back from a long break

[niel0092]

Hi all. I just wanted to reintroduce myself after taking a year plus break from this site. Why don't I tell you all a bit about myself and my journey in martial arts.

I started Taekwondo while finishing up my degree at the University. I'd always wanted to try a martial art but hadn't had the opportunity. I had been dealing with a considerable amount of stress at work and school and was in desperate need of an outlet. TKD fit the bill nicely and being a club at the University made it cost effective too. My reasoning for choosing TKD over the other arts on campus was initially a bit skewed. I had friends in it, they liked it, and that was good enough for me. Later I found out that the 2 karate clubs on campus were non-contact, and the vo lam kung fu club was noncontact as well. My club did use contact sparring and I rather found that I liked that aspect of training. There were other reasons that I felt I made the right choice in tkd that had more to do with the instructors of the clubs than in the arts themselves. I've come to have a deep respect for karate, just not a certain Sensei or his students at the U. Had they been less pompus things may have been different (ok, I've since met new students at that club and like them alot but the original students tended to sneer at us for the crime of being in TKD and trying to be friendly to them. Some people are just that way I guess).The judo club would later come into my life but initially I wasn't interested in grappling.

I trained in TKD for a few years before seriously loking at other arts. I think it was the red belt blues that prompted my search. I then took some time off from TKD to save money and try new things including hapkido (which I really liked), tai chi (which I didn't, prob because of the school), and some philipino martial arts. I've sense returned to the main school for TKD that I began in and feel that after looking at other schools I really lucked out on my initial choice. It's a quality school with good people, a good mix of usable techniques, and a philosophy I find to my liking. Respect and discipline are emphasized as well as balance in ones life.

I've also added kali and judo to my MA resume to address some weaknesses in my game and to develop my interests in those areas. Currently I'm a BB canidate and I hope to test for BB this fall. The journey so far has lasted about 6 1/2 years and I hope it continues for the rest of my life.

Thanks for reading this, it got longer than I expected

[SaiFightsMS]

Glad to see you back.

[gheinisch]

Welcome Back!

[niel0092]

Thanks Sai. It's nice to see you're still here. Hope all is well.

[June1]

Welcome back! Glad that your journey has started up again! Good luck with the grading!

[Patrick]

Welcome back.

[ninjanurse]

Welcome back!!

[Bruce WillPete7]

Hah, nice to see you explored new MA's im learning the Filippino MA on the side aswell, glad to hear your life's well and welcome back.

[italian_guy]

Welcome back!

[Sam]

welcome back!