Barking Spider
White Belt
Howdy, all!
I am joining you from Caribou, Maine, where I live with my wife and three cats. I stumbled across this site while looking for information on a local dojo (Tai-Gi-Shin) that was recommended to me by a friend. Saw a glowing review from bydand, and was instantly intrigued.
My martial arts history is somewhat sketchy; I was an avid fan of Shotokan about 10 years ago, when I was working at the University of Connecticut (go Huskies!), and was a member of their Karate Club (part of JKA) for about a year, before some unrelated back injuries (and a stern warning from my doctor) forced me to give up the art.
The back's all better now, but it's been hard to really commit to any serious training since then due to time constraints and weight issues, but now I am trying to get back into it, as I really miss the physical quickness and mental well being that went with my Shotokan experiences. Plus my wife has expressed an interest in learning self-defense, and I believe she will also enjoy it for the same reasons as I do.
I do not believe there are any Shotokan dojos around Caribou, but fortunately I only got as far as 8th kyu back in 1995, so I don't have too much to unlearn when I take up training once more. I am also still fairly overweight, which always makes things a bit more difficult, but I don't intend to stay that way for very long.
Anyway, I'm babbling. I'll shut up now. It's nice to see that MA is alive and well on the internet (I used to be an active participant in the CyberDojo back in the 90s), and I look forward to having some interesting conversations with you all as I get back into it.
Slainte!
-Mike
I am joining you from Caribou, Maine, where I live with my wife and three cats. I stumbled across this site while looking for information on a local dojo (Tai-Gi-Shin) that was recommended to me by a friend. Saw a glowing review from bydand, and was instantly intrigued.
My martial arts history is somewhat sketchy; I was an avid fan of Shotokan about 10 years ago, when I was working at the University of Connecticut (go Huskies!), and was a member of their Karate Club (part of JKA) for about a year, before some unrelated back injuries (and a stern warning from my doctor) forced me to give up the art.
The back's all better now, but it's been hard to really commit to any serious training since then due to time constraints and weight issues, but now I am trying to get back into it, as I really miss the physical quickness and mental well being that went with my Shotokan experiences. Plus my wife has expressed an interest in learning self-defense, and I believe she will also enjoy it for the same reasons as I do.
I do not believe there are any Shotokan dojos around Caribou, but fortunately I only got as far as 8th kyu back in 1995, so I don't have too much to unlearn when I take up training once more. I am also still fairly overweight, which always makes things a bit more difficult, but I don't intend to stay that way for very long.
Anyway, I'm babbling. I'll shut up now. It's nice to see that MA is alive and well on the internet (I used to be an active participant in the CyberDojo back in the 90s), and I look forward to having some interesting conversations with you all as I get back into it.
Slainte!
-Mike
