What can I do if I want to learn martial arts but don't have any money?
I only practice kendo so I'll base my answer upon my experience within this martial art.In Japan, when you join a dojo, money is NEVER at the centre of discussions. To the extent that masters consider that their duty is to transmit the art but not to make profit out of it.I invited once à Master from my dojo to make a presentation for the students in the school I teach. He took half a day off for that (out of the few days offered in Japanese companies) for just about 50 minutes of presentation.In my culture, when someone of that level takes out of their time, their has to be compensation, most usually under the form of money. The school prepared a sum for that matter. It took me several minutes to convince my master to accept the money. He ended up accepting it reluctantly and half insulted. If i had been a Japanese person, I think he would have harshly rebuked me. He explained that kendo masters usually do not accept money when they transmit the art.This short anecdote is to show you that real martial art masters will not be after your money. Most likely they have a job and they transmit the art on their free time rather than making a living out of their teaching.Money should never be a problem to learn a martial art. My advice is this to find a serious master, explain your situation and offer other forms of compensation for their teachings. If you can't pay, you may give time for the functioning of the dojo. There is always need for people to advertise, organize events and all. This is much more valuable than just giving money.My two pence!
How to take martial arts lesson without your parents knowing?
Hi, I'm wondering how can I sign up for martial arts classes without my parents knowledge? I have found a club that I can sign up with without my parents, but how should I carry out, I mean like hiding my training attire etc ? Thanks in advance Jay
My son HATES Martial Arts what do I do now?
When I was 11 I signed up for martial arts classes, and I felt the same after a few months. It sounds like he's just bored of the class, he doesn't really hate it, all he wants is a little change in pace. Have you tried private lessons with an instructor? If he attends a private lesson he will be able to work with an instructor 1-on-1 at his own pace and this will let him learn what he wants to learn and he won't get bored of doing the same thing every class. A lot of the time, martial arts classes can get a little repetitive because the instructor wants to reinforce technique and make sure that the student can do it in their sleep. It's handy because he will be able to learn faster and perform better. Try telling him why you want him to take the classes. If he knows your reasoning behind it, he may see it in a whole different light. Also let him know that he's earned one stripe so far and remind him that he can get to black belt one day. You need to make him do another 3 months or he will think that it's OK to quit in the middle of things and ignore commitment. However, if he does continue for another 3 months and then quit, know that you can never force passion from someone. If he truly hates it then he will never be able to get a black belt! It takes a lot of commitment and perseverance to earn one and it will be almost impossible if he doesn't like it.
My parents won't let me dedicate myself to a serious martial arts class?
I am a 15yr old girl and this summer I wanted to take a martial arts class, my friend who works at the dojo I am currently attending referred me to her dojo and I've been training there for about a month and a half. I have recently discovered the whole dojo to be a sham, or a McDojo! We paid 400-500$ for me & my mom to take classes there for the first 3 months!!! When it came time for my yellow belt test I started to notice that things seemed fishy. The first thing that set off the alarm bells is that I knew I wasn't even ready to take the next test, yet they insisted that I was. After a little Internet research and figuring out what should be going on in a real dojo I quickly figured out that the one I am currently attending was a complete and total flop. All they are doing is teaching us forms, one step sparring, having us stretch and kick targets! I was totally disgusted and disappointed because I wanted to do the real thing, not this. I told my mom about it and asked her if we could visit other places this week, and we visited a place for mixed martial today. We looked in on a kick boxing class and it was no doubt the real deal. The classes are Co-Ed but most if not all of the participants were men but there are a few women in it too. My mother looked upon it with extreme pessimism and told me that my father would not want me to be fighting with a bunch of sweaty disgusting men. Since I am only 15 I do have the option of taking a childrens class with people closer to my age and size. My mom practically said no, that it was "too much" for me and told me to ask my dad instead since he would be paying for it. This mixed martial arts studio is a lot cheaper, and more effective than the current dojo I am attending and will allow me and my family to try it free for a week! I am not entirely sold on this dojo and we are looking at other places also. My mom told me that by switching dojo's we would be "wasting money" and that I'm not committed to anything!
How can I learn martial arts by myself?
In my opinion, no… at least not to any degree of real proficiency. By watching a video or reading out of a magazine you can certainly get a feel for the gross motor movements, however the finer movements you can only hone with the feedback from someone who understands what they are doing and what to look for. More importantly than understanding “how” to perform a technique is the “why” you should perform/apply it. For example, a normal front kick does not generally have the power to stop an opponent in itself. So, why do we use it? If you practice expecting your front kick to be your “go-to” technique, you are going to be rather rudely shocked when your opponent shrugs off your blow and comes back in for more. A teacher can help you understand how/when to use the various techniques taught. Think about the scene from the original “Karate Kid” movie where Daniel is practicing roundhouse kicks from a magazine. I’m sure he built up a substantial amount of strength and speed. But how much did that help him in the following where he had to actually apply what he’d learned. He had no idea how to use what he’d practiced.The other thing you (tori: the one striking) need is a partner (uke: the one being struck) to experiment on (and, in all fairness, in such a relationship you should also make yourself available to be the uke as well). Technique in any martial art is less about brute force and more about applying the technique correctly. When working kumite I often get the comment that my strikes truly hurt, and not because I’m striking hard… I’m striking correctly. You can only perfect this by practicing on a live partner where you not only get their feedback, but you also get a feel for what a correct strike is.