Simfers
Yellow Belt
Um... Hi, everybody. Been lurking here for the last couple of weeks and the community seemed wonderful, so I figured I'd join up. I'm a rather quiet individual as a rule, so I can't promise I'll contribute much, but I'm glad to be among you all. English is not my first language, so please bear with me.
My martial arts journey started in Tae Kwon Do (WTF style) in September of 1997 (I was 18). I kept practicing until August of 2002, when I moved cities to start my current job (government job, yay stability!)
Not finding any TKD schools in my area, at least none that were accessible to my car-less self, I switched to Yoseikan Karate in January of 2003. Kept THAT up until 2008 or so when my main training partner (and ride) decided to stop for reasons that are his own and I stopped as well (I'd been considering it already, as I'd stopped having fun in the art and, I think especially the school, a while back).
In 2007 (yes, there is indeed some overlap there), fascinated by the grappling aspects or martialarts I kept seeing in MMA, I started training in Can-Ryu Jiu Jitsu and stayed there until 2020, when the pandemic made us all stop. The break was welcome in a way, as it let me heal from various injuries and general wear and tear, but it was longer than I wanted due to health concerns that cropped up in my wife and her mum. Long story short, it was cancer. While my mother-in-law unfortunately fought her cancer to a draw earlier this year, my wife is currently well on her way to winning her battle.
Started again in April of last year, this time in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I'd missed training so much I cried when I got back home. It's been a heck of a journey back, let me tell you. But I'm absolutely loving my new art and school. The people are wonderful and welcomed me like a long lost friend.
So... yeah, that's me. Again, hi, everybody!
My martial arts journey started in Tae Kwon Do (WTF style) in September of 1997 (I was 18). I kept practicing until August of 2002, when I moved cities to start my current job (government job, yay stability!)
Not finding any TKD schools in my area, at least none that were accessible to my car-less self, I switched to Yoseikan Karate in January of 2003. Kept THAT up until 2008 or so when my main training partner (and ride) decided to stop for reasons that are his own and I stopped as well (I'd been considering it already, as I'd stopped having fun in the art and, I think especially the school, a while back).
In 2007 (yes, there is indeed some overlap there), fascinated by the grappling aspects or martialarts I kept seeing in MMA, I started training in Can-Ryu Jiu Jitsu and stayed there until 2020, when the pandemic made us all stop. The break was welcome in a way, as it let me heal from various injuries and general wear and tear, but it was longer than I wanted due to health concerns that cropped up in my wife and her mum. Long story short, it was cancer. While my mother-in-law unfortunately fought her cancer to a draw earlier this year, my wife is currently well on her way to winning her battle.
Started again in April of last year, this time in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I'd missed training so much I cried when I got back home. It's been a heck of a journey back, let me tell you. But I'm absolutely loving my new art and school. The people are wonderful and welcomed me like a long lost friend.
So... yeah, that's me. Again, hi, everybody!
