Aspies and marshal arts

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It was difficult for me to learn kickboxing. My mother was against girls learning to fight, and I had such poor motor skills and didn't always understand instructions. Add my social anxiety and fear of noise, and you'll understand why I put it off for so long.

But when I finally did get around to doing what I always wanted, it was fun. It boosted my self esteem, and I was extremely good at it, too. Sure I was slow to learn, but when I did, I was the best.

I think marsh arts instructors should be taught how to teach aspies and other kids/grownups with disabilities. Self-defense is especially important for us aspies because we get bullied so often.

I feel martial arts could be helpful for ALL people who are bullied.

NT's are bullied, like people on the Spectrum are bullied.

I feel that the "special training" you mentioned would, inevitably, be beneficial for all.

I have mixed feelings about the self defense part of it. Long story and more than I could probably explain.
I can say that martial arts have been a big part of my life, and one of the most positive aspects of it.
I started when I was about four. My mom and I went through about seven years of tae kwon do together. She got a black belt, I was one belt below her. Did a small amount of karate after that. Trained a little bit of wing Chun and muay Thai. Got into Tai chi chuan and gongfu about ten years ago. Have been pursuing that since and intend to continue for the rest of my life.
The physical side of it is huge. It definitely helps. Got to take care of the body. I'm pretty clumsy, but I think I'd be far more clumsy if I'd never done martial arts.
But the psychological, spiritual, emotional, etc parts of it are really even bigger. Whole other world. I think I'm a much better person because of it, the positive influence of my teachers, especially my Sifu. I don't know where I'd be without it, and I don't want to.
I haven't been in a fight in about fourteen years, but I use ideas from martial arts every day.
I hope that at some point, if or when I'm ready, I can offer for others what my Sifu offered me.

training in martial arts is more than training for defense... it tempers discipline, coordination, resilience, strength, endurance, and patience. though, perception is that there actually aren’t many optimal defense arts offered in the united states... most are tournament arts tailored for competitions and the ring(judo or bjj are fine disciplines for the ring, but one should never suffer delusion that taking an assailant to the asphalt is the way to go... the ground is no man’s land outside the studio or ring.). the only(rather uncommon) arts that appear ideal for study here, for defense, are wong shun leung or ip man wing chun, bruce lee jeet kune do, muay boran, or tai chi chuen.

nothing is offered locally but taekwondo, muay thai, boxing, and karate. so other than some foundation with shaolin kempo, which really can’t be recommended that anyone study it... everything is self sought or innovated. current improvised style practiced is an infighting style inspired by wing chun, and muay boran without kicks... just uses the knees like muay boran for striking and feet of wing chun to block, stop windup of circular kicks, or to trap instep kicks. reasoning for favoring infighting is that it’s highly intimidating to those that try to keep away at kicking/batting distance, and most actual experience of being beaten up involved larger aggressors who’d pin their opponent prostrate in a crushing lock... it’s actually easy to use a part of the body that one wouldn’t expect to be used with such impact at short range, like an explosive three inch punch or elbow.

ultimate ambition is to study either wong shun leung or ip man wing chun, and yang tai chi chuen to teaching proficiency. at some point after(likely in retirement... going back to school soon to study the body and become a physical therapist.), to open a club to teach both styles, what’ll be known of treating injuries, and tailoring teachings to individuals’ limitations by donation like teachers of old.

I think any physical training in sports or group activities can be very beneficial to confidence and self esteem.
I took karate with my mom and brothers as a teenager and it was really good for all of us for the most part. I can say that I do not feel any more able to defend myself in a physical battle than before. I think pepper spray or a rape whistle would help keep me safe from an attacker more than learning martial arts. Also there is the issue about watered down tournament classes in the USA. The other benefits, discipline, endurance, confidence, exc.. were valuable though.

Fun fact: I wanted to take karate classes when I was a kid. Sadly my parents weren't able to fund it for me, so it never happened.

