Martial Arts

[MTR]

I thought I had done this before. Maybe I have and it got purged. Who knows.

So this is just to see who does various martial arts and if you compete or not. We can talk about your favorite athletes or whatever.

So my kids and I take tae kwon do for those that don't know. Both my kids compete in poomsae(forms) and Olympic style sparring. I have competed once and probably compete more. I am just picky on when I compete since that is three entry fees at one time.

I am currently a purple belt(falls between green and blue). My daughter is a red/brown and only 3 belts away from testing for her black. My son is a purple belt and moving a bit of a slower rate. He is younger and has time. I am an adult and not in a hurry either so I progressing a slower rate as well.

I love watching sparring matches from the Olympics and other international tournaments. Aaron Cook from the UK is fun to watch and one of the best in the world. The Lopez family from the US are great and have won a lot of medals at Olympics and World Championships. They are getting older though and new crop of Americans are coming along.

My daughter and I have been taking some self defense classes from a black belt in combat hapkido. He is also a black belt in tae kwon do and I believe a blue belt in jiu jitsu.

[MTR]

I am bumping this because I am excited for one of the black belt instructors at our school.

He is a great inspiration. He started a couple years before my kids and I started. He was a smoker and overweight and not healthy. He turned things around and is in great shape, quite smoking, and now a second degree black belt. He is one of the instructors and also is head our competition team. He also teaches one of the fitness classes which is not easy at the school as well.

Last fall he decided that he could hang with blackbelts in his age group on a higher level than just the local tournaments. He signed up for the US Open which is a big tournament. In fact it was made a G2 event so people can come compete from around the world and get international ranking points. Probably won't see that much in his division since he is older but he could get to see some great black belts fight while he is there.

He is in line to check in now down in Orlando and I believe he fights tomorrow. USA Taekwondo is streaming the fights so hopefully his wife will post in facebook when he is getting close to fighting so we can check the stream for the fight.

Definitely a great example of someone turning their life around for the better. Great guy and I am glad to know him as a friend and as a student. Can't wait to see him kick some ass.

[JoevanZYL]

The idea might sound insane to some people,But, joining up to study a martial art can be extremely rewarding for your fitness and your overall well being. Picking the right system to study is crucial if you're going to enjoy yourself and, ultimately, stick with it.


There are plenty of other areas of study out there to explore, but these are likely the easiest to find.if you're trying to improve your balance and concentration, it's a great choice.


MUAY THAI/KICKBOXING
WING CHUN KUNG FU

[kangus]

Who the fuck are you?