Your Very First Martial Art Class

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I was really young, maybe 5 or 6 or 7 when I went early on. It was with my dad, who assisted with the class. I was so young, and really just kind of tagged along. I didn't even have a uniform. I did that for a little while, but I didn't seriously start up until I was in the 8th grade. I was nervous about it, and I was short and chubby kid, so a bit self-conscious, too. Over 20 years ago, now.
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sensei8 · KF Sensei

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

My very first martial art fight was when I was 18 there about more than 40 years ago.

Three months earlier I joined a Shotokan Dojo. Just a few weeks of classes and my Sensei asked me to compete in a tournament.

Well I replied "OK"

Had not a clue what it was about, only that it was full contact karate.

So talk about getting thrown in to the deep end, a few weeks earlier I was just a street wise kid, now I'm training to be a full contact karate fighter.

Before joining this Dojo, I did sit in on another karate class in another town. The instructor was demonstrating and practicing a technique whereby, you rush in to the opponent with the left hand (covering the opponent's eyes) and quickly do a reverse punch with the other hand to the opponent's face.

So anyhow the big day arrived, my very first tournament. The hotel we stayed in before the event was full of martial artists.

There was an air of excitement the next morning, as if we were all going off to battle.

I had a hearty breakfast steak and eggs and anything else I could eat, just in case this was the last meal before getting killed in action.

The group I of martial artists I belonged to arrived at the tournament grounds at about about 11:30 PM

As I was gung ho to fight and not knowing when it would be my turn to fight I was ready at a moments notice.

About 8 hours later it was near the time that I would fight. I was totally psyched up to fight. for about 8 hours I was drinking huge amounts of coffee and stretching. I was doing so much stretching and drinking coffee that I did the full splits for the first time in my life. I remember being very hungary and annoyed because of it.

About 20 minutes before my fight I was just buzzing from all the caffeine and the sugar I consumed and very angry from waiting such a long time to fight and and I was very very hungary.

I remember very clearly giving dirty looks to nearby black belts. I was so naive but ready to fight any one thar crossed me, how naive I was. I was so skinny that adult clothing was too big for me so I need to shop in the children's section to find clothes that fit me.

My turn to fight, this is it, headgear on, foam protective gloves and foot gear on, groin protector and mounth piece on.

Just me the opponent and the referee shouts out "Fight"

I flew at the opponent very fast, putting my left hand up to eyes then quickly reverse punching him to the face.

My opponent didn't do anything, he didn't move or cover himself at all. With my first punch the ref stopped the fight, instantly.

I knocked the opponent out despite the fact of wearing head gear. I was told to kneel with my back facing the opponent.

I looked in to the dark and there was only one recognizable smiling face looking back at me; my Sensei.

Lupin1 · Black Belt

I don't remember too much. I was 8 years old. I had been begging my parents to let me do karate for several years, but we couldn't afford any of of the local commercial schools. Unbeknownst to me, my parents put my name on the waiting list for the program at the local Boys and Girls Club.

One night my mother whispered "Shhh! Come with me!" and snuck me away from my sisters and had me change into a sweatsuit. I asked her where we were going, but she wouldn't tell me until we were in the car. She told me we were going to karate and I couldn't tell my sisters because they would get jealous and throw a fit.

Beyond that, all I remember of my very first class was the instructor's wife helping me with some stretching and that the kid who lived across the street got picked on a lot (he was a brown belt preparing for his Shodan test, which made him the default uke. His name was Luke and it took me months to realize the instructor wasn't calling him "Lukey").

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Trailer_Ape · Yellow Belt

My very first day of class, have no recollection. I know it was Judo at Clear Airforce Base in AK, I was 7 or 8. I am surprised I remember so much bout the techniques we learned there, I guess kids are still in a "absorbing" phase at that age. Had a bad experience there. Our instructor had always warned us about standing with our feet together because both could be swept at the same time. I noticed a friend doing it right before our sparring match started (one hand on lapel, one on elbow) and took advantage of it. Thing is - kids feet went darn near 12 O'clock and he went base of the skull first on the floor. He was fine (later) but I got chewed out pretty bad, instructor was threatening to bring his 13 old to class to show me what tough really is, all that. Getting chewed out doesn't bother me BUT having it happen when you're expecting praise for remembering instructions is kinda disheartening at 8

I didn't train again until I was 11 and in FL
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"I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine." ~ Bruce Lee

CTTKDKing · Orange Belt

I was 20 years old and 418lbs but I had always wanted to try a martial arts class so despite the rough start I fell in love with it immediately. I threw up when my instructor showed me how to do a front kick and had me do 50 on each leg while facing the mirror. I threw up a few more times over that first few weeks, but I'd never felt so alive.

Here I am now 13 years later, and about 100lbs lighter and holding a 2nd dan in TKD and a 1st degree BB in Sho Biyn Ju. Based on how bad of condition I was in at the beginning with the throwing up i mentioned I'd say that martial arts literally saved my life, so I'm glad I made it through that rough beginning to where I am today.

I still have some weight loss I want to take care of, but the progress over this past decade and change has been life altering.
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"The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering."

italian_guy · Black Belt

My first class was kickboxing in a gym some 14 years ago (I was already 42 y.o.) and after a couple of lesson as "observer" I made up my mind and joined. The fist impression was that for me MA was easier then expected. Although I was not very flexible (and this is somehow still a limit for me) I was kicking not so bad. I did kickboxing for about 1.5 years and then I stopped to join karate (and cross-train in several other arts like JKD/Kali, TCC yang style) which I did for 8 years before stopping for working schedule problems.

Recently I met in the same gym where I'm doing krav Maga my first kickboxing instructor.... and I think that next season I'm going to cross-train KM with kickboxing.

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

At around age 19 or 20, I took a self defense class at a local community college. The instructor had a couple black belts in various styles (I think Judo/Aikido, Karate and maybe Taekwondo, but I never found out.) He was actually the guy who taught hand-to-hand to the college's police academy. Overall, I found it to be quite fun, but not remotely "traditional" in any sense.

Several years later, I took an Aikido class at the university where I did my master's degree. The structure was far more traditional, and again, I had a blast.

I finally ended up in a taekwondo school a couple years ago. At the time, in my mid-thirties. Things didn't bend the same way they did 10 years before... And I found myself not having nearly the same stamina as I did when I was younger. It really was a humbling experience!
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

RobertAslin2 · White Belt

I don't remember much of it, but I do remember being five or so years old, and my mother took me to Prof. Lockhart's school where I met him and Sensei Smittick. The school was much more Jhoon Rhee TKD oriented at the time so my first class was learning cha ryuht, kyung nae, and choon bi while the rest of the class was warming up with the Daily Dozen. I earned my white belt a few classes later by doing those basic commands as well as reciting the Jhoon Rhee "To build true confidence" student creed.
The rest, as they say, is history.
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"I come to you with only Karate, empty hands. I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong; then here are my weapons, Karate, my empty hands." - Ed Parker

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