I agree with the person immediately above me in that learning a martial art can boost your confidence. That and it's a perfect excuse to get some physical exercise in. As for self-defense purposes, though, you do have to realize that it's not usually condoned. That and there are other (less harmful) methods for that.

I got into martial arts mainly because I was bullied when I was really young and it was my way of making myself bully proof. I did a Thai class when I was around 18 and struggled with coordination and didn't go back. I tried boxing but wasn't very good. I then tried jiujitsu, MMA and become super interested in it and ended up coaching. I hated the coaching side,especially shows,they would ruin me for a long time after, When I became interested in MMA the things I wasn't very good at I ended up becoming much better due to obsessive focus and wanting to improve. In terms of confidence,self defence etc some martial arts are helpful,but many aren't very helpful in a real fight scenario. If I was to do a martial art or a combination,Thai,wrestling,jiujitsu would be good choices. Combat sambo would be good too. Usually though a good kick in the groin or eye poke does the trick so you can escape the scenario.

I join the "martial arts squad"! Can I please be the colonel?

OK, that line was rather unnecessary, but it was a bit fun! In all seriousness, yes I am indeed half-decent when it comes to martial arts. I've been training for ... I'd say about 12 years?

It all started in 12006 when my father suggested I enroll in a local karate club. At the time, it was located about 25 minutes from home, and my father and I would train once a week and practice at home. That club closed down in 12009 due to the two head sensei's running into personal issues. I would go on to join another club the next year, located about 55 minutes from home, but the quality of instruction wasn't great, and one of the sensei's tended to be windy... he'd go on about the best deals at Costco while we'd be standing on one leg (seriously!).

In early 12011 my father and I joined a new dojo. It was located around 45 minutes from home, and was affiliated with ChitoRyu International. It was much better; in fact, I think I learned more in one week than I learned in a month at the other dojo. Since 12016 my father has dropped out due to health troubles, but I still train to this very day, twice a week.

So...how good am I? The answer is, well, alright. I did manage to achieve 1st kyu, which is one rank below black (which is to be obtained next May, when the head sensei of Chito-Ryu shows up next), and I'd say that coordination has improved a lot (12 years ago when I started, I was very, very clumsy -- it's still not very good, but physical strength kind of makes up for some extent). But compared to others, I tend to not do especially well, as I don't do katas very smoothly (thanks, dyspraxia!), and as for fighting, I have an extremely hard time judging distance, and tend to miss a lot of scoring opportunities.

Nonetheless, I did manage to get at least one gold medal, followed by several silvers and bronzes over the past 5 years or so, although those were mostly obtained by competing in the intermediate division (technically, I should compete advanced, but sometimes Sensei puts me into the intermediate, as I'd have more of a chance there).

But for me, it's not about being the best fighter; it's more about enjoying the training. Furthermore, I believe that being neurodiverse (hence not having an ego) has its advantages. A couple times, I ended up fighting a girl (OK she's among the top three in the Province and defeated a really good fighter from Japan) and not winning. No clue what the average NT young male might react to that.

I am currently a karate black belt. I’ve been going to the same dojo since I was seven, despite not having any issues with bullying. If I did get bullied, then it was psychological torture rather than physical torture. My stamina is not particularly great, but I can survive moderately strenuous workouts.

I learned that the mind is more important than the body. Karate taught me patience, coordination, reasoning, elegance, kindness, and other positive things. As a result of all of this training, my arms and legs have become muscular and I have less anxiety issues than I used to when I started as a white belt.

Martial arts can indeed help an Aspie or autie (autistic person). If you have GAD like I do, you can learn to hide it as it is very unlike a black belt to be irrationally afraid of things. If you’re impatient, you can learn patience. Martial arts can really change you as a person and serve as a workout at the same time!

^“fudōshin”(immovable mind) and “mushin no shin”(mind without mind), are meditations/disciplines that can be applied to any aspect or challenge in daily life. they can even be used combined to forgo experiencing utmost physical agony... the mind is the strongest and most valuable tool in all martial arts.