Starting out

[Enjoy]

Hello,
I have had no past martial arts experience, but I do quite a lot of physical sports, and excersing, and I try to read as much as I can about martial arts, and have watched some classes. Many of my friends who take martial arts and my uncle, an instructor, suggest that I take an art that encompasses my build and strength, or the spirituality aspect, which I am really interested in. I'm interested in Arnis or Escrima or Salit but wanted to know if it was a more advanced art, and too complicated for beginners. What I am asking, is what art do most people begin with, and why, and which arts provide a good base to branch off into other aspects? Sorry if this may seem redundant to you all...
Thank you
-Matthew

[Saz]

Even the most advanced students of the most advanced martial arts have to begin learning it at some point. In other words, everyone is a beginner at some time or another. It may be hard going for a while, but no art is easy to start with. So long as your prepared to work hard, it gets easier with time.

Welcome to MAP :)

[juramentado]

There's no such thing as a "beginning" MA style i.e. something you need to study before going on to "something more advanced". All MA have basic and advanced levels and if you were to spend enough time in it, you'll be able to see the depth of the style. There are no "prerequisites".

As for so many people studying several arts and starting with quite a few, that's really up to them. People are looking for different things in MA and it's ok to look around until you find what you like. But there's no rule saying that you need to study several styles to do MA. It's up to the individual. What works for them may not work for you and vice versa.

Hope that helps,