I am in my 40's, new to MA in general, and have started taking Kuk Sool. I am picking it up very fast, I like the instructor, fellow students, and the fact that I can go 4 days a week if I want. My worry is that I think I would like karate better (more punching and kicking). The issue is the local dojos only train 2 nights a week (I want to train 3 minimum) and would I like the instructor/students as well as my current. It also bugs me that at my current school I can advance belts faster if I pay more (this does include more class time). Kuk Sool is already the most expensive in my area by quite a bit, but again I can train twice as often. Should I stick with Kuk Sool longer (been about a month) or look into karate classes that aren't open as often? I have an addictive personality and want to train as much as possible but am worried I might have made the wrong choice and I'm not getting any younger. Opinions are appreciated.
The only way you will know is if you check out the other school. Any school worth anything will have the ability to check them out to see if you like it. Then make your decision.
If I remember correctly you can get 6-8 more hours of training a month for twice as much $. Like I said I am new to MA so I am not trying to insinuate anything about any school or style. I Just always worry that I made the wrong choice in life (the grass is always greener mentality).
If you think the Karate classes might be a good fit, I think it is worth checking it out. If you are only a month into what you are doing now, and haven't signed any contracts - then you could investigate other places to see how they compare. It might be that you end up being sure the school you are at is where you should stay, and you'll feel better about it. Or you might find something that is an even better choice. Probably better to do this a month into it than a year or so. I can understand 2 nights a week not being enough class time to make you happy. Sometimes a school might have classes 5+ days a week, and have 50% of the class time be stretching, warmup, exercises, etc. and not as much martial arts specific stuff. Could be that a 2 day a week class skips a lot of that and just is jam packed with instruction. Ideally you should be exercising on your own outside of class, and practicing all the things you learn in class on your own. That way when you show up for class you are ready to get corrections on what you have been practicing, and new instruction that builds on it. I guess a really disciplined person could take a good 2 day a week class and add 2-3 days of their own solo practice to it and be good. Myself, it is hard for me to get motivated to practice a lot on my own, but it's clear to me it would be really helpful.
Look around first, choosing a MA is a bit like dating, try a few out, treat everyone with respect, and when you commit, commit properly.
Unless you do BJJ...that is a cheap floozy that goes with any other art wantonly, typically whilst laying on its back inviting unsuspecting martial artists to climb on top
And much like dating it should be fun (at the very least enjoyable and/or fulfilling in some way). If it ain't fun you aren't likely to stick with it no matter how much you think you'll stay committed. And that goes for dating and MA.
These are all very positive traits for an activity that you plan to spend a lot of time doing. My usual recommendation is to visit all the local schools, try them out, and see what fits. On the surface, this seems like it fits pretty well. My normal advice would be to pick one style and train it until you get pretty comfortable with the basics of the system.... then begin to cross train. I am guessing this means that you can pay extra for more training time (privates?). Some schools, and I would guess this one, put certain numbers of training hours as a requirement for training. If this is the case and you are allowed to buy additional time to train, which would then allow you to test sooner, I think that's sort of a good little addition. It is optional, right? It's your time and money... spend it how you like. I put a lot of stock in training in a place where I like the people, am happy with the system, and that fits my schedule. I'd recommend trying the other school out for a few classes and see which you prefer. Good luck to you.
And just like dating, you should never mention how the other art does something in your other side class..... It's just good manners!
sometimes people like to do two arts in the same class. This is turning into the Swiss Tony thread (from the fast show)
Ok, 2 months later after looking into the other MA schools and speaking to my instructor I decided to stay in Kuk Sool. I can't imagine being more comfortable or happier at another school. I have realized you TRULY only get out of MA what you put in! I could half-ass my training and my belt color would be the same as if I give 100% however I wouldn't (eventually) be a martial artist. I would just be someone taking MA. I thank everyone for your input on this.
Kuk Sool is a nice Korean art, but there are many good arts, seeing your first post, i am glad you did not go to a mickey mouse get a black belt in six weeks acadamey, minimum 3 years per Dan, is usually a good guide for good quality techniques, give it time, there is always a honeymoon period of ma, get to your 1st Dan, then re-assess.
