When you first began Martial Arts, what type was it?

Question

I wanted to get started.. but there are just so many. I'd like to hear what you guys started off with.

Answer 1

I started wrestling when I was 12, at 14 pre-army started and so I started Krav Maga.  I devoted my young  life to Krav Maga, in the aim of becoming Sayaret (Special Forces).  It worked.

Now I teach Krav Maga and study Wu style Taiji and Combat SAMBO.

"More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones". - Truman Capote

Answer 2

i started juijistu when i was 11 now i am 13 and still doing juijistu [green bekt]

Answer 3

Tae kwon do. I'm still doing it after 11 years haha but i know muay thai, gumdo, hapkido, and a bit of boxing from school. But football training helps me stay in shape haha

Answer 4

I started with Boxing then Shukokai Karate ( no dis respect to that style but my instructor was a money chaser 6 month contracts and in hind sight a plonker for want of a better word and with being young I was naive enough to believe and trust my elders for 3yrs ) then I joined lau Gar kung fu, then Shotokan Karate (and finally my calling Japanese Jiu-jitsu :)***

Answer 5

I started with American Kenpo Karate.  It is very comfortable for me and has many of the styles already listed here incorporated into it.

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 6

just join a gym that does more than one martial art.... with the explosion of MMA they are all over the place... started in karate as a little kid after watching ninja turtles after a while i thought it was lame... a few years later i did boxing at the city gym... recently i got into Jiu jitsu and kick boxing... i would reccomend jiu jitsu you learn a lot of self defense skills and its a pritty intense workout... kick boxing is alright too...but i felt that it was more of a cardio work out then a self defense class.. (The class i went to)... good luck..

Answer 7

I started with Lama Hop Gar Kung Fu.

Answer 8

pugpaws,zenlife and katana have said it all. i started in judo and stuck at it for 18 years,mixing in a little shotokan and Aikido. i sampled many systems over the years and am now teaching an eclectic kungfu variation,my Sifu is awsome. it all boils down to the guy and i have been privileged to be the student of this great teacher[wayne taylor].

Answer 9

I started out in a Tae Kwon Do McDojo. It was a waste of money for the most part but I did get in good shape and it did develop my roundhouse kick. I like to see at as a good stepping stone for Muay Thai because it did give me the backround I needed for all the kicks and such. The only thing is that they taught me to kick with my foot whereas Muay Thai kicks with the shin. It did get a while to get used to.

High school wrestling is an EXCELLENT supplement for Jiu Jitsu. If you learn both, it will make evolve your ground game like nothing else. The wrestling will teach you to take advantage when you're on top and the Jiu Jitsu will teach you to escape from the bottom.

Answer 10

I've been taking Hapkido for more than 9 and a half years. I first took Aikido, but the school was too far away and the uniforms and classes were more expensive. I stumbled upon my Hapkido school quite by accident, I was patronizing the Weight Watchers in the same plaza. But Aikido is similar to Hapkido so that worked for me.

Answer 11

Started with taekwondo then did hapkido and some wushu... I'm sticking with taekwondo (I mean it's an Olympic sport, duh!). Does wrestling count?

Answer 12

I started out with aikido 10 years ago and still loving every bit of it.

At first I was not entirely convinced because I had no real talent for it.  That  was until our club organised a big workshop with one of the most famous teachers Sugano Seichi.  During one excercise he noticed me and my partner fumbling about so he decided to demonstrate it on me.  Next thing I knew I was face down on the floor with absolutely no Idea of how I got there.  from that moment on I decided that no matter what how or when I wanted to learn how to do that.

Answer 13

I started off with Shaolin Kempo-Jiujitsu. It's a great art if taught effectively. Eventually my school closed down so i now moved on to Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Find a martial arts school, no matter the style, see how much it costs, try it, and enjoy! There is no one best style, it depends on the person who uses it.

Answer 14

I started out 18 years ago in Isshin-Ryu karate and have been doing it ever since. i have dabbled in other arts, but my instructor is way too good and knowledgible for me to go anywhere else.

Answer 15

Good question.   I can't really say what my first style was. My first instructor opened a dojo in my home town (1960's). It was the only martial arts school available.  The dojo had no signs or other indications of what the style was. The instructor held black belts in karate, two styles of kung-fu, and judo. We were taught a bit of each of these.  Some years laster I talked with him and he told me that the kung-fu was Northern-Goshu, and Drunken Monkey. He never did say what style of karate he had studied. The classes were not very formal, just training.

My next Sensei taught a combination of Shito-Ryu and Kamishinryu. In another class he taught hakko-Ryu jujitsu.

Through the years I've had the opportunity to study many other arts from Japan, Korea, Okinawa, and China.  They are all good arts. The most important thing is the quality of the instructor.  The art does not make the martial artist. The completeness of the training does.  It does not matter what martial art you study. Find the most knowledgeable instructor and study from him.  Titles, ranks, awards, tournament wins, have nothing to do with who that person is. To find the right instructor takes a lot of investigation. Best of Luck!