cali_tkdbruin
Master of Arts
For me, becoming a TKD practitioner is a family thing. :idunno:
Sort of a thing that I just picked up because family members were training in the art before me.
My brother-law and nephew started training years ago, and my little nephew was only about 6 or 7 at the time. Then later I had a kid, and when she was 7, my nephew who was 15 at the time, and a poom black, started taking her to his dojang to watch them train. She started asking me, Daddy, Daddy, can I start taking Karate!. So, I signed her up. Well, 1st of all, we're not Karate Practitioners.:rpo:... Well, yeah I guess TKD does have its links to Karate, but, unless you're a martial artist, who knows the difference... :uhyeah:
Anyway, after a couple of years of shuttling her to and from the dojang, and sitting around watching the practitioners train, I decided, what the F, why not sign up and don my white belt. I figured I'd be spending good time with my daughter, and I've always wanted to try the martial arts.
So, a few more years later, all of us are now BBs. My little nephew, the little kid who really started it all is now a grown man in his late 20s. He was even on the US Army Taekwondo team, competiting all over the place for a couple of years. He had Olympic aspirations for a while. He's really that skilled. It's all good though, and one of the best decisions I've made in my life was to decide to train in this MA.
As far as the usefullness of TKD, I agree, since we are one of the most popular MAs, the product and the practitioners do kind of get watered down. I will not argue that point. What I will say is that, like most MAs, it's the level of commitment and the practitioner of the art that really counts. There are quite a few TKD BBs that could easily take an *** kicking because they are not trained well, and not properly prepared to defend themselves. But in TKD there are some diamonds in the rough who are completely hardcore that it would be a big mistake to try and confront them. Even though some of the other types of MA stylists may believe otherwise, there are some TKDists who can take care of their Bidness, like my lil' nephew and my Sabumnins. This is just in my long winded opinion...
:asian:
Sort of a thing that I just picked up because family members were training in the art before me.
My brother-law and nephew started training years ago, and my little nephew was only about 6 or 7 at the time. Then later I had a kid, and when she was 7, my nephew who was 15 at the time, and a poom black, started taking her to his dojang to watch them train. She started asking me, Daddy, Daddy, can I start taking Karate!. So, I signed her up. Well, 1st of all, we're not Karate Practitioners.:rpo:... Well, yeah I guess TKD does have its links to Karate, but, unless you're a martial artist, who knows the difference... :uhyeah:
Anyway, after a couple of years of shuttling her to and from the dojang, and sitting around watching the practitioners train, I decided, what the F, why not sign up and don my white belt. I figured I'd be spending good time with my daughter, and I've always wanted to try the martial arts.
So, a few more years later, all of us are now BBs. My little nephew, the little kid who really started it all is now a grown man in his late 20s. He was even on the US Army Taekwondo team, competiting all over the place for a couple of years. He had Olympic aspirations for a while. He's really that skilled. It's all good though, and one of the best decisions I've made in my life was to decide to train in this MA.
As far as the usefullness of TKD, I agree, since we are one of the most popular MAs, the product and the practitioners do kind of get watered down. I will not argue that point. What I will say is that, like most MAs, it's the level of commitment and the practitioner of the art that really counts. There are quite a few TKD BBs that could easily take an *** kicking because they are not trained well, and not properly prepared to defend themselves. But in TKD there are some diamonds in the rough who are completely hardcore that it would be a big mistake to try and confront them. Even though some of the other types of MA stylists may believe otherwise, there are some TKDists who can take care of their Bidness, like my lil' nephew and my Sabumnins. This is just in my long winded opinion...
:asian:
