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So you decided to learn a martial art. Congratulations, the first step is made. The most difficult one though is still ahead. Don’t worry, I’m here to help you find the best school for you
I’ve been training different martial arts from all over the globe for over 17 years now and I want to share one or another lesson with you.
Now first things first: Why! Before you decide on what martial art you want to practice it’s even more important to know (just for yourself) why you want to learn it! Do you want to learn to fight? Maybe even take part in combats in the ring or in the octagon? Do you want to improve your physical/mental agility and strength? Do you simply want to learn to protect yourself? Are you maybe a victim of violation and you never want to let anyone touch you again without your permission? Did you watch Kung-Fu films and want to be able to do that as well?
There are tons of reasons why you’d want to star but those are the most heard of. So just answer the question honestly for yourself. There’s no wrong reasons but one: If you just want to be able to beat up people please stop reading now, leave my channel and never come back!
That question being answered let’s move on, shall we?
I know Karate! I know MMA! I’m pretty sure you’ve heard these phrases before. The point is, even though the focus at the moment is on MMA and the main splitforms of it (bjj; kyokushin karate, muai thay and so on), there are several hundreds of martial arts out there and all of the have a right to exist even though they are not being hyped at the moment.
One of my masters once said:”There is no wrong martial art. There’s only the wrong and right martial art for you!” Think about it for a second. If your foucs is on asthetics as well as physical and mental strength maybe Krav Maga is not your choice and you should face and focus on Kung Fu. And that’s exactly the reason why I think it’s more important to know WHY you want to learn rather than WHAT.
So try to find out your preferences, do some research and please send me your questions and I’ll try to help you the best I can.
Most martial arts schools offer free trial trainings so you have time to try and find out what feels best for you.
A topic I personally consider very important is about good teachers, bad teachers and wannabes:
Not everyone with a black belt is a good teacher and not every good teacher has a black belt! “The belt is mainly there to hold your pants” Bruce Lee once said. How do you recognize a good teacher?
1. He will always explain to you, that martial arts is a way of life and meant to solve conflicts not cause them
2. A good teacher will want you to tell him when you got in a fight
3. A good teacher will put your needs first and try to teach you instead of showing off how great he is
4. A good teacher will always tell you that a fight is the last option
5. A good teacher takes pride in his students not in his school
You should never hear a phrase like:”You have to prove yourself worthy to be taught by me”
A bad teacher will do the opposite.
What’s a wannabe?
A wannabe is someone who trains about once a month but tells everyone how great a fighter he is and pretends to be a teacher. Don’t fall for them
So in conclusion:
1. Find out what your needs are
2. Find a martial art matching your needs (ask me here if you want to)
3. Find a serious school with a teacher willing to train you and you’re willing to learn from
Following these steps will get you started on your way to becoming a true martial artist. But don’t forget your journey is only starting.
I hope you found this little guide helpful. If you’re no satisfied or disagree with me on some or even all points please feel free to leave a comment. I’m also always willing to learn more or to discuss about a topic I love and live. Also feel free to leave me an upvote if you find this useful. Thx for visiting my channel and I hope to see you soon on my next post
Cheers
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