The why I love and started martial arts thread

vasch_ro

How about we go back to basics, and a few lines from every one , why you started martial arts and what is it that you love about them ?I want people on this thread to show me the love !!!!!!:)

Personally I never was any good at ball games, but I always had a inkling that I would love to start a martial art, so I tried a class of TKD in loughlinstown but it didn't really seem like my cup of tea, when I was in sixth year I went on a silent retreat and I brought loads of Karate technique books with me to read , I was always trying to teach myself in the garage at night ....( just like the Karate Kid), anyway down in the local libary I saw a sign up for a new Karate class starting up close by, a guy in my year had a TKD book with him on the silent retreat so I asked him did he want to come along, we both went and were hooked. We became very good friends I went on to get the coveted Black belt and he went onto Aikido. But I always have had a love affair with all martial arts related stuff from UFC to teenage mutant ninja turtles and thats my story!!! and best of all we are still great buddies !!!

PS . anyone on for boards beers april 7th rogue bar ??

bjj-fighter

Well...It started with my keen intrest in the UFC at an early age because of my brother and his mates bringing home UFC videos.I got into Kenpo Karate where I stayed for about a year and a half on and off.I got tired of all the dancing around and not fighting so I thought to myself that it would be soooo cool if I could do what those guys(UFC Fighter) were doing.I loved watching Videos of the Gracies submitting people left,right and centre.One day It popped up in a conversation that my brother's friend was an MMA fighter and I was like "what the hell..why didnt you tell me before".So I got talking to my brothers mate and he trained with me a few times and showed me the basics.He then suggested that I go to SBG(even though he dosent get on well down there or with John Kavanagh).So thats where I am now,doing MMA,BJJ and Muay Thai in SBG and Loving it

dlofnep

I started MA when I was 7 at a local TKD school. I stayed at it til I was about 10 after getting my blue tip. I went back to TKD again when I was 12 for a year, but I got bored of it.

I only started up MA again when I met Shane (waterfordmma) nearly 4 years back in work. He was wearing a Royce Gracie top, and I was a big fan of MMA for a few years before that - so I asked him if he watched MMA and if he trained.. He said he trained BJJ so I popped out to train with him and a few guys. Before that, the only grappling I had was from watching a few tapes. We went over a few months after that to Manchester to train with Eddie Bravo and watched my first MMA event live in cagewarriors 8.

I've been training on and off ever since with bjj and judo, although i haven't been training bjj in a while.

Valmont

I started karate when I was 14 because I was terrified of the scumbags in Bray, then I started hapkido at the same place and then a bit of kickboxing, that was for 2 and half years, then a guy from NextGen (doesn't train anymore) came out to us in bray for a few classes of BJJ so I packed up and got the 84 to loughlinstown:) That was october 05

arybvtcw0eolkf

Oh where do I start.

Like alot here I went around a few clubs and styles before hitting on Kickboxing, got my BB etc, nothing noteworthy TBH but stuck it out between competing and coaching some junior's.

Worked on door's for awhile with a Judoka who was always pestering me to come up to Judo with him, but I never took him up for one reason or another.

Then about 4 year's ago Eurosport showed alot of Judo which got me interested. Then I visited John Kav's place on the N.C.R. which kinda got me interested in grappling ( I didn't train there). Then one day I was bored, had stopped competing in kickboxing, was at a loose end. Rang my mate (the Judoka) and arranged a meeting in Portmarnock Judo Club. Had a roll around with the lads and was instantly addicted and have been trying to learn it since.

Almost forgot. I've trained with Andy Ryan's SBGn on and off over the last few year's. I was sorely tempted to go down the MMA route, but decided that time was against me (I was rapidly approaching 40) and would probably never compete so I never seriously persued MMA. Although I'd recommend Andy's for MMA, BJJ or Judo anyday.

MMA or TMA, doesn't bother me. I love Martial Arts.

Btw (late edit). I've toyed around with the idea of learning Kendo in the last 18 months.

Nothingcompares

I've done judo for a number of years on and off. Been doing BJJ for about a year or two and I'm currently interested in Submission Wrestling and MMA. Dabbled in other bits and pieces and feel it all has it's place.

