I started coming here in mid-July 2010. It was completely on a whim; I'd actually been looking at the aikido place in the same building, but realized that their class schedule wouldn't work for me.
The school was running a summer sign-up special, which included only a two month commitment to start, so I figured I might as well give it a try. (In general, when you sign up, I believe the contract will be for longer. I re-upped after the initial two months for a six month contract, and now I'm on a one year.)
When you first start, you'll be given three or possibly four private or semi-private lessons--semi-private lessons will be with other beginners--with one of the black belt instructors. They'll teach the basic commands and etiquette (bowing, turning around, etc.), basic stances, basic blocks, basic kicks, and how to correctly throw a punch. (And, no, I really did *not* know how to throw a proper punch going in.) If you're like me, all of this will feel horribly awkward and off-balance for awhile; it's really re-learning how to move and balance.
I was pretty scared before my first regular all-levels class that I was going to make a huge ass of myself. The nice thing about this school is that both the instructors and the other students are genuinely friendly and encouraging, which really helped me feel less anxious about how bad I was for the first few months, and makes me feel less self-conscious about messing up whenever I learn new things now.
Even in the larger classes, you will get a good amount of individual attention; the instructors will go around correcting your form and posture, and helping you with moves you're having particular difficultly with. (This includes demonstrating the move and sometimes helping you physically move correctly while performing the motion; I've been getting a lot of help lately making my turning sidekick better.)
There's a good amount of variety in class, even though you'll be practicing the same moves a lot. A class may have intense conditioning work, or you may be working on coordination and speed, or flexibility, or kicking combinations.
I enjoy going here infinitely more than I ever did going to a gym, and I'm actually in better shape doing this. Great cardio, and great for toning muscle.
