New guy

[Fujiwara Kaito]

Hello! ('_')v

Lets see...where do I begin? Ahhh, I'm a 20 year old college student who recently moved to Wilmington, NC. I don't have allot of hobbies...well, none at all! After my classes, all I do is go home, back into my room...and boremyself to sleep. I'm not overweight, but I'm not a trac star either. I've always been told that I had good legs though. To be honest, I'm interested in taking up a martial art. I don't have an issue of defending myself at all, never have. Right now I am at this point where I don't know what I wanna do with my life, and figured that maybe Martial arts would help clear my head. I did a search for nearby schools, and noticed that tha majority are TKD. I was wondering the following:

1) Is it too late for me?

2)Is it embarassing?

3)Will I compete?

4)Will I meet people I can hang out with?

5) what should I look for/be aware of?

Thanks ahead of time! ('_')v

Chris

[Munday]

Hello! ('_')v

Lets see...where do I begin? Ahhh, I'm a 20 year old college student who recently moved to Wilmington, NC. I don't have allot of hobbies...well, none at all! After my classes, all I do is go home, back into my room...and boremyself to sleep. I'm not overweight, but I'm not a trac star either. I've always been told that I had good legs though. To be honest, I'm interested in taking up a martial art. I don't have an issue of defending myself at all, never have. Right now I am at this point where I don't know what I wanna do with my life, and figured that maybe Martial arts would help clear my head. I did a search for nearby schools, and noticed that tha majority are TKD. I was wondering the following:

1) Is it too late for me?

2)Is it embarassing?

3)Will I compete?

4)Will I meet people I can hang out with?

5) what should I look for/be aware of?

Thanks ahead of time! ('_')v

Chris

Hello and welcome

I am new to this forum but have been doing TKD since Feb so I will try and answer your questions.

1). Not at all, I started when I was 21 and my friend who I go with was 23.

2). No its not in the slightest, what is there to be embarrassed about?

3). In England when you get to Yellow belt you can compete in competitions (not sure for US).

4). Yes you will, I have made a couple of friends through it already. For example last Friday night we all went out for a curry

5). Not to sure on this one but be prepared to spend a lot of your own time stretching. If you don't put the effort in outside the class you will find you don't make huge gains when it comes to being flexable (one of my problems lol).

Hope this has helped

[Shui Tora]

1) Is it too late for me?

2)Is it embarassing?

3)Will I compete?

4)Will I meet people I can hang out with?

5) what should I look for/be aware of?

Okay... Firstly, welcome to KF! I'm Shui Tora... I do not do TKD, but karate-Do Shotokan... However, I have picked up some stuff about TKD and know some of the answers to your questions.

1.) No; it isn't too late for you to start Martial Arts... After all, it is for everyone to join. At your age, you'll be in an adult class... So you'll probably be the youngest there!

2.) Only if you get thrown on the floor by a 70 year old! Not in bit is it embarrassing... More enjoyable actually!

3.) It'll depend on your grade... Most likely after 3 years of training you'll be able to compete in tournaments (you'll need to learn adavanced patterns, so hence a higher grade than white belt)

4.) If you can socialise well, then you'll make loads of friends! Most of the people that I hang out with are from my Dojo, and some of those go to my college...

5.) Firstly, look at prices. If some of the Dojo's are asking for high fees, forget it! These are called McDojo's and basically you pay a high fee for a balck belt, with little training involved.

Secondly, ask the Sensei's of the Dojo's if you can watch a couple of classes... That way you can see what you are getting yourself into!

Finally, be prepared to train anywhere! Literally! I train mainly at home (apart from the Dojo), but if I have to learn a new kata, or remeber some old katas for a competition, I will train anywhere.

Hope that answer your questions. If you would like to know anything else, do PM me or post again.

Shui Tora.

P.S; Enjoy it! Learning a MA is good fun, and gets you outside as well as make you fit and healthy. It helps in difficult situtations too!

[MisterRadley]

Fujiwara, welcome to KF! Mundai and Shui Tora are exactly right in their posts. Best of luck to you in studying TKD!

[Fujiwara Kaito]

Thanks so much ^^

Seems very enjoyable, so I think I will start searching for a school today...wait, its labor day, lol. I'll try tuesday.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Ask around campus, they might have a martial arts or TKD club. Some schools, such as NYU, even have competitive teams. Go to the gym there and inquire about the different club teams and classes offered. You might find something.

