I'm looking for a specific style...

Bill Mattocks

Sr. Grandmaster
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Whenever I see that, I presume the person isn't going to train in anything, ever.

They rattle off their age, body type, physical limitations, and what they'd like to learn and ask fir recommendations.

What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
 
Whenever I see that, I presume the person isn't going to train in anything, ever.

They rattle off their age, body type, physical limitations, and what they'd like to learn and ask fir recommendations.

What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
I hope that you are. It would be a shame not to train due to any limitations. I believe that you are correct however.
 
Whenever I see that, I presume the person isn't going to train in anything, ever.

They rattle off their age, body type, physical limitations, and what they'd like to learn and ask fir recommendations.

What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
I think what they're actually saying is "I'm afraid to start and need to eliminate factors that may cause me to fail." They may be searching for self-confidence but lack the self-confidence to find it less they fail. Maybe because they've never failed before since they've never been challenged. In school they've gotten 50% on a test and still passed, or competed in soccer on a losing team and still got a trophy. Maybe they are new to MA but suspect there is less of that nonsense involved. So, they are trying to increase the odds of success by over researching the topic to the point of becoming paralyzed in their action of actually just doing it.
 
What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
I’m not so sure about that. If I were about to embark upon a brand new hobby of…🤔…wood turning and wanted to buy the best lathe and tools for me, then 40 years ago I would’ve gone down to the local library and looked through the stack of books in the hit-and-miss hope of coming across the data I required. It’s an attempt to avoid making an expensive mistake or even reinventing the wheel. In Roman times, I would’ve gone down to the forum to ask this question. Now, I’d find an online forum and ask the question. It’s a means of saving time, money and yes, effort. Why not?

The vast majority of people who commence a martial art will drop out after a few weeks/months because they’re difficult, require tenacity, a strong single mindedness and a high boredom threshold for the minutiae of the art. But I’d say it’s better to give them up for lack of those traits than to ignorantly commence and then give up an art with lots of kicking when you only have one leg!
 
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I’m not so sure about that. If I were about to embark upon a brand new hobby of…🤔…wood turning and wanted to buy the best lathe and tools for me, then 40 years ago I would’ve gone down to the local library and looked through the stack of books in the hit-and-miss hope of coming across the data I required. It’s an attempt to avoid making an expensive mistake or even reinventing the wheel. In Roman times, I would’ve gone down to the forum to ask this question. Now, I’d find an online forum and ask the question. It’s a means of saving time, money and yes, effort. Why not?

The vast majority of people who commence a martial art will drop out after a few weeks/months because they’re difficult, require tenacity, a strong single mindedness and a high boredom threshold for the minutiae of the art. But I’d say it’s better to give them up for lack of those traits than to ignorantly commence and then give up an art with lots of kicking when you only have one leg!
That's not the same situation.
The question/statement Bill is suggesting is more like.

" I'm new to woodworking and while I havnt made anything yet out of wood, I'm told Powermatic is the best so I want a Powermatic set up consisting of table saw, planer and a shaper. They don't have these at Homedepot so I don't know where to start."
 
Whenever I see that, I presume the person isn't going to train in anything, ever.

They rattle off their age, body type, physical limitations, and what they'd like to learn and ask fir recommendations.

What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
OK, you're wrong.....

Actually in some cases you are right, but in others they truly want to trai that art and ar ehoping to find one. Eventually some, the ones you are right about will give up, others will except the reality and move on to something else.

It there was an internet in the early 70s I would have been asking about Xingyiquan.... However I was in Jujutsu at the time, later moved on to TKD, then taijiquan and Long Fist and in the 90s found Xingyiquan.....
 
What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
Okay.

You’re wrong.

When I rattled off all my limitations (type 1 diabetes, blind in one eye, no athletic ability, no desire for competition), it was because I wanted the instructor to know what he was getting himself into if I pursued this thing, and I wanted his opinion on how I could train safely.

We’re not looking for excuses to back out. We’re looking for validation that what we’re contemplating is possible, or in the absence of that, knowledgeable recommendations for what might work instead.

When I had that conversation I would not have bet two cents that I would make yellow belt. I’m a black belt now. Don’t write people off without getting deeper.
 
