Martial Arts - Fighting Fit

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  • sarahberhorst
    sarahberhorst Posts: 4 Member
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    Hey family! I'm Sarah. I am a practitioner of Kuk Sool Won (traditional Korean martial arts) in O'Fallon, Missouri. Love reading about all the various arts you all partake in. Looking forward to seeing more posts!
  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
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    Welcome to all the new members! We have a great and diverse group growing here - and I cannot be happier about it! You all are contributing and making this community something really fantastic.

    Thanks for being here!
  • LuizH
    LuizH Posts: 211 Member
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    Hello :smile:
    I'm Lou, I'm currently working very hard to get my First Kyu in Shukokai Karate in the hope that I will get my 1st Dan before my 40th birthday in March 2019 ;) . I've been karate training for 3.5 years, I originally took up training as a teenager but gave it up in favour of lazing around after 6 months (plus for a teenage girl, the white suit can be a monthly source of nightmares!). I joined my current club with the plan I would do a couple of grades until my kids felt comfortable but I was hooked after the first lesson. I've recently started Kobudo training in the last 6 months (also to accompany my teenage son) and have fallen in love with my Jo and Bo staffs - I am only 5 feet tall so I'm sure I look ridiculous waiving a Bo around!
    I'm pretty heavy so I don't have much in the way of speed when I'm fighting but what I lack in speed I make up for in power when we're on pad work, and the kata training I really love isn't too badly damaged by being a fatty.
    MFP wise I have been having a hard time recently keeping my weight down so right now I've chosen to use that to my advantage and I'm focusing on building muscle in the gym to hopefully minimise the fat gain. I also swim with a masters club a couple of times per week and cycle for my daily commute.
  • trackercasey76
    trackercasey76 Posts: 780 Member
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    Welcome Lou! you'll find lots of like minded individuals here!
  • PlayerOne_
    PlayerOne_ Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi all, TKD practitioner here. I've practiced for the last 6 years or so, beginning with a class in college at the YMCA, and then some more with an informal club. In the past year or so I've gotten much more serious about training - my SO is Korean and his father trained under Choi Hong Hi, and it's given a new depth to my practice to be able to learn about Taekwondo's roots and ties to Korean culture. Unfortunately we don't get to visit his parents too often! The traditional style is a good contrast to the club I've joined whilst in graduate school, which focuses much more on competition sparring - not to say that the artistry or forms are neglected, it's merely a shift in focus from the practical self-defense and personal style development to speedy point sparring and flashy demos (which are lots of fun).
  • galactictkd
    galactictkd Posts: 4 Member
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    Hello all my name is Chris. I am a 3rd degree black belt in TKD and also tournament director for the Family Karate schools in San Diego. Big thanks to Brett Malone, whom I train with weekly, for the head's up on this group. Currently caught the bjj bug and loving ground fighting. Great way to burn calories and strengthen my core. Currently training for our new testing physical requirements of 40 squats, 30 push ups, 20 hanging leg raises (knee ups), 10 no kip pullups and 10 burpees. All in10 minutes. Suprisingly losing weight improved my pull ups. Only short 2 pullups today completing test with no penalties.
  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
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    Welcome, @PlayerOne_! Glad to have you here!

    @galactictkd
    Glad you made it, Chris! Kinda fun to have someone here I train with.
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Hi All

    I'm Lesley, I'm 40. I've been a raving martial arts lunatic for a while now... it's been 4 months since my last confession... I mean session. I've got some annoying, permanent medical issues that have flared up due to work-office environment issues, but I'm hoping next saturday is the day I go back to kicking black belts (it was supposed to be yesterday morning :( boo to migraines).

    I started off at my dad's shotokan club back in year oat-cake (about 1998). Unfortunately, had to stop because I got a job where my shifts were at the same time as practice. I switched to TKD, first in my home town and then taking it up again when I went to uni. I stayed yellow belt the entire 4 years at uni, as gradings were at the weekend when I worked. So I was a pretty good yellow belt.

    After uni I moved back home, I didn't take karate up again until I moved to England in 2006 and joined a Wado Ryu club at a gym next to my work. Very similar to TKD and Shotokan so I picked it up pretty quickly. I had to give that up when my work moved across town. I then found my current Shotokan club in my village, started there as a yellow belt.
    I have been with them since ~2010. I love the club they're a fantastic bunch, I'm currently the only woman there, we did have another girl (11y/o black belt) but she's taking a sabbatical to try out other sports and activities that her secondary school offers. The club started off with lots of members... we're sadly now down to about 10. Most sessions there just 4 of us die hards. I was until earlier this year, the lowest belt (brown), it's since evened out a bit with 2 greens and a purple moving up from the kids class.

    I am working towards my 1st Dan, I am 1st Kyu (brown and 2). I've not set a date for grading because of my health issues but I'm also taking my time as I'm a slight perfectionist; and to be honest, Dan grading's bloody expensive and I don't want to have to pay twice.
    I'm also not that bothered about getting my black belt quickly, because I've surpassed my original Shotokan goal... get a higher belt than father (brown). I'll get 1st Dan eventually, but I'm enjoying learning the advanced kata at the moment.

