I don't really hear many people hating on martial arts. I was learning bujinkan taijutsu for a long time before moving to Australia, but I haven't done anything for a while.

Next year I'll probably start going to Tae Kwon Do. Personally, I don't think its lame. Since I've got long legs it means bigger swings, more momentum, longer range, stronger, faster and higher kicks. There is a bit of grappling and punches, but Tae Kwon Do is mainly centred around kicks. I've found a great master in sydney, a man who was one of the most elite Tae Kwon Do martial artists in Korea. Like Jack said though, it becomes more effective the better you get at it.

And you REALLY gotta watch out for that scam shit. 95% of martial arts places have a crap master, barely any skill past shaky basics, and charge a lot of fees. Uniform, membership fee, grading fee, belt fee, you name it they have a fee. Try to avoid these places, do a bit of research on the teacher there.

Asking how long it will take for you to get "good" is like asking how long is a piece of string... It all depends on how you approach it, what type of teacher you have, how often you practice. And even then, what you thought was "good" will just seem normal to you. There will be something else you feel need to learn to get "good." You'll probably seem good to other non-MA people though like a month or two into learning.

Just ignore those dudes who say shit like "fuk dat shit yo i bus catz wit a gun shitz way betta." Anyone can be deadly when they have something that was made to kill like a gun. But what if you dont have one? Martial Artists can defend themselves with or without weapons, other people can only do it with a weapon and sometimes can't even succeed with a gun. I mean, you decide...

Person A: I am physically fit and I am able to defend myself in almost any circumstance because I am skilled in combatative arts.

Person B: If I have a working gun, ammunition and I can see my target, I can defend myself because of my ability to move my finger slightly.

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