Hi,
I started learning martial arts at the age of 13. My initial reason was to take revenge on a 16-year-old bully who once beat me up quite bad...
Come to think about it, I should thank that guy (his name was Ricardo, if I remember correctly) for martial arts changed my life in a positive way.
I was a frail, weak child suffering from poor health. Through martial arts training my body grew strong. I started with Modern Wushu, which I did for a year. But I was not happy with the lack of depth in Modern Wushu, so I started to try out kickboxing, Taiji and other styles. At the age of 15, I met my Hung Gar teacher, who would become like a father to me (my father left our family when I was 5 years old). I practiced Hung Gar for many years and it gave me good basics, but I was still looking for a style which suits my taste. I later tried Wing Chun. It is a very effective style, but I didn't like it. It is too rigid and lacks flow, in my opinion. I then started cross-train Choy Li Fut and Hung Gar together. Choy Li Fut is a long-arm style, which I prefer for good foundation building. It is better to start with a Long Fist system like Choy Li Fut or Chang Quan, in my opinion. Once you are proficient in Long Fist you can learn short hand, but the other way around is much harder (like a Wing Chun stylist trying to learn Choy Li Fut).
In Beijing, I was lucky enough to meet a great master of Praying Mantis style. This is the style I was searching for! For talented martial artists, they are able to make the martial art work for them. But a mediocre person like me need to find a style which suits me. All styles are good, but in my case, Praying Mantis just feels right to me. It is the system which I will dedicate myself to and pursue for the rest of my life. I have been doing martial arts for 13 years (I'm 26 years old) but my true martial arts training has just begun. All the styles I did prior to Mantis was just preparation.
The reasons why I practice martial arts: it teaches me many things. Philosophy, body connection etc. It is really an art form with many facets and aspects for one to explore, many things you don't find in regular sports.
Everybody can become a martial arts practitioner, but few can become martial artists. I hope I can become a martial artist someday.
My 2 cents,
Lav