10 Reasons

I used to practice martial arts as a kid, and have only gotten back into them over the past couple years. Here are 10 reasons I'm glad I did (specifically relating to Aikido and Judo):

1. Both arts seem well suited to practical self-defense.

2. They challenge me. Every class. And I like that it's not just physically challenging, but mentally as well.

3. Aikido and Judo are helping me get over the discomfort I feel with a few things. For instance, having someone's hand in my face, falling (or being thrown) down, intense invasion of personal space, groundfighting/wrestling, and so on.

4. The sense of accomplishment. There's nothing like the occasional feeling I get when I do something more effectively than I have before.

5. Fitness. I am out of shape. Woefully out of shape. Aikido and Judo a) expose to me the reality of my unfit condition, b) provide exercise during class, and c) inspire me to exercise outside of class, because I want to be better than I am now.

6. It's nice to have a hobby. With the stress I deal with week-in and week-out (at work), it's SO nice to have mat time to look forward to. It's a very welcome and refreshing diversion from the more burdensome parts of my week.

7. The possibility of competition (In Judo, anyway). I've never been interested much in competition. Maybe it comes from tournaments I was in as a very young Tang Soo Do student. I never really did well in tourneys. But I'm wondering if this will be another point of discomfort that Judo may help me overcome. I sometimes think it would be nice to test myself by competing...

8. Coolness factor. Ever since I would skip Sunday lunch after church to watch "Kung Fu Theater", I've always been enamoured by martial arts. The kid in me still just stares, wide-eyed, day-dreaming of the day I might be able to do some of that stuff (never you mind that I waited until I was over 30 to begin).

9. The people I've met and valued relationships that have been forged.

10. They give me something to work towards. Earl Nightengale defined "success" as "The progressive realization of a worthy goal." I consider practicing these arts a worthy goal, for all the reasons listed here.