Preparation For Training

 

 

        Now that you, the martial arts beginner, have picked your dojang (school), you are now ready to begin your martial arts training. The martial arts beginner is going to go through a rigorous conditioning program, running, sit-ups, pushups, stretching, etc. These are the same conditioning exercises you went through in gym class.
 

         The martial arts beginner will then begin his formal training in which will include punching, blocking and kicking techniques. Whatever style you are participating in, will involve these same basic techniques. Each school has its own way of teaching these techniques, meaning, the execution of the techniques, but the end principle is the same. These are the main basic techniques taught to the martial arts beginner, no matter what style he is learning.

There are many basic styles of the Martial Arts for the martial arts beginner. To give a few examples: Tae Kwon Do, Karate (which is Japanese "empty hand") which all the kick and punch styles are lumped into, Kung Fu, Shotokan,  Jiu Jitsu (combination of judo & karate), Tai Chi, which is not a kick and punch art but more of an exercise, Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee’s style), aikido and hapkido. These are a few of the many, many styles and under your basic styles are sub-styles. For the martial arts beginner, this should not be of importance at the beginning.

Through his training and participation in tournaments (sparring with other students from different styles), the martial arts beginner then will eventually learn how other styles practice their techniques. Again, as I said earlier, the basic principles of learning punching, blocking and kicking techniques are the same in every style except, how they are taught, meaning the execution of the techniques and the follow through. Through the martial arts beginner’s first three months training, he will feel like he has two left feet. He will feel uncoordinated perplexed, inadequate and other feelings of frustration.  This is normal because for the martial arts beginner, everything taught is unorthodox to him. He has never practiced anything like this before. Moves that are twisting, reverse kicking, jump reverse kicking, jump roundhouse kicking, reverse back fist are all strange techniques never played before. Naturally they are strange to the martial arts beginner. He has never done any of these techniques in gym class. 

In closing, persistence is the keyword in staying in the game. Whatever sport you are studying, persistence will make you a winner. Anything else is unacceptable.