Martial Arts

[desertrat]

I keep telling him that I largely believe that most of the martial art practitioners could not fight their way out of a paper bag.

To bolster my opinion I recalled the contest between Mohammed Ali/ Cassius Clay and the then World Heavyweihgt Champion at Karate, a huge lantern jawed Japanese guy.

At the bell, he dropped his ass to the canvas and for 15 rounds scooted around trying to kick MA/CC on his calves.

I cannot find any reference by web searches to this fiasco, did I dream it?

So my grandson was leaning to TaeKwanDo, until he saw the Olympic contestants hopping from foot to foot and never ? making any contact with the opponent.

I told him all these sports are good for fitness and agility, but as for self defence, they are useless.

Grabbing the leg of the high kick should end the contest.or a low level kick to a very sensitive area.

But hey ! What do I know he says.

[kmart]

I keep telling him that I largely believe that most of the martial art practitioners could not fight their way out of a paper bag.

To bolster my opinion I recalled the contest between Mohammed Ali/ Cassius Clay and the then World Heavyweihgt Champion at Karate, a huge lantern jawed Japanese guy.

At the bell, he dropped his ass to the canvas and for 15 rounds scooted around trying to kick MA/CC on his calves.

I cannot find any reference by web searches to this fiasco, did I dream it?

So my grandson was leaning to TaeKwanDo, until he saw the Olympic contestants hopping from foot to foot and never ? making any contact with the opponent.

I told him all these sports are good for fitness and agility, but as for self defence, they are useless.

Grabbing the leg of the high kick should end the contest.or a low level kick to a very sensitive area.

But hey ! What do I know he says.

Any martial art that does not include some actual fighting., ie; getting hit, and knowing how to react to that is not worth much out on the street, imo.

A lot of martial arts teachers concentrate on the high / pretty kicks aspect, because thats what kids see in the movies... Once upon a time, being a black belt dan meant something. It meant you were disciplined, yet knew how to fight, and had no unreal expectations of your own ability, because of the years you had put into the dojo, or on the mat, in the ring, etc. You really had to earn it.

The martial art part of the equation has been largely sacrificed for commercial interest. You buy your way through the grading systems of a lot of organizations.

However, the "mixed martial arts" system is gaining in popularity now. And that is real fighting.

Edited October 9, 2008 by kmart

[njpski]

Oh, Martial, not Marital - I prefer the latter arts

[Lost in LOS]

very good discipline for your kid, will teach him some discipline and respect. i would highly recommend it until he got reasonably proficient after a few years of it. then, if he likes it enough, you can search around for some schools that aren't so commercial and can actually help him in street situations. as said above, most schools are in it for commercial reasons and need to promote students that are not proficient in any manner, but if not promoted will move on. simple economics. maybe get him into wrestling program in shcool at the same time. MMF [mixed martial arts] would be good for him in the future after a few years of taekwondo basics where he will actually be able to do more than dance around.

I worked out with a privileged friend for years, he was a very good black belt, worked out in the studio very hard, but with no street knowledge. I tried to teach it to him but without an actual street situation he never really got it. Once, on the street, he was forced into a situation and almost bowed to his aggressor before being knocked out. After that, he learned from me about "street" karate and when he was in that situation once more in the future it was a different result. Best to walk away if you can, but good to be able to defend yourself, if that is the only alternative.

I used to teach basic and advance classes of taekwondo in LA in the 70's. when I was teaching basics to the students, the owner of the karate studio used to get very angry with me for being "hard" on the students and actually teaching them to defend themselves. He was losing students and therefore money. rather than continue with the farce I only taught advanced classes and private beginners who really wanted to learn from then on.

that being said, a definite yes for taekwondo as the first step will really help him in all aspects of life

[jetjock]

Any martial art that does not include some actual fighting., ie; getting hit, and knowing how to react to that is not worth much out on the street, imo.

A lot of martial arts teachers concentrate on the high / pretty kicks aspect, because thats what kids see in the movies... Once upon a time, being a black belt dan meant something. It meant you were disciplined, yet knew how to fight, and had no unreal expectations of your own ability, because of the years you had put into the dojo, or on the mat, in the ring, etc. You really had to earn it.

The martial art part of the equation has been largely sacrificed for commercial interest. You buy your way through the grading systems of a lot of organizations.

