inneedofinspiration Ready to keep working on these!
Keep it up, girl!
I am feeling very achy with the rain and cold in Chicagoland so I know how you feel. The workout clothes in your trunk is really a must-do. I need to start that for the days I am not feeling “crunchy.” I think I am interested in starting to look into a martial arts routine. May I pick your brain? How did you begin?
Sorry for the late reply,
I still feel like I’m catching up around here. I’ve always loved martial arts, boxing, etc. My dad used to “spar” with me even when I was young – nothing major, just batting around at each other. So it was always fun in my book. I did tae kwon do for a short time when I was about 18, then time off, then did a form of hybrid martial arts for three years, then had my son, then did boxing once a week for a year when he was 2 (only female in an all male class – which was a drag only because the instructor told them they weren’t allowed to hit me, I could only hit them and they could block me, which means it took from my ability to learn guarding in that form – there was another female in class for a short time, but she dropped after the first time she and I sparred together and I hit her), then time off for several years, then back to another hybrid martial art about four years ago.
I pretty much just visited a couple of schools and chose the schools that I liked. I look for martial arts that are practical and not competitive (for example, tae kwon do traditionally has point sparring, where you get a point for contact, but it’s not really practical, though I understand it is changing to be more practical), that have a lot of “testosterone” but not so much that guys are turning sideways when they walk through the door just to show off, that are female friendly but that don’t coddle the females. You should visit a few schools and see what fits you best. One form I would recommend looking at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Gracie Jiu Jitsu) because grappling techniques are really effective. Or I would complement the BJJ with the art I do now if I had the time for both. Judo is related to Jiu Jitsu and would be interesting to check out, too. You can check out my entry about Keiko Fukuda Sensei if you want. I think this says something about the potential for women in this art.
Another art you might look into if you don’t feel comfortable with a testosteronized atmosphere is aikido. Learning how to throw and learning how to fall/roll are really great skills, and aikido (from what I’ve observed) has less of that Super Macho Scent permeating the air, even though it is definitely an effective and respected form.
Wow, probably more than you were expecting, but I do enjoy talking about martial arts, so if you ask me about it you will open up Pandora’s box, LOL!
