Old school training amidst a sea of McDojos.
Drive up & down Midlothian Turnpike, & you'll find that the number of martial arts/ karate schools far outweighs the number of convenience stores. There's practically one on every corner! They range from day care centers to make-believe boot camps. If you put in the time & pay your fees, you can get lots of pretty colored belts to wear & eventually hang on your wall. As for actually learning self defense skills at those places... As long as you have a referee, a padded mat, rules, & protective sparring gear, you might be able to beat your way out of a wet paper bag.
That's not the case at FCIM.
They don't hand out rank just for showing up. The only belt you can buy, is the white belt that comes with your uniform, when you sign up. The rest of them will be earned thru blood, sweat & tears.-Actual blood, sweat & tears, not the band!
Once you sign up for class, one of the first things you'll receive is a stick wrapped in baling twine. You'll be using it to rack your shins & forearms for conditioning purposes. Embrace the pain! Over time, you'll learn to appreciate it.
Duck walks, frog hops, break falls, & tumbling are a part of every class. Pace yourself, as you'll probably become frustrated at first.-You'll definitely hurt. You may even think about quitting.
Don't.
If you'll put in the effort, do the reps & conditioning, over time, you will increase your stamina, pain tolerance, and ability to end a fight quickly & decisively.
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. read more
