Don Gwinn Posted July 8, 2002 Posted July 8, 2002 Well, apparently we're supposed to introduce ourselves. My name is Don, I'm a hayseed, a redneck, and a hick, and I'm posting from nearly-beautiful downtown Virden. I'm pretty good with a gun and getting better with a knife, but I'm out of shape and never used my hands and feet much, so I recently began studying Tae Kwon Do with Master Bill Auvenshine in Auburn Illinois. Mr. Auvenshine is something of a wonder around here, as he lost the use of his legs not long after opening his own school but continues to teach. I don't have any pictures right now, but I'm a big fat bald guy with a red beard. You can't miss me. I'd like to invite anyone who's interested in shooting or in discussing martial arts with shooters to visit http://www.thefiringline.com . With over 15,000 members we consider ourselves the premiere firearms site on the net. Martial arts are discussed in the Alternative Force/CQC forum. I moderate the Legal and Political forum, so stop in there and say hi if you do visit. ____________________________________* Ignorant Taekwondo beginner.http://www.thefiringline.com
KickChick Posted July 8, 2002 Posted July 8, 2002 ... so all in all, you will soon be an all-round good fighter! Welcome Don! Hope you are enjoying your training in TKD ... you'll slim down in no time! Thanks for the introduction ... and do hope you'll find time to frequent our forum with your knowledge in firearms ... (as I have seen you have :up)
Jack Posted July 8, 2002 Posted July 8, 2002 Welcome. JackCurrently 'off' from formal MA trainingKarateForums.com
three60roundhouse Posted July 9, 2002 Posted July 9, 2002 Can you explain how your instructor teaches, exactly? I have heard of people with no or limited use of the legs learning martial arts, but never teaching them. This is very intruiging to me By the way, welcome to the boards. 1st dan Tae Kwon DoYellow Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu16 Years OldGirls kick butt!
G95champ Posted July 9, 2002 Posted July 9, 2002 Welcome. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."
Don Gwinn Posted July 9, 2002 Author Posted July 9, 2002 TKD is definitely slimming stuff. I can't see a difference yet, of course, but I can feel it when we run. The breathing control is unlike anything I've used before; if I'd known about it when I played football I'd have been a lot better at it. I'm taking a picture every Thursday night to see if I can see a difference eventually. I don't really trust weight. I was way above my "ideal weight" when in the best shape of my life, and I was in pretty good shape then. Hand techniques are easy, as he's pretty good at those. Kicking and footwork are more complicated. He's very good at giving clear verbal instruction, and has helped me with my footwork and pivots quite a bit. I don't know how; he says he thinks he's gotten better at teaching these things since he found himself unable to do them, maybe because he doesn't have the crutch of simply doing the technique correctly and saying "just do that." He demonstrates the way a kick should travel or strike by using his hands, but of course, that won't work for footwork. His wife, Pat, is also a Fourth Dan and she teaches as well, so if someone has to demonstrate a kick or a step, she or one of their black belts will do it. But she doesn't teach for him; generally one will take green belts and below to one end and the other will work with the Green First and above at the other end. Mrs. Auvenshine is a P.E. teacher during the school year, and she's a very good instructor in her own right. I'm an English and History teacher, so I know a little about teaching. They impressed me as very good teachers and motivators the first night I visited the school, which was one reason I felt good about plunking down my hard-earned money. An added advantage is that Mr. Auvenshine often gets students in wheelchairs who wouldn't want to train in other places. We currently have one student in a wheelchair (quite a story in his own right; he was paralyzed in a train accident after his high school prom when he was a handsome, 6'4" teenage athlete. Now he goes to schools as a drunken-driving speaker almost full-time and trains in Tae Kwon Do.) They also have one extra chair with no hand rails so that the black belts can jump in and spar Mr. Auvenshine if he thinks they're getting too ****y. They're used to foot tag, and sparring with only hands is a different experience, I think. Also, it's hard to complain about your tired, aching legs when he's sitting there in his wheelchair barking at you to work harder. ____________________________________* Ignorant Taekwondo beginner.http://www.thefiringline.com
SaiFightsMS Posted July 9, 2002 Posted July 9, 2002 Sounds like you are getting a very interesting education in the martial arts from some very dedicated people. I have an interested in how people with physical challanges participate in the martial arts. Oh welcome to the forum.
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