Great thread vasch_ro.

cowzerp

i joined kenpo and stuck at it for about 6 months but never learned how to defend myself or fight and i was quite aggressive so i started boxing 14 years ago and loved it straight away-it took away my natural aggression and made me more chilled out-i've got into mma 1 year ago and now get lessons in muay thai occasionally-and go to andys sbg bjj when i can-now and train with my judo friend aswell-i feel i've more knowledge of martial arts and as most know on the boards boxing is still my 1st love-also im thinking of dropping back to my boxing weight and making a comeback-then i'll fight mma and boxing.i also want to compete bjj as i believe i could do this longer term than boxing or mma.

Khannie

As a teenager (13 years ago :eek:) I used to want to do Muay Thai from watching it on Eurosport, but couldn't find any clubs. I hung up a punchbag in my back garden and battered it from time to time to relieve teenage angst. My dad used to be a boxer and pushed me to join a club in Swords but I wasn't interested. Dabbled in a bit of TKD for a while, but it wasn't my thing.

Can't remember what got me to thinking about starting MT last year, but I'm delighted that I did. Really hoping to compete a few times before I get too old (I'm 31 in 2 weeks ).

Great thread.

rcaz

My uncle's a Kempo teacher, and another uncle trains with him and he was always having mess fights with me when I was younger, so I grew up messing around with fighting. I did Judo for a while, got to yellow belt, then quit, can't remember why. I did Kenpo up til purple belt, when the class broke for summer, I was never given a date for classes to start again, so I didn't go back. Just recently, I started TKD, and I'm loving it. Yellow tip soon

Other than that, I always thought MA was the s**t, and I was always interested on and off until I saw Enter The Dragon. Then I got hooked

r3nu4l

Well I was interested in MA as a young kid but my Mam was afraid I;d get hurt so wouldn;t let me join any clubs...as a result I ended up taking up a bit of TKD while I was obstensibly 'at my friends house'. A few years later I was in Uni and tried a bit of Shotokan and Kenpo, enojyed Kenpo more, so stuck with that for a bit.

Then I met a guy in Uni who was doing Buinkan, trained with him for a while on an ad-hoc basis (he now runs a bujinkan dojo in Japan). I joined an Irish bujinkan class and kept it up for a while.

Life got in the way and I dropped out for a couple of years, practicing occasionally with friends. Then moved to England and got involved with Bujinkan again (decided to start from scratch, so enroled as a beginner ) and haven't looked back. I enjoy all martial arts and fondly remember my TKD and Kenpo days.

HammerHeadGym

I started Karate when I was nine, because at the time martial arts were totally cool. I have kept up various forms of MA into my adult life because it is still totally cool. Also, I like having pointless arguements on boards.

silat liam

I started Wado Ryu Karate in the late 70's, after reading a article by Jak Othman a Silat Teacher who had move to London, I invited him over to Ireland to Teach a workshop in Silat. After seeing the beauty of the movements of this art form, I realise this was something I wanted to do, and so started learning Silat. After he went back home to Malaysia I tried different style Of Silat, but they werent many choices, so started learning Jkd and than into eskrima. In the late 90's I got the opportunity to returned to my first love in Martial Art (Silat) and began to train in Cimande, to which I still learning and enjoying.

The reason I do Silat, because for me, I found it to be one of the most enjoyable, fun and self descovery art form shown to me. I enjoy training in it everyday, and giving the opportunity to others to experience it. It is not every one cup of tea, but to me, it has given me more than I ever thought possible and I look forward to practising this for the rest of my life, if I'm lucky.

Cheers

Liam

HammerHeadGym

Also deathmoves. I wanted to increase my repertoire of death moves.

HIIII-YA!!

There is now one less evil doer in the world.

LukeyJudo22

Reasons I started martial arts... The karate kid, Street fighter two turbo, teenage mutant ninja turtles and Tekken on the playstation.

No kidding.

Cake Fiend

LukeyJudo22 wrote:

Reasons I started martial arts... The karate kid, Street fighter two turbo, teenage mutant ninja turtles and Tekken on the playstation.

No kidding.

At least you're honest

I'd be lying if said that the fact that Ryu from Street Fighter's MA was karate didn't have anything to do with me starting...

Valmont

Cake Fiend wrote:

At least you're honest

I'd be lying if said that the fact that Ryu from Street Fighter's MA was karate didn't have anything to do with me starting...

