For those in martial arts...

Sort of a random question that was brought to my mind today, so for those in martial arts of some kind:

-Do you tell people/do they know you're enrolled in martial arts? Why or why not?

- Do people treat you differently if they do know?

Thanks! ^^;;;

it is 1 of my goals.  i would like to take kick boxing.  and i would probably tell my family friends if we talked about exercise or self-defense :) 

I tell people that im in Taekwando because it is such an important part of my life.  I try to encourage people to try it.. especially women.  I dont think people treat me differently because of it...   Im pretty modest most  times but I do try to answer questions honestly...  

ps.. united... go for it.. dont wait.. .just start...   its great..

i will ~ as soon as my knees can handle the impact :)

for now, i'm doing water aerobics, but somehow kickboxing just isn't the same while you're floating in water ;) :::giggles:::

I used to do jiu jitsu...  The first couple of sessions I went to, I didn't tell anyone because I thought people would laugh, especially if I didn't stick to it.  After a week or two, my new club asked me to go along with them to the national championships for the weekend, so I had to tell my family... yeah they laughed - my dad was particularly funny and said that if I was ever scared I would get hurt, I should just fall to the floor and lie really still which still makes me chuckle.  I really loved the training, I was the only girl - and was overweight and unfit - but its so good for you, and I got really into the fitness aspect as well, even going to the gym more to get stronger for the jiu jitsu.  I had to give up after a couple of years because I broke my shoulder but by the end, everyone knew - most people thought it was really cool, and still ask me how my training is going (it was harder to tell people I had stopped than to tell them I was starting!) and the only people that treated me differently were my two little brothers, who liked to attack me at random with pillows and things to see how well I would defend myself!

Sort of a follow up question to this- sorry:

What do you do if people do treat you differently, and/or if you have friends who won't stop telling other people against your wishes? -________-;;

Phoenix...by the way, that's where I am...I LOVE my martial art.  I practice Tae Soo Do, which is part of Hwa Rang Do and it has changed my life!  I do tell some people, but for the most part, it is for me and my family to know.  I made the mistake of mentioning it at work and now it is a topic of conversation way too often.  No, I don't think people treat me any different when they know.  When people do ask me about it, I make it clear that I'm not some Jet Li wannabe.  The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know!  For folks who do treat you differently...about anything you do...the best way to handle it is to talk, talk, talk.  Don't be afraid to point out that you also have other interests as well.  I think there is an inherant misunderstanding of what is involved.  Just enjoy it!  What art do you practice??????

I am public about a few things that can be more troublesome than mentioning martial arts (like my religion, for example), so I have no problems mentioning that I am studying Ninjutsu.  I'm actually the kind of person who's proud to show off my "battle wounds".  I currently have fingerprint bruises on my right upper arm and still wore short sleeves to work.  To hell with what people think!

I don't feel people treat me differently because they know I study Ninjutsu.  There's this guy I work with who does Brazilian Jujitsu (not sure I spelled that right), and he seems to think it's the only good martial art out there both in the self-defence technique and as a sport, so he tends to talk down to anyone who practices something different.  Aside from that, I had a couple of Ninja-girl jokes directed at me over the past month and a half, but nothing more.  I always laugh it off.

I tend not to mention it to people outside of my friends and family because I end up being treated differently if it's brought up. If it does come up, people tend to ask two questions followed by a statement; what belt, if I can hurt/kill someone (in general), and that they really can't see me as a martial artist. One friend had difficulty in reconciling myself in class and university life to myself as a martial artist. I am proud of being a Shinkendoka / Aikidoka and do attempt to answer questions to the best of my ability about both arts, but I feel that discretion is appropriate, especially in a educational/ work setting where that knowledge might be percieved as an invitation to prove something.

I took Tae Kwon Do for years and made it to black belt stage. The only time I didn't talk about it was in front of people from some "rougher" diciplines because they feel TKD is the red headed stepchild of martial arts. Lemme tell you, I was in the best shape of my life. I spoke a lot about it because at the time I was completing all the time and going to class four nights a week. It's kind of hard not to talk about it when it was so pervasive in my life

When I was taking Goju Ryu I would talk about it because I was so excited about it. But in the pagan community, which I was also more involved with at the time, there are a lot of these gung-ho "martial arts" dudes (think the guy in "Ghost World" who always hung around the convienience store with nunchucks) who would go into full blown Annoying Mode anytime anything martial arts related was brought up. So I clammed up for some peace and quiet.