Hey everyone! Username is Doomed, and I'm glad I stumbled onto this place! Now I have somewhere to discuss martial arts to my heart's content! Karate is something I've really been wanting to do for quite some time, and it's only fairly recently that I'd finally gotten that chance. When I was seven, I had signed up for Tae Kwon Do, until dropping out a few weeks later. While I thought nothing of it as a kid, growing up it turned into one of my all-time biggest regrets. Last year, I decided thatA) I couldn't keep letting the big, drooling monkey hang on my back; B) I needed to become stronger and get in better overall shape, along with learn how to defend myself; C) I needed to be as positive an influence to my nephews and niece as I possibly could. After that, I did some research here and there, and I decided that Karate would be best for me, in terms of simplicity and practicality.

After dabbling with some karate instructional videos (no transportation = no dojo, in a nutshell) for almost a year, I signed up for the online version of the Kanzen Karate Academy, which is owned and operated by Master John Bryan (7th Dan, Multi-time Kata champion and certified instructor under the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association). The style he teaches is known as "Kanzen Ryu", and it's a hybrid of Goju Ryu, Shotokan, and Wado Ryu. I've been training proper for 1.5-2 months, now, and I've been slowly but surely noticing improvements. Not only do I feel stronger, practicing Karate has given me a real sense of pride and accomplishment, even if I'm still only a white belt. At the moment, I'm currently training for my yellow belt, and I've been definitely putting in the work.

And though I'd like to focus on my Karate first and foremost, I'd like to train in other styles in the future. Presently, I've been dabbling in the Okinawan style of the nunchaku; I'm a sword guy, but the nunchaku just compliments Karate so perfectly to me.

Anyhoo, thanks for having me and I look forward to my stay here.

Welcome to KF! Glad you have you here!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to the forum!

Glad that you found us, Doomed. Thanks for the great introduction and welcome.

Thanks for the warm welcome, my friends. Can't wait to get to know everyone and make myself at home. Forum's so big and full of topics, I don't know where to begin!

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!!

Thanks for the warm welcome, my friends. Can't wait to get to know everyone and make myself at home. Forum's so big and full of topics, I don't know where to begin!

Start where you're comfortable! Check out the Karate forum, since what's being discussed there will probably be more familiar to you! Or, check out the Weapons page, if you're interested in becoming better at using weapons. Start your own thread, or feel free to add your input into any of the existing ones. We're excited to see what you contribute.

Welcome to KF! Thanks for making us a part of your journey...

Welcome aboard!