Why start learning martial arts at an adult age?
Many people dream of becoming "martial artists", but - for various reasons - did not start in childhood or adolescence, and then, when they are over their mid-20s, they ask themselves the question: "Well, maybe we start today?" And answer to themselves: "No... I'm too old for that" (and they sign up for a gym, or something similar). In this article, I will try to explain why they are wrong when they give up so easily on the challenge and the dream.
1. A real martial art is not competitive and it is not achieving (as opposed to "martial sport", which is a completely different field and which is a competitive sport, whereas in every sport - there is a clear goal: victory in the competition, in the fight).
2. It is a known phenomenon that most young people are attracted to competitions. Adults are often looking for more "depth" and "enrichment". You can also say that - "young people like sprints and adults like marathons and Iron Man".
3. Those who studied at a university for advanced degrees, surely encountered, in a research methods course, a "qualitative research method" as opposed to a "quantitative method". So a true martial art is "qualitative" and not "quantitative"; It is not a quantitative measurement, but rather "infinite learning".
4. Therefore, a dojo that focuses on martial arts for adults is particularly suitable for people who are not looking for competitiveness and the "big race", but for those who want to learn martial arts at their own pace and in an in-depth manner. Art that is a way of life, for life, and not a "class", or some achievement to mark a "V" on a resume.
5. People have different reasons why they choose to learn martial arts, I think I am an excellent example of such a person, I arrived "by chance and by mistake": I was looking for "something for physical fitness" and a friend convinced me to join the dojo and the first method I learned. I studied there for 10 years and quite liked it, then - again, "accidentally" - I came to ninjutsu, and I stayed mainly because of the mental and emotional challenge I discovered. I think that for graduates, mental and emotional challenge is the main reason for persistence in learning martial arts. This type of mental challenge does not "speak" to most young people, but it is exactly what "speaks" to adults. And this is exactly what the Budo-Taijutsu and Ninpo, which I teach, offer.
And why did I choose to teach only adults?
It's something that I've been building little by little; When I decided to start teaching Budo-Taijutsu, I didn't think at all about the difference between children, youth and adults, "everyone is human" I thought, and everyone loves and wants the same thing and "I don't have a problem with children", so I will teach children too "and that will build the future generation of the dojo." So at first, it was very nice: a group of young and cheerful boys and girls came, they went wild quite a bit, spent energy, I had fun and they had fun. But little by little there was a decline: some of them left for various reasons (quarrels among themselves, new girlfriends/friends, studies, enlistment in the army, etc.) and I also began to decline, something in me was not satisfied. Then I did a deep soul search and realized a few things about myself:
1. I like learning more than teaching.
2. Practicing martial arts is not a livelihood for me, but a "need for the soul", a life-need.
3. I want and need to study within a group that will accompany me on this endless journey, the journey of life, and I don't want "wandering birds".
These conclusions led me to the unequivocal decision: from now on I will teach only adults and only those of them who want to follow this path, of the joint study of Budo-Taijutsu and Ninpo. To my delight, since making the decision and changing this direction, several good years have passed, and as time goes by I am happier and happier about the decision; I have built a group, which I think is a "group of friends for the journey" and not a "class of a teacher and students", and I learn more and more every day and apply the saying of Hatsumi Sensei, our teacher and the head of our school: Keep Going! So let's do it together!