What a hero, even more so if you've see the street fighter manga film.

vasch_ro

Valmont wrote:

What a hero, even more so if you've see the street fighter manga film.

seen it thats nothing, I own a copy !!!!:D

pma-ire

Valmont wrote:

What a hero, even more so if you've see the street fighter manga film.

what a classic!!

ha-uuu-ken!!!

dudara

I was in the 2nd year of my PhD, getting no exercise, but knew I hating just doing exercise for the sake of it. I made a deal with myself that I would try out the next poster I saw advertising a martial art. That was in Oct 2001.

Hence me in TKD. Hence I'm now a black tag in ITF TKD, with a torn hamstring, medial ligament and broken ribs picked up over the years. Due to non-TKD-related events, I fractured a bone in my foot over Christmas, so I've been out of training since, but hopefully heading back in the next week or two.
Despite all the pain, and covering up of bruises for social events (I had a black-eye for a wedding one, no one amount of concealer could hide that one), I absolutely love it. I've also tried Krav Maga as well.

memphis

I was after dropping out of college and was working in Dell at the time. My manager (from my hometown also) happened to mention that his son had won the National TKD champs (under 12's section) and there was I saying I did that as a kid but had to leave it as the club broke up.

The more I talked to him about it, the more I realised that the MA craving was still there itching to be released. I joined the senior class solely for the exercise and basically to have a past-time.... over three years later and I'm still hooked. I love it, and will be going for my Red Belt on March 31st. Am gonna keep going to the all consuming BB and then who knows I might move on to something like Kung Fu or maybe even kickboxing.

BobbyOLeary

I started MA because I wanted to learn how to fight, not to hurt anyone, just to learn the skill in case I'd need it. I started Kenpo 3 years ago this may and I'm testing for my 3rd Brown in April.

I really got into the whole social and mental side of things. I'm a firm believer that fights can be stopped without your hands (or feet, elbows, shins or head!). The club where I train seems to focus on that a decent bit.

I picked up BJJ in UCD last september, again to learn a new skill, one of the best things I ever did. It suits me down to the ground as a sport, technical excellence will nearly always triumph over brute strength (Just be bigger!). I don't know many physicaly demanding sports where technical knowledge is more important than being a massive chap. Considering I'm not a massive chap it suits me perfectly.

To summarise a longwinded post, the reason I love MA is that it is one of the only things in life that will reliably reward your hard work plus it gives you a host of snazzy skillz.

ColinJennings

I started judo when I was about 12 because a friend of mine showed me an armlock. It was the coolest thing I ever saw, so the next saturday I signed up and sadly a few months later the instructor developed arthritis and decided to pack it all in.

I then tried a number of other arts; however, I didn't keep any up longer than a few weeks. I went to Irish College where I met a childhood friend who was doing Taekwon-Do. I went down and watched a class and started with the next beginner class. I am still at it 9 years later and love it.

weemate

I started Judo when I was at primary school then tried a bit of Karate when I went to boarding school as I wouldnt be home enough to train at the judo club.Not my cup of tea to be honest so I stopped after a month or two.Kept up with judo fo a while when I left school then started jiu jitsu [ kempo]reached 1st degree black and then had a fall out with coach.Kept up my training with a few like minded souls and trained a bit in Thai at Frank mc Convilles sheran gym.Signed up with Ross Iannoccarro's Tai Jutsu Kai and started my jiu jitsu training again from scratch as I wanted to be sure I knew all the syllabus.Reached 2nd degree black.Started taking an interest in BJJ seriously a few years ago and got my blue under John Kavanagh.Have had a few jiu jitsu fights,bjj fights and mma as well as sub grappling......I've been around a while!lol.........but just sometimes...I wish I had have been good at football!

I watched Kill Bill and wanted to be The Bride.

Nah, seriously, my first experience of MA was sitting through a kids' kenpo class waiting to collect my young neices.
After watching them for a while I realised that I wouldn't have a clue what to do if I was attacked.
I worked nights at the time but the adults class was scheduled for the two evenings I was off. So decided to give it a go.... that was three years ago.
Love it.
Also love the occasions when I might hit harder than intended and see I can floor a man bigger than me.

pma-ire

Some of this is taken from the first time I posted it back in 18/02/2005!!

