What got you hooked?

How did you get started and why do you continue?

My parents enrolled me in a class when I was nine.  There was one hour of aikido followed by one hour of judo.  I had never been that coordinated, but I was very strong.  I could ace all the physical fitness tests, but running was not my forte.  Baseball sucked, dodge ball was awful, I always got picked last for any team.  With the aikido/judo I could actually do things.  We had team relays and while I didn't know it at the time, the teams were rigged so that the newest/youngest/worst were paired with those better so you had a fair chance of winning.

I've taken breaks of up to 7 years do to life, money, etc., but I always come back because I love the feel of the physical martial arts and the atmosphere of the dojos that I attend.

i am very appreciative of your ability to come up with interesting topics for us to get to know each other over!

I started going at 6 when my dad was stationed at the Airforce academy.  they academy had a judo club/class for the cadets, and my dad joined them ( he had done judo as a kid in LA and in college... but haden't for a while?)my mom however was only ok with him going to play judo with the cadets fro a couple hours evry night ( or however often it was) if he took the to kids (brother, 5, and I) out of the house...she was a stay at home mom, going to college...so he took us with. 

october of that year, i wanted to be a judo player for holloween, so they found a place that sold kids gi's and got me one,  my brother was a panda (not related, but it was cute, cause i lead him around on a leash, and to the just turned 7 year old mind, i wasn't getting that there was a distinction between china and japan.)

so after i had a gi, my mom ( who was always looking for classes/ activities to enroll us in) asked if i would like to do judo with kids my own age... we were both enrolled with Sesnsei Allen at a matial arts place that taught karati, jujitsu, judo and some otherstuff... and i was enrolled ever since... or till i was 16 and a rebellious brat.

every year, usually after a tournament that had been a lot of fun daddy would ask us if we wanted to continue for another year.  that was our only out, and we never took it.  later when i didnt' want to go for some reason... too hot, too tired, friends doing other things... whatever, i would get dragged along and told "it was your choice, and i have already paid for it." my dad was like clock work.  almost never missed a practice or church.  so, neither did we. 

we moved when i was 11, new dojo, same system.  I played till i was 16.  at 16 i ruptured my left ACL(not at judo), but didn't get a diagnosis till i was 20 (whole different rant there) so, i couldn't play, even if i wanted to.  at 22, i got my left acl repaired, and went back.  i played vor maybe 6-8 months, till i went skiing and ruptured my right ACL.  at that point i kind of gave up.  married, baby... when my daughter turned 5, i decided to take her, and that just playing at the kids class, possibly only instructing would be fine.  and it was, till my rt knee( which had never gotten fixed) slipped out from under me.  6 mo later, surgery, 6 months recovery... it has been 13 months now since the surgery, and i feel great.  my knees are strong, i am going to adult practices when i can...

  I have dreams about judo when i don't go.  (i have dreams about judo when i do, but they are less fruatrating or sad)  i am supper happy, and understand my dad's clocklike schedualing much better now.

that was fun... but way more than you asked for...

i started cause mom needed a break from the kids.

i continued becasue my father was patient and methodical

i do it now because it became ingraned in me and if i don't i am missing something.

When I don't get my martial arts in I get grumpy!  It really balances me out.

I got started just a few years ago.  I always wanted to try it out, but never took the time.  My son signed up and after a week I decided to try it out too.  We just tested for our next rank this past Saturday.  I feel pretty good about it and I even got in a few good connections in the sparring portion of the test.  I wouldn't change a thing!  I'm loving every minute of it!  It makes all the difference in how I feel and how I approach life!

(Oh noes!  Thread necromancy!)

I had to resurrect this one, because I like answering questions :D

Basically, I've wanted to pursue martial arts in one form or another since I was about three years old.  My parents, however, were basically dead set against it (that, or else, they thought I already had too much on my plate) -- so while some friends of mine and I more or less tried to invent our own system as kids (LOL, the ancient art of Backyard Smackdown) and I read a fair bit about various styles, my formal introduction waited 'til I was in college. 

I had originally intended to take a class in Tai Chi, but I noticed that Tae Kwon Do was also offered (for credit, no less!).  I jumped in head first and loved it, though I was frustrated by the lack of contact sparring.

I kept up with TKD 'til I left Murray State (after one academic year -- long story short, I didn't find the course work challenging enough, except for my TKD class, LOL!).  Then various things intervened for a while.

This year, I found a Muay Thai class at an excellent local gym (more or less got recruited by a buddy from work, LOL).  I've been interested in MT literally for years, so I jumped all over that opportunity as soon as I could.

I continue for many reasons.

First, I simply love it.  I am happiest in one of three places: on the mats, on my bike, or on a horse. 

Second, I seem to be at my best when I'm in the midst of demanding physical activity, and the effect generally spills over into my off days.  I'm normally pretty hyperactive; martial arts training takes the edge off of that and helps me be a calmer, more focused person the rest of the time.

Third, Muay Thai gives me a goal that's entirely mine -- nobody affects my performance but me.  I determine my own fate: whether I improve or remain a mediocre noob is entirely up to me.  I have nobody but myself to blame if I don't make progress (especially since the instructors at my gym are awesome -- they've coached several amateur and pro fighters to several titles between them).

How it began: I began a new job July 2007 and in  August noticed that our on-site university fitness center offered martial arts, specifically Tae Kwon Do.  I was nervous but didn't really have any expectations good or bad when I walked into class that first day.  I was instantly greeted by friendly, helpful people that over the past almost 2 years have become good friends.

So what I love most is our supportive, positive class group and our fantastic sensais.  I also love the conditioning, both mental and physical.  I love my new strength and the continuing challenge of improving myself both on a physical level.  I love how it is truly a way of life and there is always something to learn or improve upon; there is no end, ever, for anyone. 

What a great activity/sport!  Martial arts rock!

Practically no one did martial arts when I was a kid (at least out in the sticks where I lived).  I saw old Hong Kong kung fu movies; also David Carradine, Billy Jack, and (of course) Bruce Lee in films.  It looked sooo cool!  I also read comic books as a kid, got books on martial arts out of the library as a teen, but didn't have/make the opportunity to take any classes (tae kwon do) until I was 24.  That only lasted a year and I always wanted to get back into it, but life got in the way.  Having teenage kids who wanted to do martial arts finally provided sufficient motivation to seek out a decent school (northern Praying Mantis kung fu this time).  Working out is usually a thrill (although I often don't feel like going to class) and being around younger students is inspiring.  The older students also illustrate the potential of what I could achieve if I stick with it.  I've had gym memberships in the past but usually stopped going after a year or two because it was boring.  Kung fu is never boring because you can always take your skills to the next level.  Also, there is no belt ranking system in traditional kung fu, so there is no timetable or pressure to reach a certain level in a certain amount of time.  In traditional kund fu, you are either a student, disciple, or master.  I will probably remain a student the rest of my life and am quite happy with that.