Learn basic martial arts moves.

“I started after sitting and watching my kid for a year, so I didn’t get much individual instruction at first unless I was making a major error. In our clssses, the most junior people are usually doing simpler techniques and combos but are not pulled out much for separate instruction. A little floundering is normal because your body is learning new ways to move and you have no muscle memory yet.”

“Starting a martial art as an adult is intimidating. Especially early on, you see kids (teens in this case) who are a lot more experienced, and they're generally faster to memorize the new patterns. But being an adult also provides me with a different perspective and more of a willingness to engage with the details and subtleties of the techniques we learn. [...] I'll admit that some of the very early lessons can feel pretty slow as an adult; they're designed so that even very young children can digest them. But even those are an important learning opportunity: They provide an opportunity to focus on establishing good habits with, for example, footwork early on.”