Rasslin'

[screamingflea]

I crossed a major personal milestone this weekend.

A couple years ago when I first started martial arts I was surprised to find a couple of major cramps in my psyche I wasn't aware of. (This is pretty common for anyone when they first get started.) The biggest hurdle was that I just couldn't wrap my head around ground work at all - it's exactly what it sounds like, where one or more participants are horizontal. I have a touch of PTSD, and it flared up so badly that when the rest of the class got into it I'd actually put on my coat and go home. It took me a year to warm up to it, but I love it now.

The only stipulation is that I have to work with a partner I know and trust. In my own class that isn't an issue because we've all been working together for months. But if I go into unfamiliar territory - a different studio or a seminar somewhere - my odds of finding a familiar face are pretty slim. One friend coaxed me into his judo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrjPLuNtMy0&feature=related) class last year, but he was busy prepping for a tournament so I spent most of the time on the bench.

This weekend I went to a Sambo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmXGNTd00Vg) seminar. I was curious because it was Russian, like the form I practice. I really should have been tipped off when the flier said the instructor was a judo gold medalist. >8) But it was great! I'm not sure why it wasn't an issue, but when the instructor paired me off with his (total stranger) top student for the whole thing it didn't matter at all. I barely even thought about it, even with the pins and locks.

I'm not sure I want to make a habit of the grappling arts, but it's very useful to have it as part of my toolbox for my main art. Above all, this unexpected A+ report card in my personal growth is going to carry me for quite a while.

:+1:

[Lainey]

Good to try things outside of your comfort zone, and even better when it works out so well - good on you!

[screamingflea]

Thank you Lainey.

I've always been a little confused when my martial arts posts sink like a stone on SLF (and explanations are welcome on that! ;) ) so it's nice to hear from someone. That was exactly the point of my post - I've come a very long way in my healing and growth as a person. I suppose it would have been just as appropriate in the Health forum.

I've been thinking about taking out a monthly membership in my dojo now that I have some cash flow. They only teach my form once a week (sob!) but a workout is a workout and it's always good to expand one's repertoire.

:treadmill:

[Spartana]

Thank you Lainey.

I've always been a little confused when my martial arts posts sink like a stone on SLF (and explanations are welcome on that! ;) ) so it's nice to hear from someone. That was exactly the point of my post - I've come a very long way in my healing and growth as a person. I suppose it would have been just as appropriate in the Health forum.

I've been thinking about taking out a monthly membership in my dojo now that I have some cash flow. They only teach my form once a week (sob!) but a workout is a workout and it's always good to expand one's repertoire.

:treadmill:

I LOVE reading your martial arts threads!! You should check out your local community rec classes as they often offer judo or grappling classes at a much greater discount than a regular martial arts studio. My sister takes a grappling class at a community rec center and loves it but, while I like martial arts I don't like that close of body contact that judo or grappling entails.

[cdttmm]

Thank you Lainey.

I've always been a little confused when my martial arts posts sink like a stone on SLF (and explanations are welcome on that! ;) ) so it's nice to hear from someone. That was exactly the point of my post - I've come a very long way in my healing and growth as a person. I suppose it would have been just as appropriate in the Health forum.

I've been thinking about taking out a monthly membership in my dojo now that I have some cash flow. They only teach my form once a week (sob!) but a workout is a workout and it's always good to expand one's repertoire.

:treadmill:

Count me as another forum member who enjoys reading your martial arts posts! I practice Tae Kwon Do, so not much in the way of grappling in my art, but I enjoy reading about your experiences. And I agree wholeheartedly that the martial arts are great for personal growth. In my case, I may be growing for a very long time. :D

[leslieann]

Hi, Flea,

I don't have any experience of martial arts, except as a parent of kids studying tae kwon do (and I learned a LOT, including great respect for the whole concept). But I do read your threads, always, because they are always about lots MORE than "just" the particular art form. So congratulations on a giant step and how delightful to realize that you'd made such a change in the way that you discovered it.

So hooray for you! And thanks for posting about your experience.

Leslie

[screamingflea]

Thanks all. It might be nice to start up an ongoing thread about it. I'm also a member of a big forum dedicated solely to martial arts and I've learned some great stuff there too.

I got started in this thanks to my last neighborhood - it was "urban" with a very high crime rate. Property, violent, and otherwise. The last straw was my coming downstairs one night to walk my dog and seeing someone standing lookout ... for someone crouched in the bushes right under my staircase. The first day I walked into my dojo I fully expected to find a bunch of meatheads, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I was hooked from the first grab/escape, and I haven't looked back. Never mind that I'm now 3000+ miles from my old condo, I'll do this until they have to wheel me off the mats.

[Selah]

Screamingflea, I read your posts and have been interested in them, but I just didn't have anything to contribute so I stayed silent. I have been reading a little bit about martial arts theory (as opposed to practice) as it can be applied in human relationships. Concepts like it being very bad form to allow someone to hurt you because they are just incurring greater injuries to themselves, and self-defense as an act of compassion, rather than as retaliation or an expression of anger, really made me understand the difference between "self-defense" and "self-offense"!

Well, whaddya know, I DID have something to contribute after all! :) Keep 'em coming and keep up the great work!