However, the "mixed martial arts" system is gaining in popularity now. And that is real fighting.

I have been involved in many of the fighting styles and disciplines over the last 50 years so know something about them. I agree with 'kmart' about the 'mixed martial arts' which are a combination of many of moves found in different fighting systems and are very much like what you see in the UFC fights and have much street value. Many of the really good fighters cross train in different disciplines before going into to octagon--boxing for use of the hands, karate for kicks and wrestling and brazilian ju jitsu for take downs, ground and submission techiques. As for the pure disciplines, I consider Brazilian ju jitsu to be one of the very best. I have been involved in all of the styles that I have mentioned but have spent most of my years in boxing rings and I have learned that being able to take punishment as well as give it out in actual fighting is a prerequisite for anyone wanting to be a real fighter.

[mmushr00m]

TaeKwondo is more a sport then a REAL fighting martial art. It impresses the girls though with all those jumpy kicks and stuff and it looks good. The problem is that it has become a sport / point fighting. Its whoever lands the hit 1st that gets the score. I took it for 10yrs from when I was 7. Trained with some Gurkhas near their base and I kept getting DQ from my matches, reason excessive force lol.

Tell your grandson, if he's still young, to take up Aikido/Akijitsu. After my years of Taekwondo, I took up aikido, I think as an object lesson the sensei put me up against a girl half my size on my 1st day. Me walking in all confident and <deleted>, thinking "hah, no prob". She had me on my ass and tapping submission in 30 secs hahahahaha.

Muay Thai is a good stand up fighting style but it is HARD on the body. Not for someone that is still young.

[neion2000]

I keep telling him that I largely believe that most of the martial art practitioners could not fight their way out of a paper bag.

To bolster my opinion I recalled the contest between Mohammed Ali/ Cassius Clay and the then World Heavyweihgt Champion at Karate, a huge lantern jawed Japanese guy.

At the bell, he dropped his ass to the canvas and for 15 rounds scooted around trying to kick MA/CC on his calves.

So my grandson was leaning to TaeKwanDo, until he saw the Olympic contestants hopping from foot to foot and never ? making any contact with the opponent.

I told him all these sports are good for fitness and agility, but as for self defence, they are useless.

Grabbing the leg of the high kick should end the contest.or a low level kick to a very sensitive area.

Any self defenese training "should" be in the best interest of any individual... Unless you're a total tool, and are a weak bastard, that any self defense lessons is usless to you... which sounds like you're the poster child to prove that fact that "if you can't fight you're way out of a paper bag" even with self defense training, then bow down and never get into a fight..

It's not that easy to just grab the leg, do a low level kick to the balls... That's if you're fighting someone with training.. or just a bad ass, which I'm assuming you're not..

[ourmaninbangers]

I keep telling him that I largely believe that most of the martial art practitioners could not fight their way out of a paper bag.

To bolster my opinion I recalled the contest between Mohammed Ali/ Cassius Clay and the then World Heavyweihgt Champion at Karate, a huge lantern jawed Japanese guy.

At the bell, he dropped his ass to the canvas and for 15 rounds scooted around trying to kick MA/CC on his calves.

I cannot find any reference by web searches to this fiasco, did I dream it?

So my grandson was leaning to TaeKwanDo, until he saw the Olympic contestants hopping from foot to foot and never ? making any contact with the opponent.

I told him all these sports are good for fitness and agility, but as for self defence, they are useless.

Grabbing the leg of the high kick should end the contest.or a low level kick to a very sensitive area.

But hey ! What do I know he says.

hi

by and the large you are totally correct.And for women I think the martial arts of today actually make them more vunrable because they often convince themselves that the technique they learn would work

karate, judo,akido, taekwondo( which is NOT korean but japanese, they koreans seem to hate this truth for some reason) are NOT matial arts- they are not desighned for combat.

anything with the japanese word- Do- in them is not a martial art- strictly speaking, its is a martial way, a way of developing ones charecter through training with martial implications.

Even the founder of karate once said that for real fights do something else( other than karate)but that does,nt man your grandson will not benifit from the mental training, but he should not think that he is reality proficent in combat areas.

BJJ is very popular,I do not like BJJ so much although its very popular because its mostly on the ground, a place you really do not want to be.And despite what many say most fights do not end up on the ground if you have some good standup skills, and if they do- bite.

