Boxing for self defense

[SaiFightsMS]

A lot on your choice of a martial art will depend on your abilities in the beginning. There are some successful martial artists out there who have CP.

[Max]

Could you name any successful martial artists with CP.

[SaiFightsMS]

The Story About Kevin

 

By Christopher Caile

 

For years I taught karate at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Of all the students I have had, perhaps the one that has given me the greatest joy was the one I least expected. And he proved to be a great teacher as well. The story of Kevin goes right to the root of the concept of karate-do. While most people think students of karate are tough and well coordinated, it is not always so. If the practice of karate can develop and aid in personal and spiritual self-improvement, then shouldn't karate be able to benefit more people than just those who are already strong?

 

I was stretching one evening just before the karate class I instructed in the University's athletic center when a young bearded man in a wheel chair wheeled over to me and said something.

 

"Kaaan ah stuuuudeee Kaa raah ahhhh te?" he asked.

 

Later I found out that his voice and body coordination had been distorted by the effects of cerebral palsy he had since birth. At the time I had to listen several times to understand that what he was asking was whether he could study karate with us in class. I had to think for a few seconds, for I had never worked with a handicapped student much less one in a wheelchair. When I replied I said, "sure you can study, but only if you help yourself and if you fall you will have to get up yourself." He seemed surprised. He later told me that he had tried to join many other activities but had always been turned down. He had been especially sure no one would teach him karate. But Kevin did study with us. At the beginning of every class he pulled himself out of the wheelchair and with his legs bent inward, arms waving for balance, he began. His movements were uncoordinated and often he fell, but he would get up and keep trying. Later he thanked me for not trying to help him. He explained that by treating him equally it made him feel he belonged.

 

Day by day the changes were almost imperceptible, but over time the change was noticeable. His balance improved along with his coordination, strength and even his speech. He began to come to class early in order to practice walking up and down the stairs within the athletic arena. Not only did this help his coordination but it strengthened his legs. Kevin explained that exercise was especially important for those with cerebral palsy because without it, as people aged the body could quickly deteriorate. At Christmas time his second year I got a holiday card from Kevin. It was perhaps the most memorable one I have ever received. In large, uneven letters, across the inside was the message: "Thank you for letting me try."

 

Although Kevin is still handicapped physically, his spirit is tremendous. He also has a sharp wit and sense of humor although his speech difficulties often hide it. Two years ago, after more than eight years of practice, he traveled to our organization's New York headquarters to test for shodan (first degree black belt). I was so proud. During the promotion he was asked to do a kata before all the other black belts in attendance, around 100. He did, and his movements although awkward and still hesitant were pretty good. Afterwards everyone got to their feet and applauded. What observers didn't realize is how Kevin measured his own success. He later asked me, "Do you know what I tried to do hardest in my kata?" "No," I replied. "Just not to fall down," he said.

 

Kevin has taught me never to make quick judgments and never to underestimate someone. He has also taught me that each of us is very different and that each has his or her own strengths, weaknesses and goals. Karate helped him become stronger, better coordinated and helped him feel he could fit in and accomplish something he had set out to do. Now he doesn't always have to use his wheelchair either. Often when he came to class, he left the chair at home and walked to the bus that brought him to campus. Being mostly a solo activity, Karate thus proved to be an excellent form of physical therapy. And in Kevin's case it also helped him develop spirit and self-discipline. Perhaps it is something that more people with coordination and body control problems could benefit from.

 

Lest you think Kevin didn't also learn self-defense, let me relay an incident that occurred on a downtown street in Buffalo. Someone had picked Kevin, a slight man in a wheelchair, as an easy target to rob. But when he tried to grab Kevin's waist bag, the attacker got the surprise of his life. The victim grabbed back. While pulling the robber forward and down with one hand, Kevin's other hand in a fist met the attacker in the face. By the time several people from a nearby store reached the pair, the attacker was on his back on the sidewalk with Kevin sitting over him, threatening to hit again.

