alemdag

Subject: 7 – What Not To Look For

Some years ago a movie came out: They Call Me Bruce! In this comedy, an Asian man made his way through a number of people who thought he was a great martial arts Master simply because he was Asian, triumphing in the end. The moral is clear and directly applicable. Do not assume that because the instructor of a given school is Asian that he is, in some way, superior to the instructor of another school who is not. Skill in martial arts is not inherent to any given “race.” Likewise, do not make the same mistake concerning the sex of an instructor. There are many very talented female instructors.

Don’t let yourself be distracted by a fancy school or unrelated goodies such as weight machines or saunas. A well kept, safe training area is one thing but extraneous features, though nice, ultimately only add to the expenses of the school. There are a good number of excellent instructors teaching out of their garages, basements, and back yards.
[Read more…] about Martial Arts Newbie Guide – 3

Subject: 5 – How Much

So how much is all this training going to cost? The short answer is: it depends. Schools are free to charge whatever they want for their instruction. How much they charge is a function of how much they think their instruction is worth, how expensive goods and services are in that area, and what their expenses are. Small “Garage Dojos” with little overhead have been known to charge as little as £ 20 a month per student (2 times a week average) , while instruction at other studios in comparatively expensive cities (such as London) could cost hundreds of pounds per month. [Read more…] about Martial Arts Newbie Guide – 2

Subject: 2 – Introduction

So you want to be the next Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Master Pan or Yabgu Nihat Yigit. Congratulations and welcome to the wide world of Martial Arts. You may be wondering what comes next. Where do you go, what do you do, and are you going to have a dragon branded onto your forearm as you lift a red hot brazier to exit the hidden monastery? The Purpose of this document is to answer a few questions, give you an overview and maybe point you in the right direction. It is intended as a companion, complementing, informative document for you. The subjects are wide and covered only as a summary and briefly here.

Subject: 3 – How To Look

One of the questions asked is, “What is the best art?” or sometimes its modified form, “I wanna kick butt and don’t want any fancy stuff, what art should I choose?” Well, the answer is, “We don’t know.”

There’s much debate over what exactly is the “best art” or what is an “effective art.” It comes down to a lot of questions such as, “Best for what?” and “Best for you or best for me?” In the end, it’s a question you’re going to have to answer for yourself through personal exploration and hard work.
[Read more…] about Martial Arts Newbie Guide – 1

So you want to be the next Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Master Pan or Yabgu Nihat Yigit. Congratulations and welcome to the wide world of Martial Arts. You may be wondering what comes next. Where do you go, what do you do, and are you going to have a dragon branded onto your forearm as you lift a red hot brazier to exit the hidden monastery? The Purpose of this document is to answer a few questions, give you an overview and maybe point you in the right direction. It is intended as a companion, complementing, informative document for you. The subjects are wide and covered only as a summary and briefly here. [Read more…] about Martial Arts Newbie Guide