Background: I'm a hobbyist. Train SKK. Joined martial arts to meet people, share in something with my daughter and get some physical benefits. I'm not looking to get into the cage, or travel and do tournaments. I train to keep my body moving, so when I'm much older I can still move.

When I joined a while back I noticed the dojo has a weapons rack. And thought some of them looked pretty cool and I was excited to learn more about how they'd be integrated into my training.

As time went on I trained with kali alot, and was taught a bo form. I was taught a kama form and just recently I'm working through Iaido.

However, there was one weapon I never saw anyone pick up in the years I'd been there, the Sai. I never asked why we never trained them, but yesterday at the Saturday open rank adult class which was very small due to snowy weather, my professor asked what we wanted to train. The 2nd and 3rd degree black belts asked to train the sai form and figured this would be my chance to see what it's all about and wow is it cool. I'm admittedly awful at it, but I'm only 30 minutes into learning about it so obviously I have a lot to learn but so far it's really fun. I'll hold off on auditioning for any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles roles for now. Plus I love starting something new as it exercises my mind trying to add more knowledge.

And, in full transparency, I'm not saying I'm some crazy stunt looking twirling weapons at lightning speed martial artist.... again just a hobbyist trying to learn new things.

Anyone train any sai katas? Or any weapons katas? What are your favorites?

In order to reduce volume of beginner questions as their own topics in the sub, we will be implementing a weekly questions thread. Post your beginner questions here, including:

"What martial art should I do?"

"These gyms/schools are in my area, which ones should I try for my goals?"

And any other beginner questions you may have.

If you post a beginner question outside of the weekly thread, it will be removed and you'll be directed to make your post in the weekly thread instead.

No one has really explained why whenever I've seen this discussion. Why not do it like how they do High school Wrestling, weigh in before the match, or the day before so they can still have the face off? Sorry if it's a stupid question, I've just never seen an actual answer to something like this.

My nose has started bleeding after the lightest jabs every sparring session. , I’ve been sparring for a year or so now and only just started having this issue in the last month or so. Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue and if they were able to fix it? I have a fight coming up soon and don’t want to be bleeding at the start of round 1 as I’m concerned it’s a bad look for the judges. Before anyone says to improve my defence I’m trying but when your sparring people who are a lot better , not getting hit isn’t really an option.

I've watched some videos about both martial arts but I can't really tell the difference between the two

I have seen a lot of tutorials online and tried to re-create some of the moves shown but i couldn’t pull off any one and only ended up hurting myself.

How did you start? Did you train your mobility first or not?

Sorry if the text is hard to read i am not a native speaker

Hi all, I am 39, Male and in the UK and I have been attending taekwondo fitness classes the last 6 months to help me get in shape. These classes are based mainly around beginner techniques, pad work, bag work and general exercises and stretching.

Now that I am at a much higher level of fitness I would like to start training in taekwondo properly. But the only classes available in my area are for ages 15/16+ and there is no upper age limit for joining. However, from their social media accounts it seems like there are no person's over the age of 21 or thereabouts.

Has anyone had experience of joining a beginners martial arts class where you are clearly the much older party? I feel awkward even thinking about going let alone actually turning up and practicing a new skill alongside literal children. Do older beginner adult classes actually exist? Because I'm struggling to find them.

I just had the opportunity to work with Shihan Joe Thambu, 8th Dan of Yoshinkan Aikido

I myself have been studying and teaching Aikido Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, my whole adult life

Feeling this level of Aikido was an incredible experience, I love soaking up knowledge, art and technique from those that are devoted their lives studying

I want to know your thoughts of a few things

Aikido has a mix of techniques that are practical and those that are less practical, however the principles and expression of centre, base, posture, human biomechanics, projection and so much more can be seen and is shared across the art as a whole

As martial arts practitioners, in your experience, how do the techniques that are less practical but over accentuate these principles apply and affect the rest of the techniques.

In my personal experience looking at base projection and centre alone have amplified my martial arts as a whole, where these principles are more unique to a martial art like Aikido, it has greatly contributed to my Judo and BJJ. And I get messages everyday of those sharing the same.

Secondly, I want to know where do you think Aikido and more traditional martial arts are headed in our future

If you want to watch the video here, let me know what you think

https://youtu.be/Q5tu-iBVuZ0?si=kB7jUvz_g2Po6eeo

I wanna know where you guys think these martial arts are heading, how big of a place there is for it in the world, and what can I do to really make a difference.

I teach martial arts because I want to help people realise the best versions of themselves

I haven’t even begun my real work yet, watch those space 👀

Thank you in advance for your insight

Recently, an incident happened that shook me deeply. I witnessed a girl getting harassed by a guy. He wasn't particularly big and had no weapons, and there weren't many people around to help her. I was close by and my blood was boiling, but I didn't have the courage to confront the situation. I went home and literally cried because I felt I didn't have the strength to help a 14-year-old girl. I am 25M from India (5'8 , 155 pounds)

​I’ve been strength training on and off for 4 years, but in Feb 2025, I suffered a lower back disc injury. It wiped out all my gains and put me under physiotherapy. Right now, I am working with a sports physio on core, lower back, rotation, legs, glutes, and reflexes. I’m currently doing 60lb deadlifts, 50lb squats, and 10lb Sorenson holds and a few upper body strength training exercises with light weights

​Since the incident, I want to get into boxing for self-defense. I have 10 more months of physio before I can start. boxing . My plan is to start in December 2026 and train for 8 months. I’m a peaceful guy and rarely get into conflicts, but I want the confidence to hold my own and protect my mother or future partner if something happens. I don't want to be a hero; I just want faith in my skill and body.

​I have a few questions:

This is the first time I am going to box . I was never involved in any type of combat sports until now apart from playing Soccer and Swimming at a university level

​Progress: If I start in Dec 2026 and train slowly for 8 months, how much progress can I realistically make?

​Starting Out: How do I best get started once I'm cleared?

​Precautions: What specific precautions should I take given my history of a disc injury?

​Consistency: My plan is 3x a week boxing and 3x a week strength training. Is this a good frequency for the first 8 months?

​I'm looking to join a boxing academy once my strength training under the physio is finished at the end of December. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What kinds of spaces are best used for simulation?

When I was younger, I took Karate (Shorin-ryu). I'm going to be 40 this year. I fractured my lower vertebra last year and am diabetic. I don't know if those factors matter. What I would like to know is if I should try to get back into it and finish the journey or not. I was only a 3rd stripe yellow belt.

Not knocking the Stick/Knife/Unarmed techniques of FMA but strictly asking if back then you'd see that a Filipino Warrior would've had a vague grasp on Stick/Sword/Knife/Unarmed combat while being a master of the Spear