Just an old fart joining the JKD crowd

[ChinJiNing]

Hey Fellow JKD'ers!

I'm 30 years old and I'm about to jump in on a JKD school in Lewisville/Carrollton, Texas. What should I expect in my first official class as a member/student? What was it like for you folks? I'm sure most of you didn't start this late in life. Any information would be helpful so there won't be any surprises. Thanks!

[Tant01]

Hey Fellow JKD'ers!

I'm 30 years old and I'm about to jump in on a JKD school in Lewisville/Carrollton, Texas. What should I expect in my first official class as a member/student? What was it like for you folks? I'm sure most of you didn't start this late in life. Any information would be helpful so there won't be any surprises. Thanks!

Look through the old threads here. Jun Fan JKD will teach fundamentals in a kickboxing platform. How to punch and how to kick...

Enjoy the journey.

[m_calingo]

Man, 30 years old, and you consider yourself an old fart, huh???

Anyway, back to the topic...if your JKD class is like the one I took, there will be a heavy emphasis on the lead vertical punch. You'll learn how to throw a fairly powerful punch w/o any visible wind-up. While other punches will be taught: cross, hook, backfist, the vertical punch is the "bread and butter" punch of JKD. That is the punch that is normally thrown closest to the opponent, and if executed properly, is non-telegraphic as well.

Footwork, similar to western boxing will be part of the program as well. Depending on the school, or the instructor, there may be companion classes in MT, Kali, or BJJ.

[ChinJiNing]

Sounds Great! Can't wait! Anybody know much about Sifu Raymond Crow? I was at his school for an introductory week awhile back, but wasn't too much into the class since I was primary observing and jumping in now and then. But for the most part he seems to know a great deal and I loved the class from what I saw. Anybody have any more insight on him? Thanks.

[Tim McFatridge]

Raymond Crow

I know Raymond Crow...he is a good guy with alot of knowledge. He teaches Pencak Silat Serat as well as Inosanto Kali and Muay Thai Kickboxing he does teach some other arts. I have been to a few seminars that he has hosted and have talked with him several times.

[ChinJiNing]

That's cool!!! Says somewhere on his site too that he was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame this year.

[french fri25]

hey man.... i just started JKD about a month ago. im 15 years old and am the youngest one in the adult class. in my school we start out learning basic kicks and punches. we do A LOT of pushups, sittups, and other various workouts in order to get in shape. we do this for the first 3 belts which is usually 2-3 months with each belt. so... we do basics for about 6-8 months usually. once our bodies are conditioned, then we get into the more advanced things. so if your thinking about starting JKD, be ready for a tough, but rewarding workout.

French Fri25

[chillaplata]

ChinJiNing,

I started JKD just over a year ago at the ripe old age of 36, and one of my biggest regrets now is that I didn't start training earlier in life. Many of the apprentice instructors at my school have achieved that rank after 5 or 6 years of training, so just think how good you'll be when you're my age if you stick with it!

Your school looks fantastic (http://www.crowsmartialarts.com/index.php). You are very lucky to have the opportunity to train with a long-standing student of Guro Inosanto, Ajarn Chai Sirisute and Sifu Hartsell.

Your classes may be similar to those at my school, as my Sifu is also an instructor under Guro with a strong Thai-boxing background. Our introductory classes cycle through kickboxing (taught as a hybrid of Muay Thai, Western boxing, Savate and panatuken with a strong emphasis on the first two arts), Kali, and Jun Fan Gung Fu trapping, locking and street termination techniques. Classes typically begin with 10-15 minutes of stretching, conditioning and calisthenics. Depending on your fitness level, you may find some of the classes to be a challenging workout at first, but your conditioning will quickly improve as necessary. Since Sifu Crow is a student of Sifu Hartsell's, you may train more groundwork in the JKD classes than is typical in other programs (our school has separate BJJ and no-gi grappling classes).

Best of luck with your training!

[heyyou316us]

Hey Fellow JKD'ers!

I'm 30 years old and I'm about to jump in on a JKD school in Lewisville/Carrollton, Texas. What should I expect in my first official class as a member/student? What was it like for you folks? I'm sure most of you didn't start this late in life. Any information would be helpful so there won't be any surprises. Thanks!

I started my training last month and i'm 33. It's been great i have been lucky enought to get private lessons. it's been great.

[chillaplata]

I've been doing a lot of private lessons too. It's been great, particularly for someone like me who is in less than top shape, because my Sifu is able to adapt the training to what I need at this stage in my development as a martial artist. So over the first year I've been doing a lot of footwork drills, calisthenics, Kali (to develop footwork and coordination), kickboxing pad work, and sparring. I've also been doing a lot of ground work during my private lessons. I would highly recommend taking private lessons with a good instructor if you have that opportunity.

[Tim McFatridge]

Chillaplata, you are way ahead of the game since you are taking privates. I have several students that I work with privately and it really helps out. I think every student, especially in the first year or so should be required to take private lessons. It only speeds things up for them and helps them understand more of what's going on. So many students look at private lessons as another way for the instructor to make money. Privates are great. I did the same thing when I started out in JKD...I would take privates with my instructor every day at lunch time for an hour and I did this for a full year. After that I continued to take privates on a weekly or monthly basis the entire time I trained with him. I still take privates today with other instructors.

Train Hard, Train Smart

[jeff5]

30 years old is old?!! Lol c'mon man! I've seen more and more threads asking "am I too old to start X art!?!" As if we're Jedi or something!

Haha just giving you crap buddy, have fun sounds like you have a good instructor and school.

[Cheatin' Chad]

Hey Fellow JKD'ers!

I'm 30 years old and I'm about to jump in on a JKD school in Lewisville/Carrollton, Texas. What should I expect in my first official class as a member/student? What was it like for you folks? I'm sure most of you didn't start this late in life. Any information would be helpful so there won't be any surprises. Thanks!

Hey! I'm 28 turning 29 this week and I just started too. So you're not alone if that's worth anything to ya'.

I got a basic run down the interception/entry/in fighting on my first day and it was a great time! I was flat exhausted at the end of the session but I liked it a great deal.



I hope you had/have a good time in your class.