Muay thai will toughen you up nicely, but remember is stil a sport.

But again, many good things to learn from this, they are very skilledand walk the talk.Its stlil a skill one must have.

Any so called MA MUST have some form of contact/reality training, not so much if your young.annyone who thinks they can be highly traied without this are dreaming

There are many great arts out there which I,d advise which I think people should look at to get a grasp.

Take a look at TFT, shenshido, kapap, southnarc,( from israel).And one should also the study of mindset, scenarios.its not all about trading blows.

Nobodys wins a fight- you just survive

[LongThaimer]

back in my school days.....i had a karate.judo trained pal i used to spar regularly with....

i thought judo aspects were pretty useful for personal protection but round house kicks and fancy movie stuffs weren't effective fighting methods at all.....

i also had tae kwon do practicing korean buddies but never once seen any of them used flying tae kwon kicks in street fights....

so don't expect martial arts to turn someone automatically into a street fighting machine......it wasn't intended for this purpose...

real life fights usually comes down to two things, your natural fighting instincts and reflexes........if you know the soft spots to hit and do that quickly...most likely you will come out on top....

[desertrat]

real life fights usually comes down to two things, your natural fighting instincts and reflexes........if you know the soft spots to hit and do that quickly...most likely you will come out on top....

I think the above says it all, plus "Twice armed is he whose cause is just, thrice armed is he who gets his blow in fust"

Edited October 9, 2008 by desertrat

[Ulysses G.]

Boxers are often better fighters than martial artists because they are used to getting hit hard, but continuing to fight when hurt.

If I were young enough, I would do some boxing just for this purpose.

IMO Brazilian Ju Jujitsu, Krav Magna and Japanese Ju Jitsu are relatively fast martial arts to learn that actually work well.

Akido, Tai Chi and Taekwondo either don't work well or take a really long time to master

Edited October 9, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[Pierrot]

Any martial art that does not include some actual fighting., ie; getting hit, and knowing how to react to that is not worth much out on the street, imo.

A friend of mine told me that in the old time, Japanese masters used to try their new techniques on low life, either in jail or in seedy bars. An art maybe, but a practical one.

[ozsamurai]

You'll find there is more to be learnt in a dojo than JUST how to clean someone's clock. The training of Martial Arts IMHO does equip you with a reflex action to a certain threat, if you do it enough, a lot of Japanese 'arts' are such, you do it a million times and you become the movement without thought.

As to whether you can do real damage with it, do not confuse those who have belts with those who practise/know Karate or such disciplines. A trained boxer will never come out in front, even the great MA/CC, of a true martial artist. Logic must tell you that using your whole body (four limbs) with any skill will be better than a lightning fast two. A true artist would also not be involved in such a match anyway, nothing to prove by knocking someone out for points, money or glory.

IMHO MMA is an unfortunate evolution of the money making machinery that has been in place in all disciplines since it crossed the water. It will teach your grandson the 'power' and 'aggression' of the fight with little or none of the discipline and responsibility, respect or humility that is engrained in traditional styles. Your choice, quick and nasty or slow and steady.

Oz

edit: this is the fight? you were asking about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190a2dzPM8k

Edited October 9, 2008 by ozsamurai

[bina]

ake a look at TFT, shenshido, kapap, southnarc,( from israel).And one should also the study of mindset, scenarios.its not all about trading blows

LOL...... it took me half an hour to figure out what kapap was: krav panim al panim (face to face fighting).....thats the israeli one... funnily enough, i dont know any kids at all that do this training, even my son in his pre army year he's doing.... interesting enough, its not offerred in any of the extra curricular sports and activities lists in our youth centers and stuff: kick boxing, taekwando, and the brazialian dance karate stuff is what is offerred (having just talked my daughter out of wanting to sign up for kick boxing, horse back riding will be taken instead)...

but haaving done judo as a young rather dorky girl, i found it was very good for my psyche, i had a japanese teacher who was truly a 'bad' guy, with a 90 yr old sensei who was tough as nails... it made me tougher (helped me learn to deal with pain, discomfort, my fears, etc)... definately couldnt help me in most real situation although it actually helped in one or two, i never claimed i knew any judo moves but by just taking a sort of 'fighting' stance and feeling 'in control' was enough to dissuade some hasslers.