On this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=227448

==========================================================

I started TKD in Cork with Frank Murphy in "The Action Martial Arts Centre". When I was about 12 years old, which was about 1986? My uncle took me along to the centre with him, and had built up my interest in martial arts over the years by showing me his Jackie Chan video's and Bruce Lee's "Enter The Dragon". I trained there for a year and a half. But my parents stopped me going because I was'int doing well in school

Then I went back to TKD (when I was 16 years old in 1990) in Blackrock Cork under Denis Daly pre-TKDI days. (We changed to TKDI in the next year.) I had gained green-tip with Frank but i wanted to start again when I went back as I did'int feel right about just walking back into it with the same grade after a 4 year gap.

Cyril Mc Sweeney graded all Denis' students, and I can only say that I was blessed to have been under there wings all the way to my 2nd dan. In the my colour belt years I found that the hands techniques in TKD were a bit limited (or so I though ) and went to Kung Fu (with Mick "Muhommed" o'Meara) for 3 years and Hap Ki Do (with Noel Seymore) for another year.

I was gonna give up TKD. But my kung fu instructor told me to bring what I had learnt back to TKD and see how it fitted in? Cyril also told me the same thing, that he would always find reference to other arts that he trained with in TKD.

I had done all my assesments for 3rd dan and was wanting to get the grading done before our first daughter would be born, as I knew that I would need to work around the clock to keep us. But the grading dates were moved back nearly 6 months and I did not return. Because of complications with the birth of Donna. (kieran turned out to be fine!! but our daughter maive, who was born next, has the same condition as donna as it turned out.)

The time in between, I was thinking long and hard about going back to the old school. But they were'int really going where I felt my training should be going. And I wanted to try to find a TKD group that trained the bunhae of forms and applied and explored the possiblities. I found PMA, and that Rick Clark was part of the board.

I was very involved with this group. But due to internal and personal pressures it stopped as an association in 2005, returning to be an e-zine. My time with them turned out to be very productive as I made friends with Matthew Sylvester (one of the most regular reporters working for the Combat Magazine group along with Fighters mag, Trad Karate and TKD & Korean MA mag. Matt is now associated to my Jungshin school), Dave Baker (now head of IMAA-UK), John Tichen (now teaching Practical Karate and D.A.R.T), Adam Merton of Shunryu Kempo, Stuart Anslow (Rayners Lane TKD, and writer of "Ch'ang Hon TaeKwon-Do Hae Sul" and over the last year I have had many application disussions with Iain Abernethy (who I'm sure needs no introduction!)

In 2005 IMAA-UK honored my 3rd Dan and awarded me my 4th Dan after a presentation of my knowledge and skills last year. This group has allowed me to grade people to 2nd Dan so allows me to be totally independent in my club. Or to grade others who are in a similar situation?

My main mentor now is Professor Rick Clark 8th Dan and founder of AoDenkou Jitsu, who I have been working with now for nearly 3 years. Over the last two years I have been bringing him to Ireland, and the tour of Ireland has grown beyond all imagination to that we have a 12 seminar tour in May this year!

I have also made some great new friends and connections with many Irish Martial Artists and you know who you are you guys

Over the last few years I have developed hip, joint and back problems which may be connected to early artritis! So I want to keep going until I can't move anymore and have to hand much of my club duties over to someone else. But I still intend to keep teaching no matter what!!

So thats it lads! My reasons for training updated

The Shane

A mate of mine was into Kenpo but had left it. Around the junior cert he decided to make a comeback and got his parents to buy him a really cool shiny suit and everything. He told me he had to stick with it cos of the suit and as such so did I.

He quit a couple of weeks later. I stuck with it. Started helping out with the kids classes on saturdays, was nice pocket money. From white belt to about purple I was convinced that I was in the best club in the world, that my instructor was somehow super-human and that this was truly the s**t. When I left secondary school i started training with weights, and grew into my size. I was becoming athletic, more than I ever had been before. There was little sparring and doubts began to grow.

I looked elsewhere for points sparring which satisfied a need for competition and the physicality I felt was missing (I didn't express it in so many words at the time). In 2003 I was about 85kg and wandering around the sports expo in UCD, I got talking to Jim who lied to me and told me this would suit my Kenpo really well, hell the instructor was a black belt in kenpo.

