I wanna do a Martial arts?

Question

Im not sure why but after watching an episode of Made about sum1 that had like no self-discipline and did it and it seemed so motivating now i wanna do a martial arts....but which one??? or maybe MMA? im in pennsylvania and im 15 any help???? what requirments do ineed? payments? gear? fitness? the whole package. help?

Answer 1

Hi.

Which martial art indeed…  It's personal preference for starters but I'll get into that a little more toward the end.

Requirements:  You must want to do it, if you don't have the will then there is no way.

Payment: Some schools can be expensive where as others are cheap, this will very greatly.  Some schools can be as cheap as $50 a month, others in the hundreds as a monthly fee.  Some schools will also charge a large start up fee and fees for belt testing, sometimes in the hundreds of dollars.  However some schools don't so you'll have to shop around if you’re concerned about price.

Gear:  Most schools will require you to purchase a uniform, this can get a little expensive ($30 to $100 as a general range) however as an example, at my school when you sign up you get a uniform for free as part of the $30 introductory course that includes three half hour private lessons (which usually cost $20). (Tracy's Karate Studio if you’re interested and if you can find one in your area).  You may also be required to purchase sparring gear if sparring is a big part of that schools curriculum, this can also be expensive ($50 to $150 or even more).  However some schools like mine will not have those requirements so shopping around is always a good thing if you’re concerned about cost.

Fitness:  You don't have to be in shape to start a martial art; many people take martial arts to get into shape.

Misc.:  Be wear of contracts, sometimes it's just a harmless, legitimate business practice but other times they may force you to sign a contract so that you get locked into training with them even if you decide you don't like training with them or if the instruction turns out to be inferior.  Just because a school has you sign a contract doesn't make it a bad school, it just warrants a little bit of caution.

As for what style, look around your area for what's available and go from there.  Which style you end up with will likely have more to do with the school and instructors considering you don't seem to know exactly what you are looking for as of right now.  Once you get some experience with whatever school you go with you will have a base from which to look at other styles from to see if there's something you'd rather do.  For right now though it sounds to me like you just need to get yourself into martial arts so you can make that decision later on.  Who knows, maybe you'll decide that you love the first style you try and stick with it.  That's what happened with me anyway :)

MMA would be a rough first "style" to go with and really isn't suited to beginners or even to people who want to spend a lifetime active in martial arts, but who knows, you may find a good MMA school that caters to beginners.  I'm just saying I would look elsewhere first.

I think it's great that you want to get involved in martial arts, keep your motivation!  I hope this helps and good luck in you search for a school/style :)

Answer 2

You're 15 years old therefore;  before you worry about the cost and the "whole" package.  Talk to your parents and discuss what you want to do.  

Once they support and gives you the green light,  then can follow what I have suggested to others in the past.  

Finding the right school, style and instructor can be a very discouraging and perplexing endeavor. However, I can suggest the following steps to assist you in your search:

1) First thing first, Ask yourself .

- Am I willing to spend the time and money to venture into this “new” lifestyle ? Or Am I just having a Jet Li , Jackie Chan,   Power Rangers, The Last Samurai , Randy Couture or BJ Penn moment  ?  In other words, you had a spur of the moment enlightenment and desire to become a martial artist / Ultimate MMA fighter after watching these guys on TV.

You really need to seriously think about this.  Why ?  Because training in the martial arts is a hard long and often time a frustrating journey !  It requires patience, guts , determination, perserverance and don't forget good finance.  Sorry, but this is the harsh reality of the facts !    

  

Secondly, What style is good for me ?

Some martial arts styles may or does depends on your height , weight, build etc...etc.. While I don't believe in the "one size fits all" mentality. It would be hard to picture a sumotori weighting 400 lbs ( person who trains in Sumo) doing a 360 jump spin triple kick in Taekwondo.  My underlying point is that  YOU have to find an art that fits YOU. It does not matter which art. Just find an art that will make YOU feel comfortable and satisfied.

Martial arts does not descrimate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, color, s*x, age, veteran status, or  disability or age.  



So let your journey begin with what I have encouraged others to follow.  .

