arts will always be of interest to me.

 

[IcemanSK]

When I was 12 or 13 I received a gift subscription to "Kick Illustrated" (an MA magazine in the early 80's) & fell in love. I began taking TKD in 82 & have never looked back. There have been many times (especially when I was younger) where I'd reach a plateau or get burned out. But I had plenty of folks I trained with who encouraged me. And occasionally, I've actually even take a few weeks off. Now as an instructor with my own school, teaching them & just getting better is what motivates me.Funny thing, one of the covers of that magazine had Ernie Reyes on it. I still have that magazine & I'm bringing it to the MA Supershow trade show this weekend for him to autograph.

 

[Sanke]

This is gonna be a long one, so heads up

I got started back in around 2004-5 (I have a rather bad memory tbh, so exactly when is a bit blurry), on the recommendation of a friend.
We were talking about martial arts in general, I wanted to be able to do all the cool stuff you see in movies, the usual. He said that it would be a good idea to start doing Taekwondo, as it would give me a good idea as to what I was in for.
So I joined my local dojang, and started training under Sabumnim Tim Huggins, a 5th dan at the time, I believe.

It was great fun, kept me fit, I started to feel more confident and I even entered a comp at one point, which for me was a big step. But I never really dedicated myself to it, it was always secondary to other aspects of my life, and I would almost never train at home. But I kept it up, and I still enjoyed it for the most part.
Unfortunately, due to fires in his hometown, Sabumnim stopped teaching at the club to help his community recover, leaving his best assistant instructor in charge, and really only showing up for gradings. I don't blame him, I would have done the same in his position, but the club suffered.
Discipline and respect for the new teacher was virtually non-existent, and I had trouble with the change. While he was senior to me, and most defiantly more skilled, he was still younger by a few years, and clearly had no idea how to teach. It wasn't his fault, he just wasn't ready.
So as time went on, my participation slow dropped until I was only there every 2 weeks, if that.

Then, some time down the track, I was talking to a new friend I'd made at university who also liked the idea of training martial arts, also had a background in TKD, but hadn't really been motivated enough to go through with it. So the two of us started looking at what kind of arts we could try. We looked at TKD again, but decided that it was time for a change. We looked at Shotokan Karate, Aikido, Judo, and a couple of other systems, until one of us brought up ninjutsu, which we both had old friends who used to talk about it.
One google search later, we'd found a dojo to visit, and were bursting into our mate's room shouting: 'D'ya wanna be ninjas?!?'
We spent the evening watching YouTube clips of ninjutsu training, relishing the fantasy, and set the day for our first training session.

We were all pretty excited about starting, and despite one of us having no MA background, we managed to talk him into it. We walked to the location, and I was somewhat disappointed to find, not a tatami-matted floor, with scrolls and weapons adorning the walls, but the upstairs rec-room of a cbd gym. But, much to my delight, around the door, there were several men and women, wearing black keikogi with various colored belts, waiting for class to start. We introduced ourselves to the instructor, Chris Parker, and joined right in.

It's been a year since that day, and I've only missed two or three classes, and I hated those weeks. Every class is a new experience, full of new lessons to be learned, and is just downright fun.
Martial arts has become one of my greatest passions, and I'm still only just starting. There's a long way to go, and I look forward to every lesson, every practice, and every discussion, because it means I can take one more small step forwards on the never ending journey that is martial arts

Warned you it would be long

 

[mook jong man]

Not getting my teeth knocked out.

 

[oftheherd1]

I studied TKD a while under Jhoon Goo Rhee in the mid-60s and enjoyed it, but military duties got in the way. Didn't do anything of consequence until the mid-80s, when in Korea I found Hapkido. Haven't done anything in that for about 11 years due to health. Now trying to get back in to it.

Reasons? Well, being a "karate expert" was a thing to look up to. But I wasn't interested in doing it until stationed near Washington, DC. I had eaten at my favorite Japanese restaurant and walked out to hear people kiaing. I was curious, and found Jhoon Rhee's dojo on the 3rd floor. Joined that night. I really enjoyed Tae Kwon Do and Jhoon Rhee. He was a fantastic MA and teacher. I thought about it over the years but never figured I would be able to give the time to study. My first time in Korea, I saw a MA demonstration on TV, which included Hapkido. I thought it was faked to be honest. Next tour, I tried to find Moo Duk Kwon, but couldn't. TKD had swallowed up all arts but TSD and Hapkido. Next tour, I stumbled across Hapkido being taught on post. I immediately cottoned on to the GM and the school he had there. Joined that night and never looked back, attaining 2nd Dan before returning to the US. Alas, no Hapkido in the northern VA area, and only one school in MD. I then taught for a while to fellow office members, then under Rob Batiste, then on my own.

Motivation? First was curiosity, then the shear joy of MA training, and that became my motivation. Hapkido was even more fun. It still is.

 

[sfs982000]

I first got motivated back in the early 80's as a young kid after watching some old Kung Fu movies and after that it was all she wrote for me. I watched and read anything relating to the martial arts that I could get my hands on. I've enrolled in numerous schools, most of them eventually had to close their doors, but I never lost my love for the arts. I had a 17 year lay off due to military service, starting a family, etc... but I enrolled myself and my two sons into a TKD class about 3 years ago. My sons quit after about 6 months, but dad has been going strong and hasn't looked back.