I went down to a tuesday evening class and squeezed the heads of the other beginners, then got dominated by the guys with a years training.

I argued the effectiveness of kenpo on the college messageboards with all the old arguments against mma. thuggery vs art, eye gouges, deadly techniques etc etc. Luckily that board crashed and I can deny any of that was ever said by me.

A couple of weeks in I was invited to XVT, a couple of the guys training in a shed just off the NCR. I got thai kicked, taken down and punched in the eye. My faith was rocked.

Over the next couple of weeks I stopped Kenpo and have been jitzing merrily away since.

I dropped out of the degree that I was doing when Jim tricked me, but that day is probably one of the more important in my life.

Whoever said that there is no such thing as a good lie?

Shane, The

buck65

Always interested in Martial Arts and boxing but never did much about it until 2005 ( I was 31 then - never too late ) My wife was actually advised to take up Martial Arts to complement her psycotherapy studies!! (Expressing anger physically I guess) anyway I went along and took up TKD as well.
Have never looked back since - really I can't understand why I didn't years ago as I am hooked bigtime _ I suppose MA is more accessible now ( The net and whatnot).
Going for Blue tag soon and hope to be a Black Belt in a couple of years, would also love to try Judo or BJJ - had 2 classes but damaged a thumb and missed a few weeks training and fell behind.

Great to be fit and healthy.

Roper

For my extended history see the thread PMA posted.

Why I started TKD was basically for women. I was in the gym and my mate had just returned to it after a break. He was wondering if I'd be interested in joining, I was and I wasn't, but there were a few hot women in it, and me and another mate took one look at a class of about 50% women and said hmmm, lets give this a shot... I got hooked on the training itself sometime after that. Loved training TKD.

I started BJJ because I think too much, and my thinking got me to a point where I realised I'd no ground skills. Went learning some of that and got hooked after my first class of tapping. Had to quit it but then had an opportunity to start a training group with SBG, have been training away there now for about a year under the guidance of John Kavanagh. Love training BJJ.

Started MMA because I got my ass kicked one day in the gym. Had a month or so of "surely my stand up should have ...." and then realised I needed to fill some more gaps. Love training MMA.

StrateBlastJim

The Shane wrote:

In 2003 I was about 85kg and wandering around the sports expo in UCD, I got talking to Jim who lied to me and told me this would suit my Kenpo really well, hell the instructor was a black belt in kenpo.

That was back in the day when i was in retail sales and knew what the customer wanted to hear, you wanted to hear it would help your kenpo but i knew it would end it sorry shane.

The Shane wrote:

I dropped out of the degree that I was doing when Jim tricked me, but that day is probably one of the more important in my life.

I'd like to point out that shane leaving his course and me tricking him where unrelated.

I myself had no martial arts experience before i started bjj in ucd in 2002. Mick wanted someone to go with him and i said sure, whats bjj though???

After busting out a tasty armbar on one of the other beginners that first night(assisted by an chuck norris in an episode of walker texas ranger ), i was hooked.

Trained pretty much 4-5 times a week for 3 years and had to take the last 2 years off, however im now back 5 weeks and im re-hooked. Infact last night was the best training i have been to in 2 years where myself and willy hamill had a good few rolls for about 45 min, resulting in pain this morning in parts of my body i forgot i had :rolleyes: .

Looking forward to being fit again, and tricking others to join us

Jim
-Just happy to be here

FiannaGym.com

It all started in or aorund 1990. My best friend, who lived across the road from me did Kempo... his Dad was a black belt and basically a killing machine. My friend "Marco" showed me some moves. Deadly...

Then UTV showed Enter the Dragon, my old man recorded it for me to see if it was suitable, he decided it was and I watched it every day for about a year.

Meanwhile, I had taken up Kenpo... little did I know that my Kenpo instructor (the youngest black belt at the time) would re surface years later to become my instructor again. So Marco and I were sparring everyday after school for a few years.

I did kenpo, off and on (like a teenager who skated and whatever else) for 7 years. Exposed to Chanel 4s (and pretty much every other Martial Arts thing I could see) kung fu movies on Friday evening I decided to start kung fu.