bina

israel

[Ta22]

the golden rule of me

if you want to fight make sure you are ready to KILL if you are fighting for Fun or just wanna try to see if you are good . don't be silly .

in a real fight .

if i were to fight you , i would use all resources i can find , if i can find a chopstick i would jolly well poke it right at your eyes , or maybe anything from sand , dirt , glass , all this is the real thing , not those sport which people learn . i agree in a control fight is very useful . to learn all the style and tactic , but during a real fight . there is no such thing as foul play ,. only one that walk away alive or dead..

if you do not want to hurt anyone . then take a few blow . and walk away . if you want to fight , if i am you i will make sure i break your neck or do a huge damage on you to the extent that you will remeber for live .,

my choice of action even which i had consider would be

your eyes ball at least one ,

breaking at least your hand or leg ,

considering is a bare hand fight , biting off your fresh , or giving you serious brain damage ,

i would have no mercy or feel sorry for anyone who choose to attack me or my family .

i would not think twice to infect the most of pain and suffering to you .

yes i may die and i may lose the fight but i am not going to give you a free ride to talk about .

-

so the best fighter is one who can avoid a fight not one who win from one .

good luck

the real world is much cruel then cartoon and movies .

my choice is not to fight if i can i don't even mind be the one saying sorry even if i am not wrong.

to protect my family i can set aside my pride .

Edited October 9, 2008 by Ta22

[desertrat]

edit: this is the fight? you were asking about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190a2dzPM8k

Doesn't put karate in a very good light does it ?

[ozsamurai]

No it does not, like many of the fights scheduled for MA after he became 'the world's greatest' I think this one was more for a show, you would have to be a chump if you thought it was a serious fight. Not to detract from MA, he was a great fighter but, If they had have really wanted to test his metal they would have put him against Mas Oyama who was at the same time regarded as the strongest martial artist Japan had, but no use in watching MA hit the canvas and ruin the American Dream was there?

Oz

[Lilyjade]

Good answers by some and some posters have no idea

what they are talking about.

I practised some TMA(Karate, Kung <deleted>, TKD, Aikido).

Pure BJJ, Boxing and MT.

And some of the MMA crosstraining forms, Combat Sambo, Shootfighting,

Pancrase/Vale Tudo style and regular MMA.

Was dragged into countless barfights when younger.

I am also a certified personal trainer(weight lifting, diet and cardio).

First question is: What does your grandson want?

and what do you want for him?

He wants to compete?

Fitness? Fun? Selfdefence? becoming a brutal streetfighter?

A fighting athlete?

Or just dancing and showing off?

How is his temper?

Is he a bully?

An attentionseeker?

Selfish?

First, teach him to be a humble and good person.

Disrespecting old people is not a good sign.

A skilled immature teenage fighter, is a loose cannon

begging to get into trouble.

Maybe try some TMA just for fun?

Tae Kwondo or dancing is good for children, they develop

agility, flexibility, coordination and balance.

If he thinks he can fight, after taking dancing or Tae Kwondo

classes, will put him in a hospital.

Old 1992 UFC was pretty close to 1 on 1 streetfighting.

Bare hands, No time limits,no weightclasses, no doctors, no protection(mouthguard or jocks)

You were allowed to attack the balls and pull the hair.

Many styles fought eachother like sumo vs Karate

crazy barfighter vs wrestling.

Lots of crazy people and often they had no idea who the opponent was.

People were starting to understand what worked or were useless.

I could tell you a lot about the art of fighting but I think it would

be counter productive.

I think he is too young for streetfighting talk,

streetfighting it is very bad, and dangerous.

Edited October 10, 2008 by Lilyjade

[Lost in LOS]

edit: this is the fight? you were asking about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190a2dzPM8k

Doesn't put karate in a very good light does it ?

who is the clown jumping on the floor? I have been into martial arts since 1964 and have never seen this style of fighting............

karate? oh please...............

Edited October 10, 2008 by jimmys

[bonobo]

hi

by and the large you are totally correct.And for women I think the martial arts of today actually make them more vunrable because they often convince themselves that the technique they learn would work

In my home town of San Diego, there was a rogue ex-cop who would stop women for some imagined traffic violation, then fondle and scare them.  He stopped one young woman who was a black belt in taekwondo. When he got her out of the car, she attacked him. She was about 100 lbs, he was a fit 240. He ended up killing her while trying to protect himslef from her attacks. Skilled or not, 100 lbs will have a hard time with 240.

