Advice for a professional sportsman

[Squawk]

Hi Guys,

After a cold call from the local Karate club recently I am contemplating taking up a martial art. I am however a complete novice and so some advice would be much appreciated.

To enable this to be as specific as possible please find below a bit of information about me and my goals upon taking up a martial art.

About me:

I am a 26 year old male professional golfer playing golf for a living. I am 5ft 11, athletic build but probably a bit overweight (18-19% body fat, 12 stone 6 ish), am fairly fit through running but could certainly be much fitter. I have lifted weights in the past but not for a while due to an injury last year which has now healed, but haven't had the motivation to start again.

My goals:

My goals would be three fold. To get fitter and more flexible, to improve my balance and co-ordination, and obviously to learn to defend myself. The first two would obviously help with the golf, the third is a happy co-incidence and is something I have thought about for a long time.

Hard sparring styles are not an option due to the risks to my golf, I can't afford to get injured though training, so styles such as BJJ and Judo are probably out.

The local Karate club does sound appealing, its one of the GKR branches, if thats whats there called.

http://www.ilovegkr.com/

They guy who cold called spent a bit of time with me and the training regime seems about right, but as a novice with MA and my knowledge with professional sport I appreciate better than most just how poor a position I am to judge at this stage.

Basically I would like advice on whether or not that style of karate does seem like a good way to go, would there be a better alternative, what kind of things should I expect in the first few months and so on.

Thanks in advance, any info required pls ask.

[bushido_man96]

Hello, and welcome to the Forums!

Regarding the GKR, I have heard some negative things about this organization. With that said, I think that you should go check out the dojo for yourself, and see what you think.

In regards to BJJ or Judo, I don't think there would be as much risk to your golfing as you think there is here. In Judo, you would learn how to fall, and in BJJ, as long as you check your ego at the door, and try not to tough your way through everything, you should stay relatively injury free.

In order to gain flexibility, some of the more stand-up and kicking emphasized styles may be up your alley for leg flexibility. BJJ and Judo would probably be better for gaining trunk flexibility and arm range of motion.

Barring this info, take a look around at what you have available, and visit some schools and ask questions. I am sure that you will find something that you like.

[Squawk]

Thanks for the reply. further reading online has led me to believe that gkr are not going to be for me. From what I read the instructors are likely to only have a few months of training. As a sportsman I have a good grasp of just how poor grasp of technique, particularly one thats only practiced a couple of times per week, is likely to be after such a short span of time. Sounds like a recipe for poor technique which will lead to injury, just what I want to avoid.

That being the case I need to look at other styles in the area since I don't think there is another karate establishment around.

More general questions then. If I ring a given dojo or go for a visit, what exactly am I going to be looking for and what are the types of questions I should be asking to ascertain the quality of the place. Is there anything that should instantly make me run away, for example.

How much should I be looking to pay for lessons too? I have no idea on a reasonable rate for training of this type, GKR was 6 quid per 90 min session I think, I have no idea if thats expensive or cheap.

[KarateEd]

You might want to check into the following things when evaluating an MA school.

1) I always look for friendly instructors and for students to introduce themselves to me, but I wouldn't let shy students make or break a school if you like the instructor. The instructor simply may not teach students to greet visitors in such a way.

2) You might want to ask about rank progression. If it seems that the school rushes students along to a high rank you might be weary of the quality of that school. What is too quick? If they say you can be a black belt in 2 years, IMHO this is too quick and is minimizing the importance of quality instruction and maximizing revenue earnings (e.g. more frequent tests = more frequent testing fees).

3) Ask about the instructors MA experience/background. You want to make sure that the instructor is well versed in the MA in which he is instructing.

4) Make sure to watch the class and evaluate the students. Do they look sharp or are they going through training half-hearted, barely breaking a sweat? Do they show respect to the instructor and other students? Evaluate how the instructor responds to the above mentioned scenarios.

Does he ignore substandard performance/respect or does he correct it? How does he correct it, constructively or destructively?

As for fees, I am uncertain what is a reasonable rate. I pay $25 a month with my current organization, but I understand that this is the exception, not the norm. A lot of schools in the U.S. want to sign you to a contract for a period of time or up to a particular rank. I've never really cared for the contract idea.

Hope this helps.

[bushido_man96]

Ed pretty well covered things. One thing I would ask the instructor is what the goals of his teaching and school are. Is he a curriculum man? Is he focused on self-defense, or more on competition? This will help to make your decision, too.

[Squawk]

Cheers chaps, some great advice there. I will probably ring a couple of the local dojos in the next couple of days to get a good feel, then do a bit more research on the styles. Can't feasibly start for another month or so, tournaments every week, but once I have I will post back with my experiences to hopefully help others too.

Plus of course if a discussion with the dojo raises more questions il be back

[DWx]

There are a few other threads you may want to check out:

Questions to ask:

http://www.karateforums.com/what-are-the-right-questions-to-ask-vt31895.html

Average prices:

http://www.karateforums.com/how-much-vt29028.html

http://www.karateforums.com/what-fees-are-you-paying-for-training-vt34400.html

For me the atmosphere of the place is also important. Is everyone relaxed or is it a bit more disciplined? Depending on what you prefer the environment is going to affect how you learn.

Good luck finding somewhere you like