I started Choy Lay Fut back in around 1999. I loved it, it was really great training, over the years the training went terrible but the first few years were really tough and I loved them. 9 months into it I went to Liverpool and fought in the British Full Contact open. My training for this consisted of going for a run on the Threerock the weekend before. haha.

Anyway, unbeleivably... no more to anyone than me, I won it. I was a skinny out of shape kid and I beat much more inshape San Shou "Men". CRazy but deadly. This got me hooked on proper competition. The following Feb I went to China and met some real San SHou guys and a couple of Dudes who knew what MMA was. Up until then all I had seen of MMA was a short clip on the TV prgramme "the word". Anyway I found out about MMA and low and behold, my very first kenpo instructor was teaching MMA ("vale tudo"). SO I started going to St Andrews every now and then on a Saturday to train with Kav, Dave Jones, Dave Roche and even PeeWee towards the end.

Full contact competition was the big change for me. I always loved Martial Arts I just thought it was the best thing ever but something was always missing. That first scrappy, terrible, ugly full contact fight I had was amazing and life changing. It sthe struggle on the Mat in the gym, ring and cage. If you havent fought a real Full Contact match your cheating yourself as a Martial Artist it is the ultimate! MMA 4 Eva!! hahaha

Peace

Dave McConkey

I had always loved martial arts as a kid, with Streetfighter 2 and Jackie Chan being my main influences I started judo for a while when I was about ten but then the hype surrounding Italia 90 reeled me in and I became fanatical about football for the next ten years or so. When it was looking increasingly likely that I wasnt going to make a career out of football I decided to hang my boots up and,always being involved in some sort of physical activity, I decided on taking up a martial art.

I ended up training tkd for about 3 years and at first loved it. But for me there wasnt enough physical contact and I felt like something was missing - it didnt manage the to produce the same adrenaline rush in me that football did. I carried on training anyway, my reasoning was maybe that it got more competitive in the higher grades and I just persevered through the early belts.

One day a was doing some training in the club when I saw one of the instuctors sparring with a guy who worked on the front desk at the club. This guy was from Romania,he had a small background in wrestling and had just started training with a guy called John Kavanagh. He proceded to destroy the tkd instructor at will. I realise the tkd guy was out of his environment with clinch and takedowns but i was totally gobsmacked that this white belt could do this to a fourth dan. So afterwards I got talking to him and he rolled with me for a bit and showed me some stuff. He was telling me to go up to John's club in phibsboro and I said I would.

Typically, a couple of months passed and for some reason I hadn't checked out John's place. I was beginning to hear more and more stuff about John's and one of my friends in the tkd club was saying we should go up for a look. Again I said I would but I must have taken my time about it because I remember my friend saying he went up and said it was great. I couldnt believe he went up without me , I couldnt have him getting the upper hand on me so I went up the following night with him for a look.

I remember being totally taken aback with the relaxed atmosphere in the place and still, everyone seemed to be going at a competitive pace. the training seemed 'real'. I also remember thinking is that John Kavanagh?! I was expecting some 6"4 100kg bruiser from all the stories I was hearing Immediately I was hooked. I knew this is what I wanted to do, it was seriously challenging but very rewarding at the same time and it was feeding that competitive and athletic side that I felt wasnt being fulfilled since I stopped playing football.

3 years later im training as much as possible and love getting on the mats and rolling more than when I started, even thinking about it I can feel the adrenaline going. Also Ive made alot of good friends through training and its cool to be around people with totally different backgrounds that share the same goals as you. I would say martial arts, bjj particularly is a huge part of my life these days, to the point that I'm constantly thinking about techniques and stuff that I need to work on, even my holidays revolve around where I can train i hope to be training bjj for a long time.....

