by DJTJR

Created on: November 27, 2008   Last Updated: July 02, 2011

It's the first day of your new martial arts class, and your pumped. A vision of Bruce Lee, and Chuck Norris fly through your head, you can't wait to break boards, spar, get that black belt and maybe kill a ninja or two. Only one problem, at most schools, you won't be doing any of those things for quite a while(especially the killing ninja part. In fact, depending on the style or school, you might not do anything at all your first day.

Starting a martial art can be a serious commitment for someone who has never practiced a martial art before, and not just for the student. A teacher as to invest time to patiently teach you both the philosophy and techniques of your chosen style, but more importantly he/she has to know that they can trust you. Never forget, the things you learn in a martial art can seriously hurt or even kill a person. If you want to be allowed to stay at a school, you must show patience, discipline, and respect, if you can't the master may not be comfortable teaching you these techniques.

At many schools your first day is spent simply watching the rest of the class. This allows you to get a feel for the way things work at the school you are watching. This serves a dual purpose. First off, they can see how you behave and interact without bringing you into contact with other students, which could cause an injury, and second, since a first class is normally free, you can decide if you think the style is right for you. You should always listen to what the sensei says, even if you are not actively participating in the class.

In many of the more traditional styles such as traditional kung fu, Tang soo do, etc, you can expect to hear alot about the history of your style, its cultural perspectives and especially some of the language from your styles origins. Things like this are very important to traditional styles. For example a korean style grand master may not exactly take kindly to certain postures, or techniques. Especially if they're Japanese based. To gain the most from your style, start soaking in the culture from day one and embrace it.

Many modern styles will spend less time going over tradition and more time teaching you quick self defense. Styles like Krav maga are meant to be learned more quickly, and depending on where or who you are learning from, you may be participating in a class right away. For classes like this make sure you wear loose fitting pants and a t shirt unless otherwise directed by your teacher. If your not sure weather your school will have you participate right away or watch, you can either ask another student or teacher before you go to your first class.

Another thing to remember about the first day of any class, is that you can expect to meet new people. You shouldn't go in with a bad attitude, especially an arrogant one(some schools won't hesitate to put you in your place). Different schools attract different kinds of people. Remember in the karate kid, how the one school was full of rough violent types, but the karate kid learned from a master who would not tolerate such behavior? Be open to whatever your school teaches and find the place that is best for you. Just a warning, if a school is full of arrogant or rude people, just find a better school, the bruises newbies receive just aren't worth it when your fellow students are going to be jerks about it.

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