    I do 6 other sports: mountain bike, triathlons, olympic (foil) and hema (feder) fencing and roller derby. I also need to start lifting again, as I'm a such a weakling just now.

    I just started Hema (last monday) and am thoroughly enjoying pretend decapitating people, it's a different sort of fun than stabby-stabby fencing. It's my husband's fault I do either fencing, he loves them and wanted me to try... I did and got hooked on both.
    I find sword swinging very relaxing, and it makes a nice change from ninja-punching/kicking husband when he's not paying attention (not now Kato!). Just so you don't think I'm a spouse abuser.. he's much better at fencing than me and he does no karate so it's a very balanced and healthy tit-for-tat relationship.

    All my sports are amazingly good cross-training for each other. They all use elements of at least one other sport and they all benefit from the others either in strength, endurance or flexibility. Oh, I also do Yoga and Pilates.

    I am, weirdly, the size of a whale, so I'm attempting to get my svelteness back by not eating all the pies and seriously restricting my intake (binge eater, less bingey the less i eat). So far I've lost half a stone.

    To balance out my brazen 'i-should-have-been-born-a-boy' ish-ness I also knit/crochet, am a mad cat lady (have 3), and have a small collection of Louboutins and Brian Atwood shoes which, quite handily, compliment the various bruises, welts and grazes I carry on my being most weeks.

    In case you're interested, I'm currently crocheting some monkey's for next-door's kids.

    It's nice to meet you all, and read your stories.
  • flosoup38
    flosoup38 Posts: 71 Member
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    Hi

    I'm a 6th kup in Taekwondo. I joined with my 2 boys after seeing how much fun it could be. I was going to wait until I'd lost all my weight but decided to just go for it and it was the best decision I ever made. Still a long way to go on my journey but ill get there. Thanks for inviting me :)
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
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    Welcome Flo!
  • trackercasey76
    trackercasey76 Posts: 780 Member
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    Glad you found us Flo!
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Hey guys. My name is Abdul. Been doing Thai boxing from the age of 12. Now I'm on my early 30's.
  • bingo_007
    bingo_007 Posts: 101 Member
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    Nice. did you go for competitions?
  • Matt200goal
    Matt200goal Posts: 481 Member
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    Matt - 45, a no-stripe relatively new BJJ purple belt. Just starting (tomorrow) a new job in a new city so I've yet to find a new BJJ school - but I will as it's my exercise, social activity, and, in general, "sanity maintenance."
  • NickyHeath
    NickyHeath Posts: 3 Member
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    hi I love my karate and train 2-3 times a week plus I am a sempai twice a week and help teach low grades
  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
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    @kaizaku @Matt200goal @NickyHeath
    Welcome to the group!

  • criticaldog
    criticaldog Posts: 21 Member
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    Hi there folks!

    I'm CriticalDog,I turn 43 in December and I'm a long time student, off and on.

    My first martial art was Kuk Sool Won, starting in 1994 in Northern California, which I loved. I trained up to Brown with 2 Black stripes, and was set to start my black belt testing when my instructor left to found his own art. That ...didn't last, and I found myself without a school.

    I took up a pretty stylized form of Medieval Combat (SCA fighting), and cross trained with friends when I could, but my job eventually put me behind a desk staring at a computer screen for 8 hours a day, and kids and life made it VERY hard for me to train.

    I put on weight. A lot of it. Managed to stay a full year at a WTF TKD school that also had some Hapkido, and did well, but then it was time to move.

    2006, we moved across the country. I worked nights, doing IT stuff, and got even fatter.

    After a few fits and starts at the local Y with generic "Martial Arts" classes that didn't do much for me as it would be me and a bunch of little kids, About 5 years ago I finally found a TKD school that was close enough to get to, the teacher was old school, and we spar, a lot.

    But, I was still fat. I remembered how to do a jump spinning heel, but the flesh is weak. And flabby.

    3.5 years ago I read up on a fairly radical diet (Ketogenic), and jumped into that hard core. Fat melted off. I went from 260+ (and I'm only 5'6.5"!) and at the beginning of this year I was at 172. I have since put a LITTLE bit of that back on, due to both a lack of some exercises and due to an uptake in my alcohol content this year. Long story. Working on that now too.

    As the fat left, my ability increased. As my abilities increased, I got more dedicated. A year and a half ago, I got my 1st dan, WTF TKD (Chang Moo Kwan). I was recently informed by our instructor that I can test for 2nd any time now. I'm excited, and nervous. Doesn't seem real.

    I also have been running and lifting the last 2 years, but that has all stopped recently as something (unsure what) is wrong with my lower back. It's beginning to impact my TKD classes as well, so it's time to get it checked out.

    I also cross trained in Aikido for 2 years while I have been doing my TKD, but the Aikdio school was just to much of a commute to get too from where I live.

    And that's my story. If I ever have an opportunity to resume Kuk Sool (Won or non-won) I would jump at the chance but alas, there is no Kuk Sool in Pennsylvania.
  • kcpond
    kcpond Posts: 652 Member
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    Hi there, I have been taking karate for the last 3 years. I am currently have my green belt. I started taking it when my kid was taking karate, he has since stopped going but I am still doing it when I can get out.

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