Why did you start?

[granmasterchen]

What was the reason that got you into the martial arts and what got you interested and kept your interest.

 

My reason is that I had a friend that was much smaller than me(football player at the time, lineman) and i went up to him and did a big push....well he moved into some odd stance and didn't move! So I pushed him harder and even put my shoulder into it....well he might have moved an inch! That is what caught my interest. No matter how strong I was, just the simplist training and gaining a certain skill can render all of that power obsolete. So I soon went to class with him and started to train in one of the best schools I have ever seen.

 

so what is your story?

[Kirves]

I saw too many Chuck Norris movies and Honk Kong kungfu movies as a kid. And I was hooked on all the computer beat'em up games like Way of Exploding Fist and Karateka.

[Martial_Artist]

I was born into it. Was doing it before I even knew what it was. Only in my latter years did I realize that not everyone did it.

[aznkarateboi]

for fun and self defense

[G95champ]

To help me become a better football player however I would be lieing if I said I did not want to do it always. Once I was in I was hooked.

[Kyokushin]

Actually I was forced by my dad who had done Yoshukai karate in his younger days. I thought I would hate it, but after the first class I could'nt wait to learn more. Five years later, and I'm still just as excited if not more so about karate. Funny thing is now it's me convincing him to take me to karate

[telsun]

Karate kid movie I think is the reason.

 

My uncle used to teach me in my garden before I started at an official dojo.

 

It is the only thing in life that I seemed to grasp straight away.

[CheekyMusician]

Well I'd always wanted to since I was a kid and saw my dad's friend doing karate, judo and kickboxing moves with his sons in our garden.

 

I was only a little kid (maybe 2 or 3 years old) and I begged my mum to let me start right the way up until I was about 13. She always said no. At first she was worried I'd get injured, but as I got older she realised I had a bit of a temper and she didn't want me learning to fight and then lashing out against someone in temper.

 

Finally, though, at about 15 she said that I could start martial arts if I wanted to (I'd mellowed out a bit by then. lol). And believe it or not, once she'd given me permission to start I chickened out for a couple of years.

 

Finally started last year just after I'd turned 17. Can't believe its been almost a year now....I still feel like I've just started out. I feel like I've only been doing karate for a few months.

[fireka]

since i was very young, i was obsessed with martial arts. id watch any and all tournaments religiously, and studied the diffrent styles, there origins, what stood them apart. i wanted more than anything to train, but my dad was in the navy and we just could not afford the high price. i tried not to far back to learn shotokan at home, but i really wanted solid training that would put me towards my goal: to compete and win at K-1, the tournament i idalized since i first heard about it. Then, about three months ago, while working at Taco Bell (i still do) i stumbled over a small looking dojo next to a gas station, it didnt loo like much, but it was close to were i lived and so i decided to check it out. what i saw amazed me, even though it didnt look impressive form the outside inside it was amazing! and the black belt that was there, training alone, when i came in, was so helpful. it was only 35$ a month, which i pay for myself now, i feel good about that. And now im learning Isshinryu and am stepping closer every day to my dream.

[battousai16]

well, i've wanted to since before i can remember; i watched the ninja turtles religiousley and was obcessed with bruce lee movies (game of death will always be my favorite). but i live in a small city, and the only big dojo around was karate america, which was very very expensive, and i learned later that it's the prime definition of a mcdojo. on top of that, my dad and i didn't really believe in the martial arts. he thought about 90% of it was just movie stuff and that if you could throw a punch and take a hit you could do just fine in a fight. will, i was a very small child, about 4 feet and 80 pounds when i was in the third grade (absolutely none of that muscle, mind you), and at recess there was this group of 5th grade girls that kept beating the living stuffing outta me. to make things worse, other students at my school would find out and laugh at me and make fun of me and such. so my dad signed me up for wrestling, thinking that if nothing else i could at least put a few pounds on. the coach never showed up, he refused to come in and eventually moved out of town. no one ever figured out what was going on but a new dojo had rented out space in the gym at the middle school, which was about a 3 minute walk from my house. my dad talked about it with my uncle and my uncle said, and i quote, "it's as close to real fighting as you'll ever get him". remember, small town, middle of WI. so i got signed up there and learned the martial arts, where i quickly learned to fend off those stupid girls (actually, one of them and i eventually became friends), and by the time i was advanced, more schools had moved in and there were more demos and such, so awareness was raised about the martial arts and my dad watched some classes and was impressed and all went happilly ever after. i continued because i absolutely love every bit of the martial arts, and when i go more than a day or so without training i really don't feel right. and holy cow, i'm really rambling tonight, i'm sorry, i'm gonna stop this post right here