I think I have problems...thanks John!

spiral

Did two days of TKD in college not very impressed by the instructor . Took up Tai Chi years later after being advised by a chiropractor to do Tai Chi or Yoga for a lower back complaint I had at the time.
Took up a Tai Chi class got into the buzz for a while then realised it was rubbish. Found the Practical Tai Chi in UCD a lot better did a lot of Push Hands and wrestling and a small very limited amount of Sparring which at the time I thought was great.
Trained Bagua another Chinese art at the the same time , was a lot more Physically demanding and had some great theories and stories behind it but not much practical stuff. The group I was with at the time brought over a Chinese instructor who was pretty good but I was hooked when he brought out Shuai Jiao Jackets and threw us round the place. I hated the forms etc but loved the wrestling:D Anyway hooked on that for a few years went to China etc great experience but kept reading John Kavanaghs adds in Irish Fighter and saying I must check that out and of course never bothering.
Finally in Oct 2005 I went to work in LA for 10 months and joined a BJJ club run by Tim Cartmell a BB under Cleber Luciano.
I was made really welcome and really enjoyed the competitive athlethic atmosphere in the club although the first month or two was hard on the ego as guys half my size were murdering me . Eventually a few new guys joined and I got to murder them. Came home for a 6-7 weeks last June and finally came down to John Kavanaghs club in Harolds Cross as it was at the time and surprise surprise same competitive relaxed atmosphere, good training and excellent instruction .

Had to return to the US for 4 months at the end of July this time to Utah.
First thing I did was find a BJJ club and again same atmosphere same training it was great.
Been home since OCT 06 and training out in SBG in Rathcoole ever since and really enjoying it and looking forward to doing it for a long time to come.

droc

I started training in Martial Arts because I like to hurt people. I had previously tried taking my aggressive feeling out on animals but it's just not the same. Animals can scream but they can't beg for mercy.

After mixing Traditional Japanese Martial Arts with studies of Chiropracty I became quite the expert in inflicting pain and got a job as a mercenary in Libya, part hired killer part interrogator depending on what was called for at the time.

I have now developed a system that will allow you to deal with any kind of attack including weapons and multiple attackers. I am releasing an instructional DVD, if you study it for only 6 weeks you can walk the streets knowing that you're safe and that you can deal with any situation.

It's yours for only $399

DROC

RuggieBear

ah satire.....:)

Nothingcompares

WTF? Why? Everyone that reads this forum knows who DROC is and understands the satire in that funny post.

Khannie

A simple misunderstanding methinks.

edit: Fixed.

droc

Thanks NC,

I guess my twisted sense of humour often goes flying over peoples heads without the jet stream even messing their hair.

DROC

mark.leonard

I had always wanted to do Martial Arts so when I hit college and saw the abundance of different clubs I was thrilled. I picked Taekwondo cause the breaking boards impressed the hell out of me! Three years later I had my black belt and had been teaching in the club for a year and was well and truly hooked.
Some time after that after I had done a couple years doorwork and found a number of gaps in the training I was doing so I went looking for something else. Mailed John Kavnagh, whom I had found on the internet as someone who did workshops in grappling, he came down and did a seminar and the rest is history! Been hooked on MMA/BJJ ever since.

Millionaire

I think I first saw MA in one of the "Pink Panter" movies, Kenpo Master Ed Parker (of course I did not know who he was then) took ot a whole room of Asian guys....and I thought....I WANNA LEARN TO DO THAT!!!

Of course after seing Enter the Dragon on RTE 2 on night I was hooked!

Anyway maybe a year later in 1984 when I was 12..."kratty" as locally it was called opened in the next village down on the border, so we made trips 2 or 3 times a week to learn. this was Mugendo , when it was in transition between Wado Ryu Karate and Kickboxing, and later became kickboxing. we did not care what it was... or knwo what we were learning, but it sure was fun. I think honestly there was about 100 people in the church hall learning in big lines up and down the floor, and about 6 months later there was 20 if that. Most of that group of 20 is still around. After over 3 or 4 years we were all Black Belts in Mugendo Kickboxing..... as I said on here before the training was rough, the Sensei took a tough view...and things like bloody nose, black eyes, and missing teeth was ecouraged. and the victim would be looking forward to the next class to get revenge in sparring. thats how it was back then. There was just me and another teenager...all the rest were adult men who liked to hand out beatings, and I found out years later a good portion of the class were all in the INLA in Dundalk! :- 0

Then we had no or very little access to outside MA instruction or ideas. Fighters or Combat mag once a month, if you were lucky enough to get it, was read by all like the bible!

