About to sign up for Tae Kwon Do...but I'm scared!

BlackViolet13

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
191
Reaction score
55
Well I think the title says it all. My kids have been in Tae Kwon Do for the last three months and have really loved it. I go to every one of their classes and have seen the changes it's made both in class and outside (higher confidence, self discipline, and such) and think that it would be a great way for me to get back into shape, fight stress, and to get over my shyness.

But therein lies the problem, because as I'm sitting here filling out my registration form, I keep thinking about how scared I am to put on a uniform and do this in front of other parents in the school (this particular class is for both kids and parents, which is really convenient :)) who are sitting in the studio watching their kids. If it makes any sense, I'm more confident internally than externally, and I am pretty outgoing with people I already know but I feel like such a misfit most of the time now that I'm not working anymore.

So has anyone here entered a martial arts discipline (or something similar) as an adult? Do you have any words of wisdom before I start class this afternoon? (I can't believe I'm so nervous about this!)

Thank you :)
 

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Messages
5,623
Reaction score
925
Age
42
Location
In the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable e
Website
destinydeceived.wordpress.com
Just don't forget that all the others either are beginners, or were once. No-one's going to expect you to be Bruce Lee straight out of the gates.

Oh, and don't expect to learn how to fight properly. From what I've seen of it, TKD is more of a sport than a proper fighting art. When I did Ju Jitsu at university, we used to train just after the TKD club. They trained to music. To music!?!.
 

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
18,802
Reaction score
4,591
Location
Caledonia
Website
derekpaterson.net
So has anyone here entered a martial arts discipline (or something similar) as an adult? Do you have any words of wisdom before I start class this afternoon? (I can't believe I'm so nervous about this!)
Everyone is a beginner at the beginning. You'll do just fine. Helpful tip: break wind in the toilet before you enter the gym.

Oh, and don't expect to learn how to fight properly. From what I've seen of it, TKD is more of a sport than a proper fighting art. When I did Ju Jitsu at university, we used to train just after the TKD club. They trained to music. To music!?!.
That's kinda odd, but let's assume Taekwon Do isn't the same the world over and some offshoots do their own funky thing.

-Derek
 

Stew21

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 2, 2006
Messages
27,651
Reaction score
9,136
Location
lost in headspace
Have a chat with DL Hegel (who should be logging on at some point today). She's a TKD instructor (she teaches my son). they have adult classes. She might have some tips.

(they don't train to music there, Jimmy) ;)
 

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Messages
23,708
Reaction score
10,657
Location
In a world of my own making
Website
shadowferret.wordpress.com
Oh, and don't expect to learn how to fight properly. From what I've seen of it, TKD is more of a sport than a proper fighting art. When I did Ju Jitsu at university, we used to train just after the TKD club. They trained to music. To music!?!.
Not sure what you were watching, but TKD is a Korean fighting art. Sort of a cross between kung fu and karate.
 

BlackViolet13

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
191
Reaction score
55
Thanks, Shadow Ferret and Jimmy :D I am definitely going to remember what you've said!

We did a lot of research in our area for the different TKD schools, and found that we liked this one the best because it's not just about form and fighting, it's also about the mind-body connection and being a good citizen at home and in public too. We definitely didn't want a place like Jimmy mentioned that played music (WTF??? *shaking head*) or that was all about becoming a ninja and kicking butts everywhere, or that was all about getting medals and trophies. The Grand Master is from Korea and the school is very old school, which I like--and he requires that classes are taught in Korean.

Honestly, I'm not in this for sport, and I don't feel like this school treats it like a sport; it feels like more of a discipline (and trust me I may not know what I'm talking about here, these are just my impressions :)). The classes are a combination of TKD/Hapkido/Yudo, so I feel like this is pretty well-rounded, because I have heard that most fights do end up on the ground.
 

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Messages
5,623
Reaction score
925
Age
42
Location
In the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable e
Website
destinydeceived.wordpress.com
I believe they justified it by saying that they used the flow, or rhythm of the fight. Which is why Bruce Lee used to do those funny little half-step shuffles, to throw off the timing of anyone trained in this way.

Anyway, we should be encouraging BlackViolet, not arguing the relative merits of martial arts. Tae Kwondo is fine, but imho it's not the greatest of fighting arts. But it is bound to be great for the things you mentioned - "...and think that it would be a great way for me to get back into shape, fight stress, and to get over my shyness.!"
If it's a good club, no-one's going to be out to make you look foolish or, as I mentioned before, expect you to be popping off high flying spinning kicks straight away.
Everyone had to start the same way at some point. (I'm actually proof this isn't always true - I started as a beginner in an art called Bujinkan a while back. Now I'm getting back into the swing of it, I probably look a bit like someone being stupidly good right out of the gates. But my Ju Jitsu training is the card up my sleeve, Bujinkan has a lot in common with it. There's another beginner who seems worried he's not picking stuff up as quickly, and I'm afraid he's comparing himself to me, which is unfair. But I still had to start Ju Jitsu as a beginner, and I remember what it was like. I'm trying to impart some of the stuff I already know without coming across as the annoying know-all.)
 

