Hello from Hong Kong

HK Phooey

White Belt
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Location
Hong Kong
Hi All!

Just dropping by to say hello and introduce myself!

Thanks to a career change last year, I finally left the corporate world had suddenly had the time to do some things that I've always wanted: learn martial arts, learn self defense and get fit.

I took up kendo about two months ago - while many espouse it as a means of spiritual growth and self improvement, the truth is that I chose it because it looked cool. Hitting people with a big, loud stick has a certain appeal and let's face it - anyone who grew up in the 80's (or in my case, failed to grow up) will have samurai and ninja dancing around in their head.

The other art that I started 2 weeks ago was Wing Chun. I chose for its well known emphasis on practical use, and since I'm living in the home of WC, there are many good sifu's from almost every lineage to choose from. Unlike kendo, WC is my serious martial art and I intend it to be the backup plan should both my diplomacy and running skills fail me one day.

Since haven't been exercising for many years, learning these two arts is going to be rather tough on the body. While aches, pains and bruises don't bother me, I'm watching out for potential injury and will be reducing my training frequency or temporarily skipping certain exercises if something is aching in a way that it shouldn't. But for now, I'm training at near full capacity and enjoying it. :)
 

tshadowchaser

Sr. Grandmaster
MT Mentor
Founding Member
MTS Alumni
Joined
Aug 29, 2001
Messages
13,460
Reaction score
733
Location
Athol, Ma. USA
Welcome to MT.
I hope you post some of your learning experences for us. Being in Hong Kong the instruction may be given in a different way then some of us are used to
 

seasoned

MT Senior Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
11,253
Reaction score
1,232
Location
Lives in Texas
Good for you. Age only gets in the way of OLD people.
icon7.gif
Have fun until the body says different, is what keeps most young.........
Greetings and welcome to MT.
 

oftheherd1

Senior Master
Joined
May 12, 2011
Messages
4,685
Reaction score
817
Welcome to MT. You have certainly chosen a difficult task by learning two MA at the same time. Just listen to your body and adjust as it and your teacher tell you.
 

Sukerkin

Have the courage to speak softly
MT Mentor
Lifetime Supporting Member
MTS Alumni
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
15,325
Reaction score
493
Location
Staffordshire, England
Welcome aboard, HKP. May you enjoy your training and relish the peace that it can bring you.
 

Namii

Green Belt
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
144
Reaction score
2
Welcome! What an interesting combination of arts to learn at the same time. You will definitely get back into shape in no time.
 
OP
HK Phooey

HK Phooey

White Belt
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Location
Hong Kong
Thanks for the warm welcome!

The two MA's at once are certainly tiring... I've had to space out the training more to ensure adequate recovery. My knees are frequently sore and I have to keep an eye on them but otherwise I'm going strong and getting muscly arms. :)

The two arts are very different and I'm not getting the techniques confused, though I haven't found much synergy between them (chi sau theory works very well with a shinai though).

As for training in HK, I think it's still mainly the sifu/sensei's teaching style that affects how things are taught. That being said though, Hong Kong schools and workplaces are known for their "do as you're told and don't question anything" attitude, and this might rub off on some martial arts schools. I'm definitely seeing this happening in my kendo classes though the WC sifu has a more western "ask lots of questions" teaching style. No prizes for guessing which art I'm learning faster. ;)
 

Latest Discussions

Top