Anyway that club closed down, and I spent a year or so learning Kung Fu in Fire Dragon which was a massive Kung Fu organisation in ireland in the 80s. I sucked at the fancy kung fu forms...but when it came to sparring, we hammered the crap out of them all, including the instructors LOL! (though they did wear really cool looking bruce lee kung fu suits with colored sashes!!)

I emmigrated to canada, and spent a few years in WTF TKD and Boxing. and later back into Kickboxing. and a few 6 months spells in various TMA...

Back to Ireland in 94 to Joe Canning who is still down in Synge Street School in Dublin 8 for Mugendo Kickboxing, and back over to George Canning about 98. fought a few full contact matches, got disqualified from many points tournies for hitting too hard, and even fought on Irish Team which was cool.

In 21st Century I got interested in RBSD, and did Krav Maga/Combatives, went to Israel to be an instructor. and started learning Muay thai off me good buddy Paddy Clint.

December 2005 saw me move to Thailand full time, and I have been training in Muay Thai pretty much daily since then.

Just recently re qualified in www.tacticalkravmaga.com.au which is a pressure tested full contact KM system. and is excellent.... as a Thai Boxer I know! ;-)

Going to be opening a school soon to teach this in Thailand and SE Asia to corporates, cops, military etc...

Also just started learned sport grappling sub wrestling and BJJ. so aside from my KM duties I do Muay Thai approx 5 times a week and 2 - 3 grappling lessons.

I also dabble in a little bit of Jeet Kune Do and Kali stick and Knife on rare occassion.

I do not really believe in belts and grades, but I am 4th Dan in Mugendo... though personally after a 2nd dan... I can never tell the difference... I think a 2nd dan just says your a more experienced black belt.

So thats me really! My goal aside from spreading Tactical Krav Maga in Thailand, is to bring my own skills to very high level in Muay Thai, and learn grappling just for some fun really! :-)

I also do a little shooting of pistols like Colts 45, Glocks, revolver etc... I mean how can a KM instructor teach a weapon disarm, if you cannot shoot!

OldBloke

I started aged 12 doing Judo out in a club just past Sutton cross. Did that for about 18 months and then gave it up. Then when I was 19 I got my nose broken by a headbutt outside Lynchs chipper in Killester (I honestly did nothing to warrant it) and decided that wasnt going to happen again.

A week later two friends and I joined a Karate Club in St.Brigids Boys School in Killester. I got a pasting the first day and didnt want to go back. The thing is neither did my mates but we were all too proud. Now its almost 21 years later and Im still there. Even though the contact bothered me the first day ultimatley thats why I stayed with Kyokushin.

Millionaire

OldBloke wrote:

Now its almost 21 years later and Im still there. Even though the contact bothered me the first day ultimatley thats why I stayed with Kyokushin.

way to go mate! nothing like Old Skool training, to sort out the men from the boys!

columok

Started martial arts to be a ninja badass that could effortlessly (non-athletically) destroy all evildoers. Woke up. Now train for the no-bs scientific training methods, the hard work, the laughs at sunday morning roll (will be back this august (ish) when i return to dublin) and the safe competitive environment.

Odysseus

I also do a little shooting of pistols like Colts 45, Glocks, revolver etc... I mean how can a KM instructor teach a weapon disarm, if you cannot shoot![/QUOTE]


What the access like to ranges over there like Gerry? I usually have to wait until I'm aborad to get some decent shooting in.

Millionaire

Odysseus wrote:

I also do a little shooting of pistols like Colts 45, Glocks, revolver etc... I mean how can a KM instructor teach a weapon disarm, if you cannot shoot!

What the access like to ranges over there like Gerry? I usually have to wait until I'm aborad to get some decent shooting in.[/QUOTE]

hey Shaymus

There is 5 or 6 down in Pattaya alone. you just show up, flash your passport, and off you go with Glock under arm and all the clips you can pay for. but the instruction is not good at all.

On one of the islands off Pattaya, they got one with M16s etc.

and in Bangkok there is a few top line very professional ones. where you can be taught. I plan on doing a few hours up there next week...with any luck someone with alot of real life experience from Israel will be dropping in to say hello.

If you really want to learn....best place to go is USA or Israel. Was speaking to a KM guy who did some shooting training as well as Tactical KM in Israel, and they worked the nuts off him to get him very handy with Automatics and Uzi in a few short time frame.