Get a phone book ( Available FREE from your local phone company ) , Take it home and start looking for the listing under “ Martial Arts Instruction” or “ Martial Arts”. You should find about 2-3 pages of Schools currently doing business in your area. Some schools have big ads that grabs your attention the moment you opened the phone. Don’t neglect schools that are simply on the basic two lines listing. You will never know what hidden “treasure” you might stumble upon.

Next step is to list the schools and their styles that appeals to you. Since you are new to the Martial Arts it is also a wise idea to check out a style or system that you have never heard off, as I am sure you have never heard of arts like Matsubayashi Ryu , Kobayashi Ryu, Shito Ryu..etc. List them as well and find out more about them.

Then click on this link: www.google.com type in the styles that you listed. I am 100 percent sure that google will give you detailed information of the type of martial art styles that are being offered in your area.

Do not read one website as the only source of that style. Read as many as you can. It pays to do your homework before you do your legwork.

2) Finding the Dojo

Once you narrowed down your martial arts style search and still feeling enthusiastic about training. Now comes the hard part. To begin with, return to the primary source ( the phone book). Now that you have a clear fundamental understanding of what style of martial arts maybe good for you. List all the available dojo with their address and phone numbers.

Now don’t rely of the phone books alone as the only source of locating dojos in your area. Utilized the power of the information superhighway (AKA the internet). Click on www.Google.com and type in keywords such as Karate ( type in city) or wushu (type in city)..etc

There are dojos that do not advertised or used phone books and the internet to acquire new students. Often these little schools rely of words of mouth or basically are non-commercialized schools.

Just because they are small does not mean that they aren’t any good. Funakoshi’s ( Founder of Shotokan) first dojo was his backyard.  Just remember one thing, many great martial artist did not train in a muli-million dollar dojo.  

So by now you probably have list that are now 2-3 pages long. The next course of action is to give the Dojo that appealed to you a call and see if they give out try-outs for free or pay the minimal tryout fee’s.

I would strongly suggest to try out these schools for a least a month before you make a commitment. Trying out for one day training session is not enough. If you have to pay for a monthly fee ( Hopefully very small indeed) Just do it ! It is worth the investment.

One last thing, I don't mean to sound abrasive, but If the above suggestion is too much work for you, then the probability of you being serious in joining a martial arts school is less than zero.   I am sorry to say this but, there's plenty of answerer's here that wants to sincerely help you in your quest, but you have to do your part.

Answer 3

do some research and find out whats around in your area. The style doesnt really matter the hard part is finding a good teacher.

there shouldnt be any requirements to join and the payments and gear you'll need will be sorted out in the joining process

Answer 4

well, there's tons of different kinds of martial arts. I do kung fu, and it's the best athletic thing i've ever chosen! My best friend does Brazilian jiu jitsu, but it's like, really really rough and hard-core. the lessons can tend to be expensive, but trust me, it's totally worth it! and the gear and everything depend on what kind you take, if it's weaponry, you'll need to either rent or buy your own stuff. for the kung fu i do, all i needed to buy was the uniform. usually they give you a first free lesson, and if you like it, you should totally do it!! after my first lesson, i was hooked! hope this helped:)

Answer 5

I saw part of that today also.  Find out what schools are in the area, what they cost and when classes are.  Hopefully, there will be a school that fits the bill close to you.  every school has a different uniform and gear, some schools are tournament focused schools while others are more self defense oriented and do not spar as much.  so ask questions when you check out schools.  

Maybe I could make a school recommendation if I knew where in PA you are.  I'm from the area north of Philly.

Answer 6

bjj is the best. its so interesting. out of all the martial arts youll get the most for your money doing brazilian jiu jitsu.

Answer 7

Wait, they had a MADE with martial arts?

Yeah definitely, money is a must. Gear? Does uniforms count? You got to buy uniforms, maybe sparring gear.

But thats pretty much it, I think its best to walk in clueless than try to do some martial arts techniques, because when you walk in clueless you will learn everything properly and fast,

isntead of knowing a few moves, but then when your instructor teaches you something, you will contridict yourself by saying, "wait, i never did it like that" and it will be hard for you to re-train yourself to do it that way.

Answer 8

there has been an error-

Answer 9

well first you'd need a jock strap, because when you're jumping around in your little karate suit people will come around and kick you.