Martial arts offers an incredible variety of benefits for adults such as building self-esteem, confidence, physical health, longevity, stress management, and especially mental health. Even though these are proven benefits, your first class can be extremely stressful if you are not mentally prepared for it. A lot of adults take martial arts classes to help with issues such as low self-esteem and social anxiety. Unfortunately adults suffering from these issues often want to try classes but never gather the courage to actually begin their martial arts journey. The tragedy is that the adults who could benefit the most from the classes cannot seem to overcome their initial anxiety, even when an outlet for them is just within their grasp.
Hopefully, this short guide will help ease a lot of this stress and get more adults on the mats where they can find freedom and personal development on a level they have never experienced before!
Tip #1: Do your research!
Thankfully we live in an age where the internet is an amazing tool that can help us find a martial arts school that suits us. Martial arts schools can vary on an infinite number of metrics, so how do we figure out what we want? If you suffer from anxiety or self-esteem issues, you should prioritize finding a place that makes you feel safe and is focused on encouraging and building students up from the inside out.
Tip #2: Observe a martial arts class or at least take advantage of any trial classes offered.
Any studio that doesn't at least allow you to watch a class before signing up, may not be the right one for you. If you do get to observe, or especially try out a class, take advantage of the offer. This will allow you to get a good feel for the class with minimal financial risk.
Tip #3: Take a friend with you!
If you take a free class or decide to sign up, take a friend with you! This could really help take the edge off of any anxiety when you take a good friend with you. This can radically help you not only take your first class, but to stay on track on your personal martial arts goals. Martial arts classes for adults provide an amazing opportunity to be part of a community centered around supporting each other. This is extremely good for mental health and goes a long way to increasing quality of life.
Tip #4: Talk to the instructor!
Call the martial arts school and try to talk to one of the instructors in order to get to know them. A good instructor will be very willing to talk to you and try to calm any concerns you may have. Talking to the instructor can also give you some insight into the overall attitude of the school so you can make a more informed decision on whether or not you still want to visit or try the classes out.
Once you have visited the school and taking your first class here are some tips to help you make it a better experience:
Tip #1: Make sure the instructors are prioritizing the safety of the students.
Sure, martial arts training has some inherent risks, but when done right, the risks should be minimal. Trying a martial arts class is supposed to make us harder to hurt, not get us severely injured all the time. A good instructor will explain how to stay safe and what the proper etiquette is. Schools that are more reckless with safety may not be the class for you.
Tip #2: Don't be hard on yourself!
Beginning something new is hard and a lot of adults expect to be good at things way too soon. We forget that it is normal to not be good at something new, especially something that requires higher motor function and body coordination. Be gentle and kind to yourself. You are not supposed to be a black belt on the first day, first week, or even first year. It takes years to chip away at our imperfections and it is this process that is exactly what we are signing up for!
Tip #3: Prioritize having fun.
Don't take the training so seriously that you forget to have fun. You should work hard during class, but you should still be having fun in the process. You are more likely to continue training for the long haul if you find the right school and training partners that make it fun as well as challenging.
Tip #4: Don't be afraid to ask questions!
Class formats vary studio to studio, but there should be appropriate times to ask questions if you don't understand what is going on. Questions should be encouraged and will serve to show you different instructor's teaching styles. If you feel lost or confused during class, questions should be encouraged no matter how simple or basic it may be.
Martial arts training has incredible benefits, but many adults never try it due to anxiety or other issues and miss out on many amazing experiences. A lot of adults take martial arts classes for personal development such as self-esteem, stress management, physical therapy, longevity, and many other reasons, but sometimes our reasons for taking classes are the very same barriers that keep us from taking our first class. This guide was written to help adults select the right school for them and to hopefully make the first class way easier and enjoyable experience.
The biggest takeaway adults should get from this is to remember to be kind to yourself. Learning new things is hard and can humble even the most accomplished amongst us. Learn to enjoy the process, not the destination. Don't let your own shortcomings keep you from improving yourself.
Remember, you are your best investment!!
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