16 year old male...?

Question

Hi. I'm a 16 year old male student who has always been interested in the martial arts. I lift weights and, in the summer, play "casual" tennis. Do you think it's too late for me to start, or is it just as good to start now as it would have been to start earlier?

Where do I look for an instructor/school? How can i find out what styles are taught in my area? How do I know that the school(s) that I'm looking at are accredited? How do I know that the school(s) that I'm looking at concentrate more on competition than on the art itself?

Thanks a lot!

SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY

Searching online or in the phone book only provides the names of the schools. They list neither the styles taught nor the school's concentration on either the art or competition.

SERIOUS AND HELPFUL ANSWERS ONLY

Answer 1

well I would say that starting when you were younger would work more to your advantage, because now is the time for you to start thinking about what college or secondary education you'll want to get into before you graduate highschool, but that doesn't mean that you can't study Martial Arts as well. because you still have the time to study any MA discipline

The first thing to do is call the ones that look interesting to you, and ask them what their discipline(s) they teach, making sure that they can give an accurate detail of where their discipline came into exsistance and history of the discipline up to current times, how long the instructor(s) been teaching the discipline and if they work well to teach the students.

Watch out for contracts, and definitely beware contracts that go for 6 months or longer these're usually "belt factories" or "McDojo's" that'll sell you your belt rank instead of you actually earning it.

if they place a lot of emphasis (mostly you'll see a lot of trophies or medals lining the walls) how many of their students have competed, placed, or won various tournaments, then it's apretty good sign that they focus more on competing instead of teaching the discipline itself.

if the school as world or national asscociations then it's usually a good indication that they are a pretty good school to go to and if they have contact info for the association.

the biggest thing to do is call the schools you've found, ask what the discipline is they teach, and then go from there, and go for a few trial classes to see if you like them, narrow your choices down to two or three and make your final decision, because there is NO Best Discipline or a better discipline than another, only better individuals.

Answer 2

16 year old male...?
Hi. I'm a 16 year old male student who has always been interested in the martial arts. I lift weights and, in the summer, play "casual" tennis. Do you think it's too late for me to start, or is it just as good to start now as it would have been to start earlier?

***I started at the age of 44. Next question.***

Where do I look for an instructor/school? How can i find out what styles are taught in my area? How do I know that the school(s) that I'm looking at are accredited? How do I know that the school(s) that I'm looking at concentrate more on competition than on the art itself?

***You can get schools from the phone book. Ask the instructor about his/her rank. Ask who awarded it. What are the credentials of that person? If you can't trace back to the country of orgin quickly, leave. Ask how often they compete in tournaments. Watch (or try) a class to get an idea of how this instructor does things. Does he/she yell at or punish students for making mistakes? Does the instructor belittle students? If so, leave.

Answer 3

16 is NOT too late to start training. I have had students that were in their 50's before they started their training. You sound like you are already in sufficient physical condition to begin the training, and are just looking for a school.

The best way to find a school is to start by calling them and asking what specific style they teach. When you find one that has a style tha interest you, go talk to them, most schools do trial to let the studend see if they style is for them. As for competition vs. art, again, ask. Try to avoid schools that sem more interested in winning competitions than on teaching the art in a more practical sense ( unless you are looking for competition).

Also, observe a class or two to see if what they are doing is what you are looking for.

Call all the schools in the phone book and ask a few simple questions. "What specific style do you teach?", "How long have your instructiors been teaching?", "Is you emphasis more on practicality, or competition?". When you do go to the school, talk to the students, that will give you a sense of the kind of pople that you will be studying with.

As far as accreditation, that is a little more difficult. Most styles won't allow someone to teach without their consent so if someone is too vague about their style, or its history and origins, then they probably aren't suposed to be teaching and their own instructiors wouldn't allow them to use the name of their style.
There isn't any sort of central governing body that accredits instructors. Anyone can open a school regardless of their actual skill level, but those don't last very long and usuallty have a high turnover of students as these instructors don't hve a sufficient number of techniques to keep students very long.

Hopefully these will help you in your search....

Answer 4

No, It's not too late to start!

Here are some things to look into. Make sure you do your homework for better success!!

#1 Check your telephone directory to see what kinds of schools are listed within a reasonable distance.

#2 Phone the schools and ask whether they're affiliated with a larger organization, such as the International Tae Kwon Do Federation or the World Karate Association. If not, standards and methods for advancement may be inconsistent.

#3 Determine your martial arts goals. Are you interested in tournament forms or self-defense? Do you want to become a black belt or to attend classes simply for the exercise?

#4 Stop by several training halls to watch classes. Many schools have an observation area, so you can watch during class. Ask permission first.

#5 Ask for permission to talk with students and instructors. Find out how students' experiences have been with the school and whether the instructors' styles will support your goals.

#6 Assess the quality of teaching. What is your impression of the head instructor? Do instructors expect and show respect and courtesy? What is their experience?

#7 Determine the school's emphasis. Does it advocate control or heavy contact? Does it stress tournament competition? How formal or informal are the classes?

Good Luck!!

Answer 5

You are NOT too old & you are actually at just about the right age to start. Don't let the ladies distract you and all should be fine. As far as where to go look in the phone book & then visit & ask questions. Ask about lineage. Ask about practicality, ask about seminars ( where when & who leads them ) enjoy!! BTW I'm 59 and have multiple black belts so lets not worry about 16 being too late

Answer 6

some schools are connected to websites that have such information. a simple search for "martial arts schools" and your location would yield results. you could even search for a specific discipline.

however, your best bet would be to visit a school and talk to an instructor or trainer. you could even get some feedback from some of their students.

many schools take pride in their students and what they teach, so you might see trophies, awards, and news articles hanging on the walls for a taste of their reputation.

you could even sit in and watch a class. many schools will even let you participate in one session for free, just to see if it's what you're looking for.

basically, you're going to have to do the research physically. hope this helps.

Answer 7

It is never to late to start anything, good lord you're only 16. My brother in law actually just started a few years ago and loves it, goes every week and he's 40.

Answer 8

you are never too old to start that and just look in the yellow pages and talk with the instructor and ask what his or her basic method of teachings are.

Answer 9

no, you are never to old or to young. you can join right now. it is kind of better to join when you are young. i don't know where you live but try serch online. get info about schools. ask the teachers and studentsfor the info.

Answer 10

your never too old to start I was 23 when I started kick boxing it was one of the best decisions in my life you will get in good shape and its a major confidence boost to know you can probably kick the sh*t out of most people if you had too