Today I took the 1st step towards choosing the best method of exercise for me. The problem is that I'm not like some people who can walk for 45 mins. or workout to an exercise tape. I need to be interested, it needs to be FUN! I had studied Martial Arts for 5 years when I was a teen into young adulthood. So, I figured out that that was the best direction to go. I did my research and went to watch a class at the school that I had decided on.
A lot actually goes into choosing a martial arts school. There are 3 main aspects I look for. The 1st aspect is how many classes a week it offers. Let's face it, life can get in the way, I would hate to go to a school that offers 2 or 3 times a week classes, and have something come up and now your down to 2 classes for that week. True, you can workout at home, but where is the fun in that? Where is the motivation and the structure? Trust me, I've tried it. After 3 rounds of kicking I was like "humm, I wonder what happened on my soap I Tvo'd"?
The 2nd aspect I look for is the uniforms. I started out in a school that wore uncomfortable white uniforms. White! heaven forbid it was that TIME OF THE MONTH and how self conscious you would be. And of course being barefoot you always had to make sure your feet weren't funky and your toenails were painted..oh, I said it, don't tell me that the female martial artists don't make sure their feet aren't funky before going to class! Later, when I switched over to a less traditional school, I learned a lot more than I learned at the other school AND I worked out in sweatpants and a T-shirt. My instructor was like..."Look at it this way, if you are attacked on the street you are not going to ask your attacker to wait while you take off your shoes, and you certainly wouldn't be wearing your Gi (uniform) at the mall. So therefore we workout in sweats and sneakers". I liked this. The other issue I have with the traditional white Gi's is that I am an overweight woman and if you have ever seen a Gi you will notice that it is bisected by an extremely unflattering belt that changes for white to black and you progress..and it MAKES ME LOOK FAT! Now I know that people say that wearing the Gi is supposed signify respect, but I don't see how what you wear shows respect, just tradition.
The 3 aspect of choosing a Martial Arts school is content, or style of martial arts. There are all kinds of debates as to which style is better. I'm not going there, but in order to make up your mind you can take a few classes or you could ask the instructor exactly what you are required to do in order to pass each belt test. That will give you an indication of what you will be learning everyday. Another thing you could do is go on http://www.youtube.com/ and search for clips on different styles of Martial Arts
Taking all the above aspects into consideration I choose a school that has classes 5 times a week, additional cardio-kick boxing classes, wears BLACK Gi's and studies a style that I am somewhat familiar with.
No, I haven't gone to a class yet, maybe I should lose some weight first....I will look horrible in that Gi!
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