BlackViolet13

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
191
Reaction score
55
Helpful tip: break wind in the toilet before you enter the gym.

LMAO Derek...yeah I admit that is something I am worried about! (note to self: Beano with every meal from here on out)

Thanks, Stew! I can't wait to see what she has to say.

Jimmy, thanks again for your comments. I don't think you're an annoying know-it-all by any means, and I really appreciate your input :D I seem to forget quite a bit that everyone has to begin somewhere and I can't be perfect right out of the box. I think if I had seen a class like that, I wouldn't have very good impressions of TKD either. I've seen Tai Chi classes use music to go with the flow, and I think it's appropriate there as sort of meditative energy, but maybe not as much with TKD. My husband is in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and agrees it is a discipline that can be used in real life combat--but they don't teach it to young kids in our area. I feel like it's a little too advanced for my needs right now, but maybe as I become better (and gain the things I listed above from this) I will move into it.
 

Namatu

Lost in mental space.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Messages
4,489
Reaction score
967
Location
Someplace else.
In addition to the already-given good advice, be accepting of yourself and your abilities for where you're at: the beginning. You'll be learning a new way to move your body and to process information. It does get easier with practice. The biggest hurdle I found when I practiced aikido was the one in my head: I'm supposed to do that? You really expect me to hurl myself through the air, slam into the ground, and bounce back up? (Not a TKD component so far as I know!) If you find yourself uncertain or afraid, know that you are capable of much more than you expect and be willing to push the boundaries your mind throws up out of fear. It's fun and rewarding!

I can also be pretty shy. Some of the best friends I have are people I met on the mat. Working together there can forge a camaraderie that's hard to find elsewhere - and you'll be doing it with your kids, which is great.
 

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Messages
23,708
Reaction score
10,657
Location
In a world of my own making
Website
shadowferret.wordpress.com
We did a lot of research in our area for the different TKD schools, and found that we liked this one the best because it's not just about form and fighting, it's also about the mind-body connection and being a good citizen at home and in public too.
Sounds like the one we had joined. It is about the forms and self-defense and breaking things, but for the kids, it's also like Cub Scouts, teaching you to be responsible and a good citizen.
 

Summonere

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,090
Reaction score
136
Guess what? Martial arts, as are any discipline (martial or not), are all about personal development. Feeling dorky and uncoordinated in front of a bunch of fellow adults is pretty darned perfectly normal, and every other beginner there is going to feel exactly the same way, especially since they'll all be wearing pay-jammies, which look different and feel different than your usual clothes. You work through that, you develop.

As to the possibility of feeling weird in front of working adults because you are (a) not working, and, (b) playing with TKD, that's perfectly normal, too. Don't worry about it. They're not thinking about you. They're thinking about their own things. In this case, probably their kids. Parenting is a job. That's why it's usually a tag-team endeavor. And being active with the kiddies is a huge double plus plus for those kids, too, not to mention you, and for the reasons you mentioned here:

...it would be a great way for me to get back into shape, fight stress, and to get over my shyness.

Case history: I, too, started studying martial arts when I was all grown up, and I was a shy, retiring critter. Probably still am. But self-consciousness quickly went away when I started training because there were others around me in the same boat. We were all gawky arm-flapping, leg-flopping, tripping-over-our-own-feet noobs. We got better.

Ah, but here's the part about which you asked last, this thing about advice and wisdom before you set off for class:

Have fun.

If you have fun while doing things that are daunting for their newness, you learn. You develop.
 

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Messages
23,708
Reaction score
10,657
Location
In a world of my own making
Website
shadowferret.wordpress.com
Case history: I, too, started studying martial arts when I was all grown up, and I was a shy, retiring critter. Probably still am. But self-consciousness quickly went away when I started training because there were others around me in the same boat.
I'm probably an extreme case, but I'm a very quiet and reserved person. When you strike, you're supposed to yell (something to do with Ki and releasing it). I never could yell. I'd internalize it and they'd always tell me to yell. I couldn't. Which is one reason I quit and took up Tai Chi... much quieter. And I get to wear shoes.:D
 

BlackViolet13

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
191
Reaction score
55
Thanks, Summonere and Namatu! I can't begin to say how glad I am to know that there are other adults who used to be in my boat and overcame their reservations :D Between having my kids so close together and being in college the last three years my poor body has gone to pot and it's time to get it back in working order!

Shadow Ferret, that is another thing I'm queasy about. I'm not much of a yeller, especially after telling my kids to use their inside voices so much ;) That' something I'm probably going to struggle with...as well as the bare feet thing LOL I'm such a podophobe!
 

Summonere

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,090
Reaction score
136
Yeah, I found that hollerin thing alien, especially since I wasn't much gabby and they, what, wanted me to yell?

