Martial Arts

Martial Arts is an art form. The movements and combinations function similar to a dance between many people at the same time. Film has shown the beauty and power of the martial arts. Wrestlers, UFC and pride fighters are into full contact combat. To me the martial arts and combat are different but related. Martial Arts did more for my state of mind, confidence level and athletic ability then it did for me as a combatant. I feel confident that I can defend myself against normal people and even against skilled opponents, but that is not the best thing I took from the martial arts. The martial arts is a discipline that gives you confidence in your physical ability and teaches you respect for elders and your team at the dojo, and your mental ability to learn complex maneuvers, and it helps you spiritually because it teaches you to clear your mind and have an inner peace if you seek it out. Once you diminish your fear of being harmed by strangers or bullies, then you walk with more confidence and you carry yourself in such a way that you are not confronted or challenged anymore by bullies. But it can take years to achieve this confidence level if you do not have it naturally.

I was a small guy to start with, so naturally I was more careful of larger people and thought that they might be able to hurt me. But I learned over time that physical size is not always the best indicator of an ability to have strength or power or ability to do harm.

Before you start any martial arts training, I would advise watching multiple teachers teach their class and interact with the students and parents. You might want to learn a certain style but if you do not love the teacher, you will not enjoy it as much as you could and it will be harder to reach your potential. I got lucky and my first teacher, Rudy Amaya,  was honorable, knowledgable and had a teaching style that I could absorb very quickly. Be sure that you respond to a teacher before you commit to being with them 3, 4, or 5 days a week for training. I became a black belt in 1989 after about 4 years of training for 5 days a week in group classes, plus one private lesson every week. And I have heard stories of it taking much longer for some people. Everyone learns at a different pace, and not everyone reaches black belt, but the key is just enjoying the process and improving at your own pace.

When you finally choose a teacher and a style that you want to pursue you will need a uniform or gi, and a belt, some pads and a helmet for sparring, and gloves for hitting the bags. Everything else is pretty much optional and at your discretion.

Some styles teach weapons, and others teach music, and culture and history of the art form to go along with their particular style. You might need these items or books for you to learn as well.

Be prepared to be challenged physically and mentally to learn, absorb and perform all of the techniques you will learn from your teachers. And then there is competitive tournaments for martial arts which allow you to compare your ability to others in the art. I recommend tournaments for anyone that wants to see what it is like to match up with other skilled martial artists in kata, weapons, sparring and musical or team katas.