Most martial arts are great for discipline and as a sport, and I encourage people so inclined to take them up. But most do not teach real self-defense.  And unfortunately, most can give a false sense of invulnerability to the practitioner which may backfire.

[zzdocxx]

How old is he? Something else to consider is the potential cumulative deleterious effect of multiple blows to the head. Seriously.

[stevemcqueen]

edit: this is the fight? you were asking about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190a2dzPM8k

Doesn't put karate in a very good light does it ?

who is the clown jumping on the floor? I have been into martial arts since 1964 and have never seen this style of fighting............

karate? oh please...............

Hope this helps....Pro-wrestler!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Inoki

[braverrouge]

First question is: What does your grandson want?

and what do you want for him?

He wants to compete?

Fitness? Fun? Selfdefence? becoming a brutal streetfighter?

A fighting athlete?

Or just dancing and showing off?

How is his temper?

Is he a bully?

An attentionseeker?

Selfish?

First, teach him to be a humble and good person.

Disrespecting old people is not a good sign.

A skilled immature teenage fighter, is a loose cannon

begging to get into trouble.

I totally agree with your comments.

I've a daughter of my own who had been practicing Taekwondo since she was 6 yrs old (She's 13 now).

She started Aikido a few years ago and stoped Taekwondo.

However, during her few years in martial arts I was witnessing kids at different ages who thought that they could become unbeatable after taking a few Taekwondo classes.

With the right instructor, an open mind and respect to others the kids can devolop into a great martial artis.

The other way around, with the wrong instructor, a selfish mind and disrespct to others the kid wont become more than a "skilled immature teenage fighter".

I don't say that taekwondo is bad.

Taekwondo is actually pretty as a first step into martial arts.

All the body combination, flexibility etc. the kids are adopting during their training will become an advantage when they decide to try another martial art.

[bassmaster50]

It is the fighter that is the most important factor in a fight, not the style. Muhamad Ali was a great fighter, but the fight with Inoki was a joke, like professional wrestling, so that didn't prove anything. If your grandson wishes to learn martial arts, first of all he should check out the schools in his area. Look for one with actual contact, as people here have already stated. Most TKD schools today are oriented towards sport competitions, so maybe they aren't the best choice, although the korean art kapkido is an excellent combat art. Boxing,wrestling,jujitsu,krav maga,kempo and many others are good training for street self-defense. As long as the student has heart and the teacher is competent.

[Mattchu9999]

I had taken Tae-Kwon-Do in grade school, and as many have professed here it is an excellent tool to develop the mind and body. Self control, respect, honor and fitness are fine traits to teach a young man or woman.

But sadly, their use in real world is marginal to say the least.

Many would profess that the mixed martial art "cage fighters" would be the best in street fights, but alas they have rules to abide by and are trained within those rules, so their trained reaction in a street fight would be to their trained skills. DOont get me wrong, a cage fighter would be a tough cookie on any street, but again, the street has no rules.

I believe self defence clases if you can find one's that progress on and on constantly improving the skills are the best. Eye gouging, genitalia grabing and striking etc etc are all fair game in a street fight. It takes less than a few pounds to tear an ear off, smash eyes back into the skull etc etc. Your mouth is a great weapon if you can get the guts to tear into someones neck.

[braverrouge]

I've been practicing/studying various Japanese martial art styles for the past few years and I don't consider myself as an expert but more rather than a very willing student.

During the years, besides of physical and mental training, I also learned a bit about philosophy in martial arts.

“If you think that martial art means to have opponents and enemies and to be strong and defeat them, you are mistaken.

The true spirit of martial arts is to be one with the universe and have no enemies. The essence of the martial art is the spirit of loving protection of all beings in the universe.”

Morihei Ueshiba (Founder of Aikido)

Some may not agree with M. Ueshiba's teachings but still, all of the martial art styles (I'm familar with) were invented to maintain peace and harmonie in the society.

After WWII and many Bad Hollywood movies, many martial art diciplines have become more or less competative sports.

Coming back to self defence and street fighting.

As mentioned on other replies, there are no rules on the streets !!!

