Beginners - Starting a Martial Art
It is as well at the outset to take up the right martial art. For self defence, any martial art is useful but those which rely upon striking techniques are generally more effective in the short term. Those which rely on grappling and striking may take longer to learn but allow a wider choice of techniques to be used.
Karate, Tang Soo Do, Tomiki Aikido and Taekwondo are unarmed systems with a combat sport aspect. The 'soft' schools of Kung Fu, such as Tai Chi Chuan (Great Ultimate Fist) and sport traditional schools of Aikido all involve meditative and Eastern spiritualist themes. Thai Boxing, WTF Taekwondo and Full Contact are ideal contact sports for students who enjoy hard hitting competition and realistic training. Japanese Sword fighting or Kendo is a traditional combat sport. Kobudo has no sporting connotation and studies the traditional weaponry of Japan and Okinawa.
Not all martial arts are well distributed and this must be taken into account.
At first the student may be allowed to wear a track suit or suchlike for the first few sessions. Later on, a proper uniform must be bought. This can cost between 10 and thirty five pounds for Karate, Aikido, Jiu Jutsu etc., and more for the amour used in Kendo. It is sensible to buy average quality equipment at the outset; better can subsequently be bought if wanted. It is often possible to sell old equipment back to the club to defray the cost of new replacements.
There is normally a fee payable on joining a club and this must include a NAKMAS licence.
The cost of a NAKMAS licence is made up as follows:
1. NAKMAS National Registration
2. NAKMAS Insurance
3. Club/group surcharge (if applicable)
A NAKMAS Health Monitoring Record is issued with the NAKMAS licence. This is a personal accident record. It should be endorsed by the club coach each time the holder suffers injury during training.
A mat fee is generally charged each training night. This will vary between £2.50 and £8.00 per session. Some clubs charge a fee between £1.00 and £50.00 for performance assessments every three months or so. The diligent student can expect to advance through the elementary grades to the black belt in an average of three to five years. Each grade may be marked by a different coloured belt. The actual number of grades and belt colours vary form association to association. A typical Karate sequence is:
9th Grade - Red Belt
8th Grade - Yellow Belt
7th Grade - Orange Belt
6th Grade - Green Belt
5th Grade - Blue Belt
4th Grade - Purple Belt
3rd Grade - Brown Belt
2nd Grade - Brown Belt
1st Grade - Brown Belt
Black Belt to 10th Dan