 

[Benevolentbob]

I started Tae Kwon Do when I was about 5 years old because my mom gave in to my begging. As for the thing that made me start, probably power rangers or something. I was a pretty timid kid pretty much through high school, but I just learned from my mom yesterday that when I was in my Tae Kwon Do classes that I was confident and serious. I made it through to brown belt and then quit after attending classes for five years. Then when I was 20 my friend brought me back into the fold by inviting me to his Kempo class. It was fun and I was looking for a way to get back into shape so I joined. About a year later my friend quit and it left me to examine the class without bias for the first time, which quickly led to me realizing it wasn't right for me. So I quit that and now I'm taking a break while I search for a place to train that truly fits me. As for people who keep me motivated, Bruce Lee is easily number one, probably followed by Cung Le. If I lived in San Jose I would love to go to Cung Le's gym. Sanshou, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, couldn't really ask for more.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Well it was a tossup between wanting to strike fear in the hearts of my fellow man and of course a strong desire to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and to hear the lamentation of their women. :EG: :uhyeah:

 

[Lee Ch'a]

Well, it seems there's a plethora of people "not looking back"! I do understand that statement.
IceMan- Very cool, I hope you get your autograph!
Sanke- *falls asleep* Just kidding- I certainly can be long winded myself But honestly, that was an interesting post; I enjoyed reading about your MA journey up 'til present. Sorry to hear about the original instructor having to leave, but glad you found your place again!
mook jong man- short and to the point. I like it. (purposeful, to contrast with prior post? haha)
oftheherd1- curiosity and the sheer joy of training. -I can certainly relate.
sfs982000- OLD KUNG FU MOVIES! Woot! Boy are those ever fun!
Benevolentbob- Haha, power rangers; that's great motivation! And naturally, Bruce Lee is always a good one.
Xue Sheng- Unafraid to voice what we've all been thinking, eh? I tried to hide it...but...well... >

Thanks all for sharing!

 

[Buka]

I studied TKD a while under Jhoon Goo Rhee in the mid-60s and enjoyed it, but military duties got in the way. Didn't do anything of consequence until the mid-80s, when in Korea I found Hapkido. Haven't done anything in that for about 11 years due to health. Now trying to get back in to it.

Reasons? Well, being a "karate expert" was a thing to look up to. But I wasn't interested in doing it until stationed near Washington, DC. I had eaten at my favorite Japanese restaurant and walked out to hear people kiaing. I was curious, and found Jhoon Rhee's dojo on the 3rd floor. Joined that night. I really enjoyed Tae Kwon Do and Jhoon Rhee. He was a fantastic MA and teacher. I thought about it over the years but never figured I would be able to give the time to study. My first time in Korea, I saw a MA demonstration on TV, which included Hapkido. I thought it was faked to be honest. Next tour, I tried to find Moo Duk Kwon, but couldn't. TKD had swallowed up all arts but TSD and Hapkido. Next tour, I stumbled across Hapkido being taught on post. I immediately cottoned on to the GM and the school he had there. Joined that night and never looked back, attaining 2nd Dan before returning to the US. Alas, no Hapkido in the northern VA area, and only one school in MD. I then taught for a while to fellow office members, then under Rob Batiste, then on my own.

Motivation? First was curiosity, then the shear joy of MA training, and that became my motivation. Hapkido was even more fun. It still is.

Jhoon Rhee is one of my few heroes.

 

[Mark Jordan]

I joined the Navy in 1976. Though my primary duty was a Sonar technician, I also served as a Security Force Instructor, Nuclear Weapons Guard Team Leader, Shore Patrol Squad Leader and qualified on all Navy "small arms"..

I got my first real taste for martial arts through both military and informal training and I've been addicted ever since.

 

[Carol]

My training has been off and on due to a past work schedule that was very unforgiving. But I'm settled in to a new job with better hours and have been doing some outdoor training with some friends down on a peat bog near my house. Rather than being satisfied with workouts with a training bud or two, its made me more hungry. I need more than just a training partner, I need an instructor. I need someone that can teach me, and correct me, and help me get to the next level. I'd like a mentor that can inspire me and reach out to me if I start to withdraw so I don't fade away. I miss having friends that can hit hard on the mat, and laugh about it over some hot food (or cold drinks) later on. Looking forward to what the near future holds

 

[Lee Mainprize]

Bruce Lee and the Kung Fu Movies captivated me, I have always been competitive so it was a great way to channel this, its given me a great deal and been a great journey so far!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Xue Sheng- Unafraid to voice what we've all been thinking, eh? I tried to hide it...but...well... >

No, it’s just been asked so many times on MT I am tired of giving serious answers... I've been at this for over 30 years so it is likely I am too old to even remember why I started: D

 

[Carol]

Because you wanted to be overloard of Xue Fu, of course

 

[Xue Sheng]

Because you wanted to be overloard of Xue Fu, of course

THAT’S IT!!! :mst:

For a second there I forgot my evil ambitions :EG: …thanks Carol :asian: