Your martial art (s) why did you choose them?

[chrissyp]

The styles you as martial artist...why did you pick them? Is it cause it's what was available? Did something about a particular style inspire you?

For me, wanting to do Muay Thai, was watching Wanderlei Silva fight. I never seen the furiosity and use of knees like that, and it well, it made me want to fight like that.

As for my second main style, Shotokan,I decided I need to reinvent myself.After doing the the MMA thing for a while, seeing how all fighters seem to follow the same routine,training thai boxing and BJJ, I wanted to think outside the box, mix it, get a different insightm And a long time friend of mine is a shotokan instructor... and she offered to teach me in exchange for helping with teaching sparring and fighting techniques.

So what's your story?

[sensei8]

When I was 7 years old, I use to get bullied, and have my lunch money taken from me everyday at school. Well, long story short, when my mom found out, she enrolled me in one of the local dojo's. Besides, my mom figured that it was cheaper to enroll me in karate classes before I hate her out of house and home.

Fate brought me to Shindokan Saitou-ryu!!

[IcemanSK]

I was 14 & fascinated with MA. I bought MA magazines & inhaled every page. My folks went to an auction & a free week at a TKD school was part of a package they were high bidders on. My dad being quite an ingenious guy, asked the other folks who had also had a week of TKD as part of their packages if they wanted them. None did. So my buddy & I each had 3 weeks of TKD. 32 years later, I'm still training.

Edited May 7, 2014 by IcemanSK

[BlackKnight]

It fit me.

[Zaine]

It was free! I was bullied and beat up on and we had a friend who taught karate for free out of his community's rec center. Later, I picked things that I felt would diversify my training and give me a different perspective, hence the Long Fist and the Mantis.

[mazzybear]

I started Wado Ryu karate as a child and lasted a year or two before I left for no particular reason, just being a kid I guess. I always had a nagging itch to return. Along the way I tried Muay Thai for a couple of weeks but just couldn't get into it. More recently I joined a supposed MMA gym, I say supposed because they didn't actually teach much. I seen a guy hurt his hand punching a heavy bag, he was told it was because he "wasn't doing it right" but no explaination as to what he was doing wrong, the new guys were just thrown in the cage as cannon fodder for the resident "fighters" it was all highly unsafe and unprofessional. This after 26 years away finally brought me back to my original Wado Ryu club. I only wish I'd done it sooner. I'm loving being back on my MA journey.

M.

[skullsplitter]

My son was born with a very mild case of cerebral palsy. His doctors and therapists wanted him to stay busy and stretched. My aunt and cousin suggested we try karate (Shotokan) at the school they were at. 9 years later he's still fighting the tight hamstrings and heel cords, but he's still going strong with his ma with no end in sight.

[hammer]

First school I chose because I was signing my son up and they had a great deal for additional family members. Stuck with it for over 14 years.

After leaving the first school I didn't do any MA for a few months...I then chose to stick with my current school based on a trial workout.

[Wastelander]

I was a bit of a nerd, and very interested in Japanese culture. I actually wanted to learn kendo, but it wasn't available in my area, and was very expensive if I wanted to drive the hour it took to get to the nearest dojo. Karate was available, though, and that's how I started.

My reasons for training have certainly changed, and I've matured as a martial artist since then, but I still have a long way to go.

[tallgeese]

For me, I initially started in the art form I did because I really wanted to be part of a combat oriented style. After that, it was either due to opportunity or a chance to look at something I was interested.

I started in shoot fighting and later mma was to test myself.

I got involved with BJJ to close up a hole I saw in what I did by learning better ground work.

Finally, I started dabbling in JKD and the FMAs to explore blade work that had always fascinated me to a greater degree. As much as for the art of it as the fighting aspect.