I'm very sure that I would use Mike Tyson's biting technique if I ever get in a situation where a fight can not be avoided.

And yes, I would pull on the hair like the girls were doing in school ...

My personal philosophy on self defence and street fighting is:

"It's not a matter of winning a loosing a fight, it's a matter of surviving" and most important "Do not get into a provoked fight"

[learnthaipodcast]

I do Muay Thai and love it. I would not recommend it for younger people though because some of the training can damage your body. I think a less direct fighting style might be good for younger people. A kid with 14 who did Muay Thai for 3-4 years will be able to beat almost everyone their age. If they don't have a calm mind you are in for some trouble.

[Livinginexile]

the golden rule of me

if you want to fight make sure you are ready to KILL if you are fighting for Fun or just wanna try to see if you are good . don't be silly .

in a real fight .

if i were to fight you , i would use all resources i can find , if i can find a chopstick i would jolly well poke it right at your eyes , or maybe anything from sand , dirt , glass , all this is the real thing , not those sport which people learn . i agree in a control fight is very useful . to learn all the style and tactic , but during a real fight . there is no such thing as foul play ,. only one that walk away alive or dead..

if you do not want to hurt anyone . then take a few blow . and walk away . if you want to fight , if i am you i will make sure i break your neck or do a huge damage on you to the extent that you will remeber for live .,

my choice of action even which i had consider would be

your eyes ball at least one ,

breaking at least your hand or leg ,

considering is a bare hand fight , biting off your fresh , or giving you serious brain damage ,

i would have no mercy or feel sorry for anyone who choose to attack me or my family .

i would not think twice to infect the most of pain and suffering to you .

yes i may die and i may lose the fight but i am not going to give you a free ride to talk about .

-

so the best fighter is one who can avoid a fight not one who win from one .

good luck

the real world is much cruel then cartoon and movies .

my choice is not to fight if i can i don't even mind be the one saying sorry even if i am not wrong.

to protect my family i can set aside my pride .

are you talking about a good oll' pub fight?

Whats wrong with you?

Reading your post makes me feel like giving you a good belting.

I bet you've never won a fight in your life have you? (or even been in one for that matter).

Sounds like a cowards post to me

[Steps]

very good discipline for your kid, will teach him some discipline and respect. i would highly recommend it until he got reasonably proficient after a few years of it. then, if he likes it enough, you can search around for some schools that aren't so commercial and can actually help him in street situations. as said above, most schools are in it for commercial reasons and need to promote students that are not proficient in any manner, but if not promoted will move on. simple economics. maybe get him into wrestling program in shcool at the same time. MMF [mixed martial arts] would be good for him in the future after a few years of taekwondo basics where he will actually be able to do more than dance around.

I worked out with a privileged friend for years, he was a very good black belt, worked out in the studio very hard, but with no street knowledge. I tried to teach it to him but without an actual street situation he never really got it. Once, on the street, he was forced into a situation and almost bowed to his aggressor before being knocked out. After that, he learned from me about "street" karate and when he was in that situation once more in the future it was a different result. Best to walk away if you can, but good to be able to defend yourself, if that is the only alternative.

I used to teach basic and advance classes of taekwondo in LA in the 70's. when I was teaching basics to the students, the owner of the karate studio used to get very angry with me for being "hard" on the students and actually teaching them to defend themselves. He was losing students and therefore money. rather than continue with the farce I only taught advanced classes and private beginners who really wanted to learn from then on.

that being said, a definite yes for taekwondo as the first step will really help him in all aspects of life

MMF? what the <deleted> is that? mixed martial farts!!

[braverrouge]

desertrat,

Looking at all the replies, I would say that regardless of any mastial art, selfdefense style, what works best and so on, you should more focus on mutivating your grandson rather than telling him that Taekwondo is useless as a selfdefense.

Having your grandson practicing any kind of martial art and/or sports is still better than having him sitting infront of the television, playing PS2 games all day.

I still remember my young years, my parents happen to come to a soccer match where I was playing with my team mates and the only thing they were able to say was that I run like a girl ...

I was very disapointed and frustated on their comments ... So what ?!? I might was running like a girl but I won plenty gold medals with my running and I was playing soccer at the 2nd league. Most important is that we won the champion ship that season.

Very similar comments I had on my martial art training ... These days I'm an instructor !

Bless you all