Sniped5050
White Belt
Hello everyone,
I have managed to read some of the forums post and found such great information in the little bit of content that I have read thus far. Introducing myself, I am Frank a 36yr old married father of two young girls from Orange County, NY. I have been very interested in martial arts for many yrs but never actually took the plunge. I come from a big martial arts family, father, many cousins etc... My father is a 3rd Dan and studied for many yrs and was very good but he is now 67 and has retired from training many yrs ago. I have been exposed to quite a bit over the years, but I was never formally instructed by my father or anyone because of my lack of discipline. I did learn some fighting skill and some form (good / bad??) but not enough to ever consider myself trained in any discipline.
I also grew up in a rough area of NYC and my father was afraid of me getting into a fight and potentially beating someone and them possibly coming back with a gun to finish the job. I guess you cant block bullets? but whatever his reason, I never held it against him as he was my father and did his best for us. Now being a father myself, I can certainly relate to the concerns for your children. So, here I am today eagerly excited to get into the arts. I have done plenty of research and found a style that I liked best and I thought suited me best because of technique and overall interest, while still being seemingly useful to me.
I decided to study the style of Nihon Goshin Aikido (NGA) under Sensei MacEwen in Middletown, NY. I have a few posts at various forums that this style does not necessarily follow the study of traditional Aikido or should it be considered Aikido etc... but I don't want to get into all of that right now. There are quite a few schools closer to me but after reading about NGA and Sensei MacEwen, I decided he would be the teacher I choose to study under. He has many yrs expierence and after seeing him I was truly impressed.I visted the school and decided to sign up for punishment (LOL). Anyhow, I just started training and found that I am in love with the training itself and the overall style of NGA. The art of Aikido itself is beautiful but when incorporated with other techniques it is simply amazing. I am a father of two with a very demanding career and home, but I have managed to set aside 3-4 days a week for my training. My belief is "you get out, what you put in", basic principle! I am not sure if this is too much for a beginne?r but this is what I feel I need.
Prior to my plunge, I always considered my self in pretty decent shape but I now realize how wrong I was. I come home sore after class and the next day is even worse but the funny part is I love every minute of it. I plan to make this a lifestyle for me rather than a hobby. I want to be healthy and fairly good shape as I get older and I think this will do it for me. One quick thing, I noticed immediately that when training at a gym with weights etc... There seemed to be very little cerebral action taking place other than counting reps. While in class and well after, my mind is going on overdrive. I am thinking about the obvious, what I have learned, application etc... next steps. There is a distinct difference between the two (weight training / MA) and I certainly enjoy the fact that it is a mind, body & spirit activity. I must say I am proud and happy to have taken the plunge and only regret not doing it sooner. I hope this wasn't a long boring read and I look forward to staying meeting others. Thanks for taking the time to read my greeting.
I have managed to read some of the forums post and found such great information in the little bit of content that I have read thus far. Introducing myself, I am Frank a 36yr old married father of two young girls from Orange County, NY. I have been very interested in martial arts for many yrs but never actually took the plunge. I come from a big martial arts family, father, many cousins etc... My father is a 3rd Dan and studied for many yrs and was very good but he is now 67 and has retired from training many yrs ago. I have been exposed to quite a bit over the years, but I was never formally instructed by my father or anyone because of my lack of discipline. I did learn some fighting skill and some form (good / bad??) but not enough to ever consider myself trained in any discipline.
I also grew up in a rough area of NYC and my father was afraid of me getting into a fight and potentially beating someone and them possibly coming back with a gun to finish the job. I guess you cant block bullets? but whatever his reason, I never held it against him as he was my father and did his best for us. Now being a father myself, I can certainly relate to the concerns for your children. So, here I am today eagerly excited to get into the arts. I have done plenty of research and found a style that I liked best and I thought suited me best because of technique and overall interest, while still being seemingly useful to me.
I decided to study the style of Nihon Goshin Aikido (NGA) under Sensei MacEwen in Middletown, NY. I have a few posts at various forums that this style does not necessarily follow the study of traditional Aikido or should it be considered Aikido etc... but I don't want to get into all of that right now. There are quite a few schools closer to me but after reading about NGA and Sensei MacEwen, I decided he would be the teacher I choose to study under. He has many yrs expierence and after seeing him I was truly impressed.I visted the school and decided to sign up for punishment (LOL). Anyhow, I just started training and found that I am in love with the training itself and the overall style of NGA. The art of Aikido itself is beautiful but when incorporated with other techniques it is simply amazing. I am a father of two with a very demanding career and home, but I have managed to set aside 3-4 days a week for my training. My belief is "you get out, what you put in", basic principle! I am not sure if this is too much for a beginne?r but this is what I feel I need.
Prior to my plunge, I always considered my self in pretty decent shape but I now realize how wrong I was. I come home sore after class and the next day is even worse but the funny part is I love every minute of it. I plan to make this a lifestyle for me rather than a hobby. I want to be healthy and fairly good shape as I get older and I think this will do it for me. One quick thing, I noticed immediately that when training at a gym with weights etc... There seemed to be very little cerebral action taking place other than counting reps. While in class and well after, my mind is going on overdrive. I am thinking about the obvious, what I have learned, application etc... next steps. There is a distinct difference between the two (weight training / MA) and I certainly enjoy the fact that it is a mind, body & spirit activity. I must say I am proud and happy to have taken the plunge and only regret not doing it sooner. I hope this wasn't a long boring read and I look forward to staying meeting others. Thanks for taking the time to read my greeting.
