William K

i took my first TKD class today. It went well. Instructor and the class was very helpful. It was a good aerobic workout and I did well with the moves. I do have to admit that all the forms, etc. are quite a bit more confusing than Karate (from what I remember). I do have a question though and it is not a big deal. I have to have 110 classes I can test for my next level of White Belt. Then like 230 total before I can get to Yellow Belt. That will take forever for me to ever get to the upper ranks. Years, like 5-8 years. Is that normal or excessive? The dues in this dojo are expensive $75 and I had to do a 3 month commitment. Is this normal or am I in the wrong place?

Could y'all do me a favor and look at these 2 sites and let me know which one looks better? I am not looking to be a Cobra Kai, like in Karate Kid, but rather learn the art around nice well grounded people. I visited the 2nd one and the people seemed very nice. the first one looks like they spar quite a bit and the 2nd is non contact. http://www.7tigers-jidokwan.com/html/aboutus.html http://www.ibbcv.com/

Ok. Thanks. I am going to go watch a TKD session at my local dojo. I just looked in the phone book and, unbelievably, there is no Karate dojo in my area. Only Judo, TKD and Aikido. I guess I just assumed there would be a Karate dojo. Does anyone know of a Karate dojo in Charlottesville, VA? If so, I would appreciate the help. William

jiffy, Thanks for the reply. Yes, the back is bothersome, 2 bulging discs, but I seem to be able to work with it and it gets better the more exercise I do and the more I strengthen it and the more I stretch it. I mistyped earlier. I can't stand the Physical Therapist. Oh, the boredom. I truly think that the more I work it and beat on it the better it will be. Aikido could be troublesome due to the falls you are correct. Thank you. I hadn't thought about that. I do love the Japanese culture, without question, but I am not tied to that style. What I am really looking for is a style that I can do, forever, that I learn the mental, physical and self-defense benefits of MA and a style that is comfortable and warm that makes me want to come back to on a daily basis. I don't want a sweat shop where there is a bunch of yelling and barking of orders. I want a traditional Japanese environment where I feel that I am transcending MA and I am becoming part of the Japanese culture and learning MA the way it was meant to be, in Japan, not America, i.e. Karate Kid. I hope that helps and I didn't ramble. I want the ancient experience, the flexibility, the aerobic workout and the mental strengthening. There may not be an MA that does all of these but I would like to know. Thanks, William

First off, thank you for reading and hopefully responding to this post. I am an new member and very confused at the current moment. I know this has been discussed many times, ad nauseum, on this site, but it is different for everyone. What I would like to do is tell you what I would like to get out of martial arts and with all of your experience I would like, if possible, is get some experienced recomendations. Thank you in advance. I am 32, live in Central Virginia. I have a wife, 2 girls (4 and 1.5 yrs old), I am a former athlete. I am 6'1" tall, 220 lbs. I took Karate about 10 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't take it for very long due to work, and other issues. I am now looking to take MA for the following reasons, this could be solved by other sports but I think MA is the way: 1. Get in good shape (this will be my sole aerobic exercise) 2. Mental strengthening (stress, kids, depression, etc.) 3. I need a sport/competition that has a goal 4. I am fascinated by the Japanese culture 5. I truly enjoyed the karate years ago 6. I want to learn self defense for my family 7. I need, and this is important, added flexibility. I have a bad lower back and flexibility is the best solution. I can stick with the physical therapist. So, given all of that please give me some help and I would prefer a MA answer not just go look at a bunch of dojos. These are my choices since I live in a small town: 1. Karate 2. Tae Kwon Do 3. Aikido 4. Judo I am very intrigued by Aikido and at this point am leaning towards Aikido. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, William