[bushido_man96]

Welcome to KF, Fujiwara Kaito! Glad to have you.

As far as your questions, it isn't too late, and you can compete if you want to. If I were you, I would go check out each school around you, and talk with all of the instructors. Find out what the classes are like, and check out their teaching styles. Choose the one you think fits you best.

Enjoy the journey!

[scottnshelly]

1) Is it too late for me?

Absolutely not. You are at an optimal age to start learning something new.

2)Is it embarassing?

I've never been embarassed. Everyone in the dojang is extremely professional. Everyone outside of the dojang is ignorant about what we do, so there's no reason to be emarassed about what they think.

3)Will I compete?

If you want to. I've only heard of a handful of instructors that make competing a requirement; there are also a handful that will not allow competing. Check around and see what you potential instructor thinks about it.

4)Will I meet people I can hang out with?

Definately. You will have a common bond with those people. At first they will all be further along than you, so befriending them with be beneficial to you. Later, you will be more advanced than the new people and you can help them. Everyone in the dojang is very friendly and polite, making friends will not be hard to do.

5) what should I look for/be aware of?

Look for:

*A qualified instructor. Creditials aren't everything, but can give you an idea of his background. Don't be afraid to ask for lineage, certificates, ranks, etc.

*Happy students. Feel free to interview some of the students at a prospective school. They should be happy to help - if they aren't that's a sign for a bad school.

*A mix of ranks. A class where everyone is brown belt or higher either means a "McDojang" or a class with no new students in the past three years. A class where everyone is yellow belt or lower means low retention rate or no one will ever advance.

*Philosophy. If you are really religious you may not enjoy a school steeped in Shintoism or Buddhism.

Avoid:

*Low level high ranks. Some kids can achieve high ranks if they try hard and start young. Too many high ranking kids could indicate premature promotion to obtain faster testing fees out of parents. These schools are called "McDojangs" or "McDojos". If you can't tell the difference between a yellow belt and a brown belt from watching, they are putting too much emphasis on promoting and not enough of advancing.

*Secretive classes. If you aren't allowed to watch a class or if spectators aren't allowed in they may be teaching something that you don't want to learn.

*Premature contracts. Some schools hand out contracts. These aren't too bad if you plan on staying for a while, but if you have to sign a contract before your first lesson, you may not enjoy it and be stuck paying for the next year.

*Fees. Fees are a regular part of training. You should expect a monthly tuition, testing fees, tournament fees (if you compete) and maybe a membership fee. Find out ahead of time how much you should be expecting to pay. Also find out if you can purchase your uniform and equipment from the retailer of your choice or if you are required to purchase through the school.

Take a clipboard with a list of questions that you have. Watch a class, talk to the instructor (and assistant instructors if possible), some students and some parents/spectators.

Most importantly, don't settle for less. Find the best instructor that meets your needs best. Once you have the answers to all of these questions, the choice of school should be easy.

As always, let us know if you have any further questions. We love to help.

[Fujiwara Kaito]

Very very helpful! O_O

Informative too, lol. I would check UNCW, because teh school I attend now only has clubs accorting to majors, and sports dont include TKD ;_;

I like the idea of TWD, to be honest, because I have well developes legs. When I get into things I am very dedicated. While Christian, I respect the ansestory of each martial art...this includes culture and religion. I'm not much of a show off though...in fact I am quite shy, lol. But I think conditioning my body is better than just going to school or playing videogames.

I searched for some TKD schools around me and found quite allot...but something seems off. Is a name important in a Dojo? It seems like allot fo them were refrered to as "Acadamies"...is this bad? I also searched for a martial arts supply store, and to my amusement, there is one nearby as well

when I was really young, my mom worked as a freelance programer for pharmesutical companies, so I didnt stay in one place any longer than 2 years. Ive done 2 years of TKW and got to yellow belt, but we moved. Was a moy Scout, but moved. Was in gymnastics, but moved...you see what I'm saying? I want to do somehtign I will be consistent in.

Thank you everyone for the help! I will be sure to post what happens tomorrow

Fuji~

[bushido_man96]

The word "Academy" in the name does not necessarily mean something bad. Go check out the school, and see what it is like. It will all depend on the instructor.