Preface: For all of you that have done this already and know this feeling please feel free to skip =) I know it's not really a big deal to you all.
I started dabbling in martial arts when I was about 18 or 19. I really can't remember. I have always been drawn to the Chinese arts as opposed to Okinawan or Japanese. Not that there is anything wrong with those, I just always liked the Chinese stuff much more.
My first experience in martial arts was with my Uncle Robert. Since I wanted to learn Kung Fu, I would drive to his house in Brooklyn once or twice a week and he would show me some of what he knew. He would make me do exercises with large rubber bands, handstand pushups, tiger walking... he would take me to the park by his house and have me scratch at trees to develop strength in my hands (must have looked retarded to the ppl in the park). At the time I was in my teens and really self conscious so I was more concerned about people watching me than actually doing the exercises.
I soon stopped doing that as I started college and didn't have time. I would still practice some of the stuff that he had taught me, but it wasn't enough.
After my first year at Manhattan School of Music, I transferred to CUNY @ Staten Island and lived back at home. That being the case, it was easier for me to devote time to practicing. I joined a Shotokan school and was off and running. I was really good at it, but it always felt sort of wrong to me. It always felt very rigid and very unyielding. Their forms were very linear and really easy to learn. I found that I picked them up quicker than others at my level. In fact, I used to go to this Shotokan website that had the katas written out and I would actually learn them off the site. I know that you are thinking "no way, I'm sure they looked nothing like the way the school taught it". Well, one time I told my Sensei that I had done this, so he asked me to show him. It was a purple belt kata, roughly 2-3 ranks above where I was at the time. When I finished the kata, he looked at me and said "damn, that's pretty close to how we do it here".
As I started moving up the ranks in Shotokan, the classes started getting crappy. There was a lot of goofing around and it just was not going where I wanted it to go. I left the school.
Soon after that, I joined a Hung Gar kung fu school that was close to my house. Finally, I was learning some stuff that was more up my alley. At this school, they did Chi Kung as well as forms, self defense, etc. They were a very traditional school that also did things like the Lion Dance during Chinese new year in Chinatown. The master there was Chinese and made a few trips a year to go back and study. All seemed really well. After about a year, I ended up leaving the school under somewhat dubious circumstances.
<Dubious Circumstances>
At this point in time, I worked at the Cargo Cafe and stated being quite flirtatious with a girl that worked there names Sara. Sara was friends with this guy Adolpho, who was a student at the Hung Gar school. I think you can see where this was going.
I started dating Sara and apparently Adolpho didn't like that. To my knowledge, from what she told me, they were friends. Apparently, he took that as me stepping on his toes with her. I asked before I proceeded. I am not a douche bag. Had she told me, "well, we are kinda dating" I would have not pursued the issue, but when I asked, I was told "oh, no, we are just friends". Rock, game on.
After I started dating Sara, the tension between he and I was high all the time. In light of that, I ended up leaving the school under the mentality that he was there first. May be silly, I know, but that is how I felt at the time.
</Dubious Circumstances>
Finally, I moved here to Austin and found Shaolin-Do, my current school. When I started going, I opted to start in the internal program (TaiChi) as work was stressing me out. About 6 months into that, I started in the external program. I won't bore you with the details b/c most of you that read this have been through them, but after roughly 3 years of busting my ass, I finally, from the first school ever, earned a black belt!
One of the things that I have said before in this blog is that it is only the beginning. Now, the cool stuff happens and well, I know I have said it before, but now being here, I can see that this IS just the beginning. The last 3 years were a preface, so, I say, man, let the good times roll!
Congratulations to everyone else that tested with me, job well done! And special thanks to Sifu Ryon for not sweeping the shit out of me during San He =)
Lastly, click here for some pictures from after the test. I will post some videos of me as soon as I get them off of Victoria's camera.
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