KIIII-YAAHH!!!!!! (Exercise and Classes in General)

Member Name: B0nfire

Product:	Exercise and Classes in General
Date:	01/07/00 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good for health, confidence, and general wellbeing

Disadvantages: Pick your school wisely, Grasshopper

Yes, I’m going to attempt to cover the entire topic of martial arts as a hobby in a short review. Right then, where to begin…
Martial arts are a very worthwhile pastime. It’s not all about beating people up and can not only help you get fit, but also have more confidence in everyday life. There are loads of different styles to choose from, and what you eventually settle for will be more a matter of what’s available in your area than anything, but I strongly advise you to think about what you want to get out of it before choosing. Maybe even do a little research on the net to find out about the different disciplines and speak to the local instructors. If you find that your nearest centre doesn’t do exactly what you want, consider travelling a small distance. I’ve found that if you aren’t completely happy with the direction your training is taking you can quickly lose interest.
For example, you could go for something like Karate. It’s quite easy and should get you fit, but to be honest it’s not that interesting. If you’re not looking for something visually exciting then great, this is simple to learn and you’ll get into it in no time. If you’re looking to learn to fight, perhaps something more aggressive, like Kick Boxing or Tai Kwon-do would be a better choice. Then you’ve got the stylish ones, like a Kung-Fu variant, Aikido, or even Capoeria (excuse the spelling. It’s what the people are doing on the beach in the Nokia advert. Although I think you’ll have a job tracking down somebody who instructs in that) which will be tough to get the hang of, but much more rewarding in the long run. Also consider whether or not you want to enter tournaments. Different styles and centres will do different things, but obviously you don’t have to take part of you don’t want. But if you decide you’d like to test yourself out in a competitive environment,
check with you potential instructor to see if you’re likely to be able to participate.
I hope that was of some use, and I apologise for the rambling nature. Anyway to sum up, martial arts are definitely something that everyone can enjoy. You’ll feel better in general and maybe even live those childhood Bruce Lee daydreams.

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