Gruenewald
Orange Belt
My name is Karl, and I've come here because it appears to be a fantastic environment for discussing the martial arts; the wide variety of disciplines presented on these forums appeals to me greatly. A brief history of my martial arts experience:
I'm currently 18 years of age, fresh out of high school, working a summer job at the local library and attending university in the fall. I first started doing judo when I was about 12, practicing all through middle school and then eventually throughout high school where I also started olympic wrestling. I wrestled in my first, second and fourth years (unable to participate during my sophomore year due to a very far-developped plantar's wart on my foot, for which I was undergoing acid treatment for at the time... I was on crutches most of the year). I had attended two Juvenile Canadian National Championships during that time, failing miserably at the first (in third year) but then placing second in the one just passed, in Greco-Roman style (thanks to everybody on the Mountain Top Wrestling team who made the last few years so enjoyable). By then I'd also attained a rank of nikyu in judo and attended a few small tournaments (including an Atlantic Canada tournament), all of which I managed to place first in. I regret that I've been unable to take my competitive judo further, having focused primarily on wrestling during competition season.
All this time I've grown increasingly fascinated in all of the other martial arts I've more or less just spectated over the years, making a casual attempt to observe their respective methods and emulate them childishly in my home. Only recently did I "discover" Bruce Lee, whom I now consider my role model (something I've never really had before aside from fictitious characters or men who have been dead for centuries). I've spent the last few months researching him, his life, and its tragic conclusion (not excluding his eventual plunge in both health and, one might argue, integrity) and have adopted the philosophy of Sun Fan Jeet Kune Do of which he is founder. For I do believe it to be just that, a philosophy to be applied to one's journey through the martial arts, which I now seek to explore to my fullest capabilities. I've been researching those systems I've observed for so long: karate, taekwondo, kendo, fencing, Western boxing, muay thai, savate, the varied styles of kung fu. Reading and watching as much as I can get my hands on about them (with a snazzy binder, neatly organized with all of my notes). Of course I understand that theory will only get you so far, and the extent to which I can practice each of these arts effectively in my own home is extremely limited. I hope to undertake formal classes in a few of them shortly, upon my arriving at university, getting settled in to the new city and whatnot.
My goal as a martial artist has become to pursue a "mastery" (or at least a practical understanding) in as many forms as I can in hopes of improving my skills as an all-around martial artist and "applying" only the most realistic and effective of them in accordance with the theories of Jeet Kune Do, as it were. I no longer place any real value in rank or competition, I just want to study the martial arts for the sake of improving myself as a martial artist. I've been studying as a grappler for so long that I think it's high time I widen my horizons ("Latiores Fines Petimus" in Latin, ironically the motto of my high school) and pursue what I believe I've been after all my life, a lifelong journey of self-improvement not limited to any single venue or style.
And so here I am again, in these forums. I look forward to immersing myself in such an environment, filled with people infinitely more knowledgeable than I in their respective styles. Expect to see me around in quite a few different areas. =)
Also, sorry for the long, convoluted introduction everybody... haha.
I'm currently 18 years of age, fresh out of high school, working a summer job at the local library and attending university in the fall. I first started doing judo when I was about 12, practicing all through middle school and then eventually throughout high school where I also started olympic wrestling. I wrestled in my first, second and fourth years (unable to participate during my sophomore year due to a very far-developped plantar's wart on my foot, for which I was undergoing acid treatment for at the time... I was on crutches most of the year). I had attended two Juvenile Canadian National Championships during that time, failing miserably at the first (in third year) but then placing second in the one just passed, in Greco-Roman style (thanks to everybody on the Mountain Top Wrestling team who made the last few years so enjoyable). By then I'd also attained a rank of nikyu in judo and attended a few small tournaments (including an Atlantic Canada tournament), all of which I managed to place first in. I regret that I've been unable to take my competitive judo further, having focused primarily on wrestling during competition season.
All this time I've grown increasingly fascinated in all of the other martial arts I've more or less just spectated over the years, making a casual attempt to observe their respective methods and emulate them childishly in my home. Only recently did I "discover" Bruce Lee, whom I now consider my role model (something I've never really had before aside from fictitious characters or men who have been dead for centuries). I've spent the last few months researching him, his life, and its tragic conclusion (not excluding his eventual plunge in both health and, one might argue, integrity) and have adopted the philosophy of Sun Fan Jeet Kune Do of which he is founder. For I do believe it to be just that, a philosophy to be applied to one's journey through the martial arts, which I now seek to explore to my fullest capabilities. I've been researching those systems I've observed for so long: karate, taekwondo, kendo, fencing, Western boxing, muay thai, savate, the varied styles of kung fu. Reading and watching as much as I can get my hands on about them (with a snazzy binder, neatly organized with all of my notes). Of course I understand that theory will only get you so far, and the extent to which I can practice each of these arts effectively in my own home is extremely limited. I hope to undertake formal classes in a few of them shortly, upon my arriving at university, getting settled in to the new city and whatnot.
My goal as a martial artist has become to pursue a "mastery" (or at least a practical understanding) in as many forms as I can in hopes of improving my skills as an all-around martial artist and "applying" only the most realistic and effective of them in accordance with the theories of Jeet Kune Do, as it were. I no longer place any real value in rank or competition, I just want to study the martial arts for the sake of improving myself as a martial artist. I've been studying as a grappler for so long that I think it's high time I widen my horizons ("Latiores Fines Petimus" in Latin, ironically the motto of my high school) and pursue what I believe I've been after all my life, a lifelong journey of self-improvement not limited to any single venue or style.
And so here I am again, in these forums. I look forward to immersing myself in such an environment, filled with people infinitely more knowledgeable than I in their respective styles. Expect to see me around in quite a few different areas. =)
Also, sorry for the long, convoluted introduction everybody... haha.
