Martial arts and cerebral palsy?

Question

well im turning 17 pretty soon and would like to try ma specifically hapkido and my cp only affects my right leg and the rest of my body is fine and its mild and would like to know if its too late?

can hapkido help me overcome my physical limitations?is it street effective?

is it possible for me to go to the mma?

does it take a long time to get good at and can someone like me master it in 4 years?

what exercises can i do to help my balance, increase flexibility, and train better at hapkido at home?

any info can help me. Thanks

Answer 1

With any disability in martial arts, the focus should be not on what you cant do, but what you CAN do. I have a !3yr old student in my class (TKD) with cp, and while she finds some areas difficult, there are other areas she excels at.

I dont think anyone, disability or not, can master any martial art in only 4 years, but you can become proficient in that time.

It is hard to give you specific exercises without knowing the full extent of you limitations, but most instructors are happy to give advice and encouragement to someone who is going the extra mile by training at home. All you have to do is ask.

Good luck :)

Answer 2

Provided you find a good instructor and school, then you will do just fine.  

Most martial arts will be able to overcome any physical limitations, within reason.

Yes, it will be street effective, if trained with that in mind.

With the increased popularity of MMA It is doubtful that anyone just starting out now will be able to go into pro-MMA.  With that said, people do still do it, but it is a very long hard road, regardless of where you start.  And many/most of Hapkido's moves are not legal in MMA.

Any good martial art will take many many years to "master".  If you work hard then you will have some definete skills after 4 years.

Once you start learning MA, then you just need to practice what they teach you at home as well as in class.

Good luck.  Your condition will only affect you how much you let it.

Answer 3

why dont u get off ur *** and do push ups or sit ups in the  mean time while before joining hapkido cuz all u do is f****n ask so shut the **** up and do something about it *****.

The less time you spend asking questions, the more time you can spend doing something.

Answer 4

i know someone who  does MMA and has CP. He does well with it and trains harder then anyone i know. People with a disablity seem to train and strive better then  people without. So i would say you could do very well. I hope that you do it and show the rest of the world like my buddy that no matter what life brings you, you can still be the best no matter what.