Aged 21. Practising karate for nearly 6 years. I started karate as a teenager because of a film I watched, not because of the fighting you see in martial arts movies, but because of the etiquette and culture that goes along with it; I wanted a glimpse of this: I joined Shi-Gaku-Kan later that week!
I now train for many reasons, advancing through the belt system is not high up on this list, but increasing my fitness and trying to improve my character are. Karate has done a lot for me in this sense. It has kept me fit and healthy since I started, and even though I have been training for 6 years it still tires me out as much as the first time.
When I first started karate I was extremely shy, I hardly spoke to anyone, and although I'm not the most outgoing person in the world I am considerably better than I was. My confidence level has been developed so much since I started and I thank my Sensei and club for this.