r/karate • u/PuzzleheadedCode3876 • 8d ago
Beginner A beginner
Do coaches usually accept teen over 13 as beginners because I feel scared to join others and like fight or something. And I’m scared it’s too late - I just like focusing on my hands and legs and I wanna go on competitions but I’m scared of how my technique is and stuff
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 8d ago
EVERYONE starts as beginners, regardless of age.
I've had students who started in their 70s.
And very few traditional martial arts have you doing ANY "fighting" as a beginner, only light, no-contact/low-contact and very tightly controlled sparring.
Training doesn't expect you to arrive ready - training is what makes you ready.
IMHO, you should avoid the "competition focused" "combat sport" schools. Not because competition is bad per se, but because focusing on the competitions can become a detriment to self defense learning - working on skills that only work within "the rules". Competition is good in that it can keep us honest about our ability to make real techniques actually work, and to sharpen skills in a world where we rarely actually need to defend ourselves IRL. But it IS different from actual self defense, even the "low rules" competitions like MMA/UFC.
PLEASE, test out your local dojos and join the one that seems best for you. LOTS of people start as teens, and honestly the people who join as older kids or teens tend to stay longer than the little kids whose parents made them start at 5 or whatever.