Okay.

You’re wrong.

When I rattled off all my limitations (type 1 diabetes, blind in one eye, no athletic ability, no desire for competition), it was because I wanted the instructor to know what he was getting himself into if I pursued this thing, and I wanted his opinion on how I could train safely.

We’re not looking for excuses to back out. We’re looking for validation that what we’re contemplating is possible, or in the absence of that, knowledgeable recommendations for what might work instead.

When I had that conversation I would not have bet two cents that I would make yellow belt. I’m a black belt now. Don’t write people off without getting deeper.
Congratulations!
 
Congratulations!
Thank you. It was a long haul that included a year and a half off of training due to the onset of COVID - I actually spent that year and a half two tests and six months from Cho Dan. But I got there.

For anyone that knows Reba McEntyre’s music, this was my Is There Life Out There moment. I started training at 38 years old, with the challenges listed above. I wanted to learn some self defense and stop being sedentary. I truthfully didn’t expect to do very well. It surprised me when I figured out I even WANTED black belt. I didn’t refer to myself as a “martial artist” for the first time until red belt. But I got here, and it has been SO MUCH better for my personal growth than I ever imagined it could be.
 
Thank you. It was a long haul that included a year and a half off of training due to the onset of COVID - I actually spent that year and a half two tests and six months from Cho Dan. But I got there.

For anyone that knows Reba McEntyre’s music, this was my Is There Life Out There moment. I started training at 38 years old, with the challenges listed above. I wanted to learn some self defense and stop being sedentary. I truthfully didn’t expect to do very well. It surprised me when I figured out I even WANTED black belt. I didn’t refer to myself as a “martial artist” for the first time until red belt. But I got here, and it has been SO MUCH better for my personal growth than I ever imagined it could be.
How is your health since beginning?
 
How is your health since beginning?
Type 1 diabetes is always a balancing act. I have to get my blood sugar high enough before class that I can afford to lose 60-100 points due to the exercise, but not SO high that exercise will actually shoot it higher (which many people don’t realize is a thing). It’s a daily question whether I will even get to class based on what my blood sugar is doing that day. As a female, hormones complicate blood sugar even more. I haven’t been back to class in far too long - I should be training for my qualifier between First and Second Degree, but it’s not easy. I even had to turn down the first request I got to be a sponsor for an upcoming black belt because I can’t even count on my own attendance.

But I will say, that TKD has helped me build balance, strength, flexibility, and agility that I never thought I could have. I was the kid who couldn’t run, throw, catch or anything else athletic. But this? This I can do. I'm not fancy about it, and I will never win anything at tournament. But I can save myself on the street.
 
Type 1 diabetes is always a balancing act. I have to get my blood sugar high enough before class that I can afford to lose 60-100 points due to the exercise, but not SO high that exercise will actually shoot it higher (which many people don’t realize is a thing). It’s a daily question whether I will even get to class based on what my blood sugar is doing that day. As a female, hormones complicate blood sugar even more. I haven’t been back to class in far too long - I should be training for my qualifier between First and Second Degree, but it’s not easy. I even had to turn down the first request I got to be a sponsor for an upcoming black belt because I can’t even count on my own attendance.

But I will say, that TKD has helped me build balance, strength, flexibility, and agility that I never thought I could have. I was the kid who couldn’t run, throw, catch or anything else athletic. But this? This I can do. I'm not fancy about it, and I will never win anything at tournament. But I can save myself on the street.
I’m glad that you are enjoying it. I hope that things improve soon so that you can get back to regular training.
 
Whenever I see that, I presume the person isn't going to train in anything, ever.

Tell me I'm wrong.
Also, your title and your argument are
Whenever I see that, I presume the person isn't going to train in anything, ever.

They rattle off their age, body type, physical limitations, and what they'd like to learn and ask fir recommendations.

What they're actually asking for is a reason to not train.

Tell me I'm wrong.
Also, your title and your argument are two very different things. If you have all these challenges and you want recommendations, you don’t KNOW what style to get into. That’s why you are talking to whoever you are talking to—to find out if they think you even can, and if so, what style is best.
 
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