Kick Your Fears

Chris Velez, owner of Martial Arts Academy, says that many worries about beginning martial arts can be easily overcome.

Students of Martial Arts Academy (L to R): Keith Davis, 45, Second Degree Black Belt; Lexi Vincent, 14, Second Degree Black Belt; Samantha Bible, 11, Second Degree Black Belt; and Peyton Mueters, 8, First Degree Black Belt.

Martial arts has been in existence since ancient times, but in the world of modern day sports training, this training is relatively young. As the discipline changes and grows, more people of all ages are expressing an interest in becoming involved. But according to Chris Velez of Martial Arts Academy, there are a few common worries that cause people to hesitate before that first step of signing up for classes.

One reason that people give is: “I need to get in shape first.” According to Velez, beginner classes at Martial Arts Academy are designed for people with no experience, a zero fitness level, and zero muscle memory. The exercises in these classes place emphasis on gross motor skills and big muscle movements. “Physical fitness comes from repetition in a really short amount of time,” says Velez. “After only a handful of classes, many of our students have done 90 kicks.”
Another reason Velez often hears is: “I’m self-conscious.” People who give this reason often shy away from new things, and Velez notes that this could be good practice for someone to step outside his or her comfort zone. “We stair step the experience and keep the classes bigger –the bigger the class, the better the experience,” he says. “It helps reduce stress and anxiety levels while still helping the student work in a pressure situation that becomes easier as they advance.”

Some people feel they don’t have enough time to devote to following the steps toward a black belt, but Velez explains that consistently working toward the goal is much more important than committing huge amounts of time per week to that goal. “Anything consistent is more important than frequency, because consistency allows students to progress – even 15 minutes outside their one-day-a-week class is more than enough for a student to progress,” Velez says. “All black belts have had challenging times where they’ve missed a few weeks and had to come back. You make the commitment knowing that some weeks will be better than others.”

Even if they are not strapped for time, some people feel they are just not coordinated enough to learn martial arts. They may feel they need to be naturally athletic or talented to participate. But Velez explains that many of the best students at Martial Arts Academy started because they saw their kids out on the floor and wanted to join in. “A lot of the lesser gifted people stick with it because they are used to having to work for it,” he says. That’s also why instructors like to get parents involved, so that they teach their children not to rely so much on talent, but instead to focus on hard work. “If parents help us set the goal, they help us work through it.”

All classes (with the exception of street defense) feature people of all ages, and Velez points out that this is great when working with the kids, as having the parents and adults involved helps in keeping the kids focused. “And the adults have to be on their best behavior because they want to provide a good example for kids to model their behavior after.”

So don’t let your fears stop you from stepping into the world of martial arts! With ages as young as 4 and as seasoned as 60+, classes at Martial Arts Academy provide discipline and physical fitness for the whole family.

For more information, contact

Martial Arts Academy

www.martialartsacademy.net