Hey. I see that I'm obviously not the only one starting his first martial art here at this kind of age.
I'm looking for some advice.
My sports background is close to zero, and I have a big lack of flexibility.
The average age in the club is fairly low, partially because the location is just next to a high school. There are way more females than males too. I like it so far, but seeing all these people already having taekwondo or other martial arts background (the classes also mixes beginner with up to black belts) and being very flexible takes a toll on motivation and self-esteem.
I also have a few troubles that lay in the autism spectrum without being autistic. Discovering the place and all these people was an extremely difficult experience, but I carried on and tried my first lesson last week. I wore earplugs for the first course to isolate myself from too much sensorial stimulation, and removed them mid-class because I was feeling alright, but I might use them at other times.
I took my third class this afternoon and it was more frustrating than the first two times. I felt a bit overwhelmed by kicks and moves exercises that I couldn't totally grasp even after asking the coach (I should add that's an inclusive sports club that trains people having various handicaps, they have the proper tools and qualifications) because I need to have very precise directives, but I also had further trouble concentrating at this time because my attempts weren't successful. My mind was struggling at keeping my attention and memory rights and I also had a bit of panic. I felt a bit too close to giving up and I didn't like that at all. I also have difficulties understanding when the coaches or my partner talk because of the ambient noise as it's hard to discriminate the voices from other sounds as well as being overwhelmed by other stimuli.
The feeling of doing the exercises wrong didn't feel right and I also had the (probably erroneous) sensation that it could have bothered my partner during my last course (a young woman with 2 years of boxing experience).
I'm still motivated nonetheless because my mind and body needed a sport, and I'll ask the coaches if they can describe a bit better the movements parts.
The people in the sports club are very nice.
Since I know my probably biggest physical challenge (besides my challenging brain…) is my flexibility, I'd like to know if you have some interesting exercises I could easily do at home, for example, to slowly increase my legs spread, or if you know short and straightforward videos that explain very basic moves so I can train between courses.
I know that if I keep motivated, I'll invest more of my person in the club. This club partially relies on volunteering and they're always welcoming bits of help of any kind. I'd like to be part of that one day.
Thanks for reading.
I'm looking for some advice.
My sports background is close to zero, and I have a big lack of flexibility.
The average age in the club is fairly low, partially because the location is just next to a high school. There are way more females than males too. I like it so far, but seeing all these people already having taekwondo or other martial arts background (the classes also mixes beginner with up to black belts) and being very flexible takes a toll on motivation and self-esteem.
I also have a few troubles that lay in the autism spectrum without being autistic. Discovering the place and all these people was an extremely difficult experience, but I carried on and tried my first lesson last week. I wore earplugs for the first course to isolate myself from too much sensorial stimulation, and removed them mid-class because I was feeling alright, but I might use them at other times.
I took my third class this afternoon and it was more frustrating than the first two times. I felt a bit overwhelmed by kicks and moves exercises that I couldn't totally grasp even after asking the coach (I should add that's an inclusive sports club that trains people having various handicaps, they have the proper tools and qualifications) because I need to have very precise directives, but I also had further trouble concentrating at this time because my attempts weren't successful. My mind was struggling at keeping my attention and memory rights and I also had a bit of panic. I felt a bit too close to giving up and I didn't like that at all. I also have difficulties understanding when the coaches or my partner talk because of the ambient noise as it's hard to discriminate the voices from other sounds as well as being overwhelmed by other stimuli.
The feeling of doing the exercises wrong didn't feel right and I also had the (probably erroneous) sensation that it could have bothered my partner during my last course (a young woman with 2 years of boxing experience).
I'm still motivated nonetheless because my mind and body needed a sport, and I'll ask the coaches if they can describe a bit better the movements parts.
The people in the sports club are very nice.
Since I know my probably biggest physical challenge (besides my challenging brain…) is my flexibility, I'd like to know if you have some interesting exercises I could easily do at home, for example, to slowly increase my legs spread, or if you know short and straightforward videos that explain very basic moves so I can train between courses.
I know that if I keep motivated, I'll invest more of my person in the club. This club partially relies on volunteering and they're always welcoming bits of help of any kind. I'd like to be part of that one day.
Thanks for reading.