 

Last year Kevin demonstrated a bo (six foot wooden stick) kata at a tournament in Ithaca, New York. Afterwards I talked to the audience about Kevin. "If you are a student of karate perhaps you know the motto, 'If knocked down seven times, get up eight.' It's a motto about perseverance. But most of you don't realize that just to be able to do the simple things like walking and standing we all take for granted, Kevin literally has fallen down thousands of time and gotten up thousands of times -- something few of us here would ever be willing to try. He is an example of spirit, someone we can all learn from. So the next time you feel frustrated by something, feel the world is against you, think of Kevin and his spirit. It will make your challenge seem a lot easier." Right after me another instructor also got up to talk about Kevin and how his efforts inspired him. "When I saw Kevin perform his kata, I started to cry," the instructor began. But before he could continue Kevin lightened the moment. In a loud voice Kevin asked, "Was it that bad?"

[SaiFightsMS]

I have multiple sclerosis. I have trained in shotokan, shorin ryu and shito ryu and Okinawan kobudo.

[SaiFightsMS]

Here is another one.

 

http://www.yinsonline.com/html/nldec2000.htm

 

Nicholas’ Story

 

When Nicholas attended his first martial arts class at age 11, he could barely walk. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age, Nicholas required the use of braces for mobility. And it was with those braces that he walked into his martial arts school for the very first time. With the encouragement of his parents, Nicholas was very motivated to give martial arts a try. Nicholas remembers feeling "a little weird and nervous" on his first day. He also recalls feeling a bit "out of place" as the school was "filled with lots of tall people." It is now five years later and Nicholas not only walks without braces, but he also runs and has achieved a high belt ranking in his school. When he started, he was recognized as mentally one of the strongest students in his school. He never gave up. His mom says that "the martial arts is physical therapy for him." Nicholas feels that the martial arts is responsible for his ability to walk and run as well as he does today. You will get no argument from his physical therapist, either, who wants Nicholas to continue his martial arts lessons for years to come. Martial arts teaches Nicholas to concentrate, which helps him earn superior marks on his school exams. Martial arts allows him to "meet new people" as it has built up his self-confidence.

[ramymensa]

Sai, great stories. I think you could make a separate thread about great martial artists, those who can win the greatest battle of all, the one fought against their own phisycal limitation which sometimes tend to destroy their chances for a normal life. And still some make it.

 

All my RESPECT for them

[SaiFightsMS]

Raymensa most disabled martial artists do not really want a lot of recognition for what they do. It really makes you feel funny when someone puts you on a pedestal because you did something inspite of your limitiations. We really just want to have the same chances to learn and to practice that everyone else has. We do what we do for the same reasons that able bodied people do. Most of the time we train to improve ourselves.

[ramymensa]

I know, SaiFights, most of these great people dont't think they should be on that pedestal and that makes them even more admirable

 

We all try to improve ourselves (at least that's what I try), but we have an advantege. I try to learn many "acrobatic" things, like high kiks, katas, combinations and so on, but at least I benefit from a perfect body (not good looking, but fully functional ) I never had to worry from falling down, I never tried to overcome the difficulties people you wrote about had to face ... and that's why I admire them.

 

I've been training while sick or with a sprained shoulder, 2 busted ribs and so on, and it was hard. These are little compared to the situatins you described. That's why I said people like that deserve all the respectin the world. Karate for me is striving to perfection and these are examples to be followed. You and all of them are the true SENSEIs (those who walked before and did it on a rough path.)

 

Put karate into everything you do ... some put all they had in karate .. and got everything

[Athorn4941]

I think boxing would be a good investment. Becuase of the obvious physical conditioning that you recieve from it. And how does boxing not teach you to punch correctly. A good boxing coach will teach you the fundementals in punch and the constant practice of the punching motion helps instill the correct motion. well anyways. I have never broke my hands from punching people to objects. Boxing is just another style to increase your knowledge in self defence in my opinion.

[delta1]

SaiFightMS, that story about Kevin is one of the most inspirational things I've read in a long time.