Taekwondo Update, and street application

It's been just over a month since I started Taekwondo classes back up after my three year sabbatical. I may have a long hard road ahead of me in the world of weight loss, but I'm already feeling 100% better in the health department. My flexibility is coming back, I don't get winded on the stairs and I'm actually able to keep up with the rest of the class again.

In about 3 weeks I plan on starting up our contact sparring class. Sparring was always my favorite part of classes. I was never exceptional at it, but I think I could have been if I had stayed in classes before my sabbatical. I always enjoyed the practical application that contact fighting gave you. Granted my sparring classes are based on Olympic Taekwondo rules, so we have to adhere to a certain format for how we go about fighting. It still shows us what it's like to be going head to head in a full contact environment, and it provides you with the knowledge of what it feels like to be hit.

Most people talk big when discussing what they'd do if forced to defend themselves, but, most people would crumble in a real fight if they were hit first because they don't know the physical and emotional trauma that it puts your body through. As stated in the movie "Never Back Down", "your body only registers 2 things, back the hell up, or get the hell in". I agree and disagree with this statement. They (in the movie) are talking about what you feel when hit in an MMA (Mixed martial arts) match. In a street confrontation I think most people also have a third thing register, and that is pain. Not to say it doesn't hurt in a sanctioned match to get hit, but in that environment it's expected and you've usually trained and are ready for it. On the street you don't expect to have to deal with pain, so when it occurs at the hand of another person there's a shock factor to deal with.

The study and practice of martial arts can help mentally and physically prepare you for such a scenario. Hopefully as you practice you will never be put into a situation where you need to be prepared to be hit, but "fortune favors the prepared mind". I'd rather be ready and not need my skills than need them and not be ready.

Taekwondo for Weightloss

I was never into traditional sports as a kid or teen. I wrestled for half of one season my freshman year of high school but couldn't keep my grades up while doing it so I quit. I did baseball when I was younger but did it more for my dad then myself. Because of my inactive nature I gained a lot of weight throughout high school and was very unhealthy. I knew I needed  to do something and it needed to be a severe lifestyle change from what I was used to. 

I was always intrigued by martial arts but didn't know who was good and where I should go or how I should go about choosing a style. I thought about it through my senior year and about a year after. I then found out that a friend of mine was taking Taekwondo classes. We started by her showing me some moves at her house to see if I could do it in my "large" condition. I loved it and started looking forward to going to her house week to week to learn more. After about a month she invited me down to her school to try out some real classes. I did and never looked back. 

I practice Taekwondo for about 4 years earning a black belt (1st degree) and losing about 115lbs. I competed in several championships including the NY Regional WTF championships and the Hartford Open National Taekwondo championship. I loved Taekwondo and everything to do with it. I felt good and was much healthier then I'd ever been in my life. 

I then made a decision to go back to college and get a degree in Computers and Taekwondo fell by the way side due to money and time constraints. It's been about 3 years and I've gained a lot of weight back, but about 3 weeks ago I started classes back up at my old school which despite the recession and everything is doing very well. 

This blog is going to be about my journey back to the world of the fit and healthy through martial arts. I'll talk about myself, and any experiences I have along the way. I'll also be sure to tell you all about my school, fellow students and anything else I feel applies to this topic or that you will find amusing.