In any event, the yelling idea is multi-fold, and it has much to do with simply keeping you breathing since most people tend to hold their breath when they start kicking and punching. It's also supposed to tighten up all those muscles that protect your body should it get kicked or punched or otherwise pounded. It also turned out to be fun, once I got used to it. (Of course it's not really a yell. Not precisely. You do much of that, you'll sound funky later.)

Oh, just one thing: stay away from this guy's class:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi3s64sJ04M
 

Namatu

Lost in mental space.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Messages
4,489
Reaction score
967
Location
Someplace else.
Breathe - and commit. Nobody (not me!) likes a half-hearted attack. After I'd practiced awhile, if I got a newer (male) partner, he would usually go lighter on me because I'm a girl. I would eventually stand in place and tell him there was no way I was going to throw myself head over heels just because. If he wanted me to go, he had to give me a reason to go. It's more fun when you're doing more than going through the motions.
 

DL Hegel

Tigress Tyrant
Requiescat In Pace
Registered
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
8,985
Reaction score
8,829
Location
I'm not Kirk, Spock, Luke, Flash or Arthur frellin
Website
www.myspace.com
Well I think the title says it all. My kids have been in Tae Kwon Do for the last three months and have really loved it. I go to every one of their classes and have seen the changes it's made both in class and outside (higher confidence, self discipline, and such) and think that it would be a great way for me to get back into shape, fight stress, and to get over my shyness.

But therein lies the problem, because as I'm sitting here filling out my registration form, I keep thinking about how scared I am to put on a uniform and do this in front of other parents in the school (this particular class is for both kids and parents, which is really convenient :)) who are sitting in the studio watching their kids. If it makes any sense, I'm more confident internally than externally, and I am pretty outgoing with people I already know but I feel like such a misfit most of the time now that I'm not working anymore.

So has anyone here entered a martial arts discipline (or something similar) as an adult? Do you have any words of wisdom before I start class this afternoon? (I can't believe I'm so nervous about this!)

Thank you :)
No matter what martial art you choose--everyone is a beginner at sometime. We have a gentleman who is in his late 60's and has been training for 5 years. Never too late to start. I tell adults to take it easy and do what they can--you will be sore the first few classes--but the only black belt is a white belt that never quit. If you are at a good tae kwon do school --they should help you get aquainted with other students. They should also ease you into things maybe even give you a private class at first.The school i teach at prides themselves on promoting a family enviroment. Our students are are very friendly and proud of the school.
 

BlackViolet13

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
191
Reaction score
55
Breathe - and commit. Nobody (not me!) likes a half-hearted attack. After I'd practiced awhile, if I got a newer (male) partner, he would usually go lighter on me because I'm a girl. I would eventually stand in place and tell him there was no way I was going to throw myself head over heels just because. If he wanted me to go, he had to give me a reason to go. It's more fun when you're doing more than going through the motions.

I think that's really important too, because part of this is self-defense, and what good does it do to train for a real attack under those conditions?

Now here's another question I hope somebody can help me with. I wear glasses and can't see more than a few inches without them. I live in Colorado and it's arid as he!! around here, and I have to wear those thick toric contacts, which are not all that fun so I stopped wearing them. Do you wear glasses, or do you think it would be a good idea for me to get a set of contacts to wear just for my lessons? I've gotten headbutted as a kid (playing soccer) with glasses and had to get stitches so it's naturally something I want to avoid happening again, but in TKD I haven't seen yet where anyone is making contact with the face. Thanks!
 

Sarpedon

Banned
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
2,702
Reaction score
436
Location
Minnesota, USA
Oh by all means, join.

I started fencing when I was 20. I still suck, but I don't regret it.

Let me tell you, in my club there's this older gentleman and his 19 year old son. They'd been doing martial arts together (fencing, tai chi, kung fu, kendo) for years. These are the years when most kids try to escape from their boring and lame parents. Not this kid. He obviously takes great pleasure in having his father around as a sparring partner. These two have convinced me that if I were to have a child, I'll get him/her involved in fencing from a young age.
 

BlackViolet13

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
191
Reaction score
55
Well, I went in and did it! What a blast. At first I was sort of embarrassed, being the only adult in the class (I got to warm up by playing freeze tag LOL), but after the tag it was a LOT of fun. And man what a workout! I did some great yells once I got about halfway through, and did some pretty decent kicks for my first time. My legs are burning, and I think tomorrow's going to hurt...but I'm so happy I did it.

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback today! Everything you said helped me tremendously, and I went in and had a great time :D
 

Come Back Kid

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
28
Location
Nashville, Tn.
Been There

Congrats:
You have begun a trip that could save your life. I received my black belt 38 years ago in a full contact school. After making 2nd degree and winning a few trophies, I retired from competition.
It is very repititous, as you already know, but stick with it. You will be surprised how your speed improves.
Be sure to practice at home for that makes a lot of difference.
Make a goal.
I'll PM my instructors great site, if you so desire. Lots of info there.
Jim