Sunday, July 10, 2011

Kicking butt and taking names!

You know what I miss more than anything about home right now?

My karate class. Man, I freaking love martial arts. I started in January of 2009, and I have loved working out twice a week every week since then. The power, confidence, and sense of accomplishment you feel as you learn the technique and the traditions and history of your style.

The style I study is Chinese Kenpo. It's a very linear style with direct strikes and blocks, much like Wing Chun, or Jeet Kune Do (Both styles made especially famous by Bruce Lee.) The upper belt ranks have the more flowing and chinese looking styles with the bent knee stances, sidesteps, and flowing hand motions. Its really a beautiful, but effective style. Like I said, I've been doing it for 2 1/2 years now. I have moved up in rank 5 times in that period, which is the blue belt rank. Following that, there is only green, brown, then the black belt. Another three  years in, and I would have my black belt. Then there are several years worth of training to move up the 10 black belt ranks. Its an amazingly fun and challenging style that is brutally efficient in the street, and allows one to carry themselves with confidence and pride.

Since starting in the class though, I have taken a heightened interest in learning all that I can about different styles, traditional training, hidden secrets, and other mysteries of martial arts. I would love to spend a year or two training with the monks at the Shaolin Temple, or on of the monasteries in the Chinese countryside. It would be an amazing experience to see the culture, and the true methods of training at their roots.

Anyone else have any martial arts experience, or any links to interesting sites? I'd be interested to see what everyone else has experienced seeing as how there are hundreds of styles.

12 comments:

  1. Martial arts sounds interesting. Can't say I've ever tried (as, obviously, I'm rather more artistic instead of athletic), but my good friend's father is very much into it. He used to teach classes and my friend learned a few things herself.

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  2. Ya I've thought of recently too, cant really say much else

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  3. I really wish i could commit to a workout regime like you.

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  4. It's nice to hear you actually have to work for a black belt, there's a lot of so called "senseis" practically selling them.

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  5. I used to do Kenpo from
    Kovar's Satori Academy of Martial Arts
    but it was terrible. I don't do it anymore becaue I simple dedicated my self to greater things I find more useful in life. But if you find happiness in what you do, by all means go for it!

    http://yearningandlearning.blogspot.com/

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  6. do you also take part in touranments?

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  7. i actually took multiple martial arts as a kid, i enjoyed them but some of the dojos forced you to work at the pace of the class which sometimes was too slow which is why i eventually quit

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  8. I LOVE martial arts bro! Bout to start me some Krav Maga, hehehe :D hit me back dude, +followed, http://cryptozen.blogspot.com/

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  9. I used to take Taekwondo lessons as a kid, but had to stop due to an accident.

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  10. Kenpo was my fav fighting style in those 3d mortal kombat games :) nice post i hope some day you get back to those karate classes

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  11. Kenpo is always where my heart will be. Its truly one of the most effective styles I have seen out there. I have done a few tournaments, I have a couple first place trophies for Kata (Coreographed fight scenes) and for fighting as well. Either when I get back from the Navy, or when I move back home I will continue my classes.

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  12. I really like Bruce's idea of the style without style. A "style" or system is much to rigid to be practical in all situations.

    “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” - Bruce Lee

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