I hear this a lot from people. They find out you do taekwondo and then tell you that they've always wanted to try that. You say to them "well why not come and try a class?", to which you get the reply "I'm washing my hair" or "I need to let my mothers sisters aunties cat out"... c'mon folks its not that hard to take an hour out of a week (to start with at least) and give it a try. Heck you might even like it and its a great form of exercise as well as a fantastic confidence builder and stress buster.
So let me debunk a few myths for you and try and allay your fears...
"But I'm not fit enough to start taekwondo!".... let me let you into a little secret... probably very few of us were (or even are at this moment) at the peak of physical fitness. The fitness comes from doing the training. I lost 3 stone in weight in the first 6 months of starting. I'm still not in the best of shape (working on that) now but I have more endurance and can at least get through the exercises now. Don't start out trying to kill yourself, if the exercise is 10 pressups and you start to struggle at 5 then try and do 6. Next week do 7 then 8 etc. Before you know it you'll be battering out pressups and wondering what all the fuss was about!
"I'm too old"... Look... age is really just a number. OK I admit as we get older our bodies aren't as flexible as they were when we were in our teens but again like above, you train to your level and then push it a little. There's a guy I regularly see at competitions who must be in his 70s so if he can keep going at that age, you have no excuse! I'm 45 and I'm loving every minute of my training time!
"But you guys are all experts and I feel like a fool"... you know what, we were all exactly where you are now. The stances felt funny and uncomfortable, the kicking was knee height and had no power and the punches couldn't tickle a butterfly! But with time, patience and practise it starts to click into place. The movements get more fluid, the power comes into the kicks and next thing you know your buddy holding the pad is asking you to tone it down a bit. Just remember, that person wearing a black belt is in reality a white belt who refused to quit (sorry, I love that saying so just had to sneak it in there).
"You're going to beat me up"... now why in the name of the wee man would we do that?? I'd love to know who came up with this pile of... yeah you get it idea.. We're not in the business of beating up beginners and this would certainly put off any students from coming back again. You'll get to sparring eventually and even then it is in a controlled environment. Anyone can flail about like mad kicking and punching full power but it takes real skill to be able to spar and hit fast and light in control. Anyways I get ahead of myself here, you'll get to that eventually just not straight away... you really shouldn't let me get ahead of myself here or I'll be typing this up all night!!
"You're all wearing funky white pyjamas and I'm the outsider in the joggies and tshirt"... yeah... and?? So was I when I started, nearly everyone who I train with now started in basically the same outfit. In fact I kept training in that for 3 months and it was only the week before my first grading when my suit arrived. We don't care what you wear to train in to start off, the important thing is to train and enjoy yourself.
"But I wont know anyone there!".... wait a moment. You know me (or someone else in the club) as you've just asked me about what taekwondo is like, so you do know someone there and you'll get to meet a load of other great people into the bargain. The Prestwick & Ayr clubs are friendly and family orientated as we love new people starting with us. We'll help and encourage you as that's what the members are all about. We love to see our training partners succeed, be it getting to the next belt or just getting to that next pressup!
I think what it really all boils down to is people like the idea of trying taekwondo but the fear of starting is whats holding them back. If you try a class you've taken the first step on what might end up being a big part of your life and if you can get over that fear whats to stop you getting over fear of trying other things? Go on be brave...
Please checkout the Prestwick & Ayr Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/taekwondoayrandprestwick/ for more information about the club training times and locations. You can message the instructor, Kulwant Chahal, from there if you need any specific information.
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