Why do you love Martial Arts?

Here are a few reasons why I enjoy martial arts as a great and invigorating hobby/lifestyle.

When I first started doing martial arts I was a beginner in a world of masters. Nervous is not a word that would describe how I felt despite the fact that I was a novice. Joining martial arts was one of the best choices I’ve ever made and even when I stop I know that the knowledge, friends, experience and life lessons I gained from this will stay with me forever.

First, the knowledge that I gained from doing martial arts is a different kind than that of school. I was taught how to defend myself from single to multiple attackers and how to be respectful to all around me. My masters taught me always to respect my parents, my friends and most importantly myself. My karate master would say stuff like “go home and do all your chores and then think about other things. And maybe even do your parents chores.” He was completely serious so sometimes I would do as many chores as I could so I could go back and train guilt free. The main points that I gathered from my time as a martial artist was to be respectful, careful, cautious, gentle, strong, strict, honorable, kind and most importantly a good teacher.

Second, the friends that I made while doing martial arts have been phenomenal. The bond that two people make while training hard together is one that should never be taken for granted. In my opinion these are the best of bonds. In Karate I had one prominent friend that I carried from middle school and he was my best friend in there until I moved and started taekwondo. When I started taekwondo through summer training camp which was 10 hours a day 6 days a week of hardcore training I met my taekwondo best friend. We have been friends from when I was a white belt till now. We both achieved black belt at the same general time and have continued to support each other’s endeavors even though we both don’t do taekwondo anymore.

Last, the experience and life lessons that I got through martial arts has been irreplaceable. I got in shape while learning how to respect my parents and myself in a more successful way. Leadership was also a big thing that I got from my experiences in martial arts. I actually got to teach classes for a couple months in my taekwondo school before I got a more stable job. The experience from teaching people from ages 6 all the way to 80 has given me a great deal of insight on the teaching and leadership world.

In general the experience, friends, lessons and knowledge that I gained from doing martial arts has been amazing and irreplaceable and will definitely serve to better me as a person in the long run.