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So you've finally decided to try a martial arts class.

You arrive at the training place. There are people already there, wearing funny white suits, and wearing coloured belts. They are talking, and stretching, and generally getting ready for the class to start.

Somebody greets you with a smile. Maybe they are the instructor, or maybe they are not. You are welcomed, and a few of the class's procedures are explained.

Maybe you begin right there, or maybe you sit and watch.

It doesn't matter. You've done the hardest thing on the road to Black Belt. You've taken the very first step.

About half of those that start like you just have fails in the face of the next obstacle. They don't return.

Of course, I don't mean you should keep coming if something seems wrong.

The internet is wonderful. If the instructor explains that he teaches "Tai Chan so".....Google it when you get home. If the art isn't the first hit, and fails to look legit in print, avoid it. By the way, I just made up Tai Chan so.

Also, does the instructor seem to be somebody you could learn from? If you keep training, they could be your teacher for a very long time.

If this is the Adult class, are there adults in the class? If all the adults are teens, something is wrong. If the entire class seemed like one big exercise fest, something is wrong, especially if the main instructor is a tubby middle-aged man who does not participate in all the sweating.

Keep in mind, the instructor is also checking you out.

To impress the instructor and your new classmates here are a few tips. First mention any serious physical limitations. Do you have a bum knee? Tell them, but very briefly. They don't want details, just a heads up.

Also, don't bother trying to gain status by mentioning any other martial arts you've been in unless somebody asks. If you keep coming, they'll find out later. If you don't, who cares? When I joined Jiu-Jitsu last fall, I showed up wearing a White Belts. I did not mention my Black Belt in Karate except to the instructor, and only because he asked.

Also, do not mention any movie martial artists you think you have some connection to. Even if Chuck Norris is your second cousin, saying so will cost you status instead of gaining you anything.


...and be proud you've started. Well done.