My Martial Arts History in Brief
I plan to start including posts about martial arts and thought I should share a brief outline of my training history.
Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash
I began my martial arts journey at university when I started my undergrad years ago. I hadn’t been interested in training before but I learned about the fencing team and thought that learning how to sword fight would be “cool”.
Fencing was fun, but it
wasn’t quite what I wanted. I trained for about a year, participated in a couple
tournaments, but overall, felt that something wasn’t working for me. I also had
trouble fitting in with the team. One day my friend suggested I join her for
Taekwondo.
Immediately, I fell in love
with the martial art. There were always new moves and tricks to try. I didn’t
have to spend as much money for equipment and the team was a better fit for me.
I embraced Taekwondo wholeheartedly for many years. I eventually earned my red/black
stripe belt, but left for graduate school before I could earn my black belt.
During graduate school, I
took time off from martial arts. I was swamped by my studies and couldn’t
afford the cost. Once again, I returned to fencing with the school. Everyone
was welcoming and kind. I enjoyed fencing again and participated in a few more
tournaments. However, it still wasn’t the right sport for me.
I returned to Taekwondo
eventually. I couldn’t stand not training anymore. The club, while full of nice
people, was again not the right fit for me. I felt it was better suited to
training children rather than adults and left.
That is when I joined my
current dojo, St. Catharines Martial Arts, and began my training in Goju-Ryu
Meibukan Karate. I have been with my dojo for around 8-9 years now and I enjoy
the traditional style of martial arts offered there. Our dojo community is
welcoming and I have learned so much, not just about karate, but about myself
since working with them.
During my time there, I
have studied more than just karate. Through seminars and guest Senseis, I have learned
about Wing Chun, Kung Fu, Shodokan Karate, Kali, and more. I’ve also learned an
extensive Tai Chi set.
Just before Covid and lockdowns changed everything, I earned my second degree black belt. Unfortunately, because of those lockdowns, my training has been a bit scattered. Hopefully when things stabilize, I can fully return to training.
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