Past, Present and Future

[lowereastside]

I'm going to be 59 this year - my conditioning is not what it used to be. OK i'm a bit overweight ( however in the last year have lost 20 pounds ). I've been lucky so far no major injuries - not that I have not had my share of little ones. This is the thing in the last 2 years or so - something has happened - my students first brought this to my attention - my power speed sensitivity and refinement - including my breath have shot to a different level - My concern is when will the down side come -

[DWx]

Great answers so far guys, enjoyed reading your posts

What prompted me to start this thread was me reflecting on what's happened in my own life over the past 5 years. Aside from 5 being a nice number to pick, I went through big changes 5 years ago and am just about to go through some more now.

5 years ago I was just finishing college (high school to most of you on here) and was getting ready to move 100 miles away to go to university. That meant leaving my current TKD school and finding something else to do with myself. Mentally that was pretty hard for me, not the moving away from home bit, but the fact that I now I wasn't going to be able to train everyday the dojang I practically grew up in. Would have probably been an easier transition had there been a good TKD club at the university or in the city but unfortunately the one they did have wasn't what I was looking for and I found it pretty demoralizing that I wouldn't be getting my regular fix. Physically I was in a good place but I'd never really done extra exercise outside of my TKD sessions or without some sort of instruction so suddenly I was going to have to come up with a of fitness plan and stick to it by myself. Right about the same time I'd also been scouted to start training with the national squad and was at the time the youngest person on senior team (had just turned 18). But since I was now a student and had nowhere to train and no-one to train with I had no idea how I was going to keep at that level. Not to mention the fact that the squad trained roughly 200 miles away from where I'd be. In the end I kinda sacrificed my uni friends and social life and had to commute every weekend to make practice and get the extra training in.

5 years on and I've graduated and am now on the job hunt. I moved back home so get to be back in the dojang Now working on being able to possibly do my next grading some time at the end of the year or if not next year. Once I get a permanent job and get a schedule sorted, I really want to start looking into teaching and having my own class. Although I do the odd bit and help out, I've never really been in a position where I can commit to having a regular class myself so really looking forward start exploring whether this would be possible Funnily enough the other change that's happened to me is that because of various things (mainly politics), the squad is on a bit of a hiatus at the moment. For 5 years the focus of my training has always been on the sports side of things and the vast majority of my time was either training, travelling or competing. Without that focus I'm having to reassess what I am really training for and now I have the time to start looking at other areas within the style.

10 years from now and I can't really say. I'd really hope to be in a position where I'm teaching or coaching. Perhaps even in my own school. If I don't grade within the next few years, hopefully I'd have done it before 10 years have rolled around.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for sharing this portion of your journey with us, Danielle. I think you'd do great as a teacher!

[DWx]

Thanks for sharing this portion of your journey with us, Danielle. I think you'd do great as a teacher!

Thanks Brian

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for sharing this portion of your journey with us, Danielle. I think you'd do great as a teacher!

Thanks Brian

You are welcome!

[FangPwnsAll7]

I am really skinny and weak. I can't even do a push up. I started Tang Soo Do last year and I'm testing for a green belt on Friday. My form 5 I need to test for this belt was hard, but I got it now. I don't have any friends outside of karate. All my friends I met through martial arts. I really like taking class and it's helping my self confidence.

There are two people who are orange belts that tell me I'm horrible and don't deserve my rank. Those two people are a lower rank than me. I learned to ignore them.

The reason I wanted to start taking karate was because of past experiences with bullies. I transferred school districtst and now I am doing better.

In the future, I hop to become a black belt of Tang Soo Do. I am working my way towards that goal.

[Harkon72]

I wish you all the best. I was a 7 stone rugby player at school - the smallest on the field. This made me tackle even harder even though some were laughing at me. Truth be told, I was never a good fighter in martial arts, but I practiced my kata hard. I have had only one serious self defense situation in my life. It was a threat to my life, and my Kata and Spirit saved me. Don't listen to negativity, it disappears in the wake of your talent to be yourself. You are your only true opponent; be smart, be quick and enjoy each challenge. Osu!!

[ShoriKid]

5 years back I was in better shape physically, in some aspects, and had just tested for my Nidan after years of not worrying about gradings and just training with my instructors. Spiritually I was pretty solid, studying and growing in my faith. My connection and thoughts on the martial arts were growing as well with a more active hand in teaching and helping contribute to the curriculum at our dojo.

Now, I'm the lead instructor. My cardio is better than the muscular side, but I'm trying to fix that split. I'm facing an up coming opportunity to promote again after 4 years pretty much on my own with only seminars, video and study to further my training. These days I'm still working on refining the curriculum, expanding my ground game thanks to PittbullJudoka's BJJ training. I still love to bang, but I'm refining and getting more subtle. Funny how I can see the change more now than I did 5 years back when I really first saw it. Spiritually I'm as interested in the development of my students as myself. Sharing experience and thoughts and not hammering away at what they "should" think.

5 years from now, perhaps I will have tested for the Sandan, and be looking to test one more time. I hope to keep my physical conditioning up as part o my over all health. The curriculum will be settled, mostly, but I'll still be refining and digging for depth in kata, application and pulling movements apart. I'll compete a few more times before the injuries make it laughable for a guy my age to get on the mats with 20-somethings. Maybe I'll have a stripe or two on that white belt I grapple in. Maybe there will be 2 black belts that can point out our dojo and say "I learned from those guys" and be proud of that fact anywhere they go.

10 years from now. Gads, that's a long time to look ahead. Still working on kata and grappling. Still teaching I hope. My hair will be gray, my whiskers going white (already starting!). I'll be leaving banging to the younger guys most nights, but I'll still slip in a mouth piece and go at it now and then. Maybe, if I bust my rump, I'll have a blue belt in BJJ. Might compete and actually do one of the "masters" divisions or something like that finally.

20 years on. Maybe I've given up belts, or gotten another stripe and just don't care. Might be teaching grandkids by then, or second generation students. Some young buck will be assisting us in teaching. I still won't be smart enough not to get on the floor with guys half my age and scrap once in a while. More depth, less breadth in everything.