by Ranchette 21 Replies latest jw friends
Ranchette., I took Judo in the late sixties. What caught me interest was, it's a clean sport. You are penalize for executing improper throws. It instills respect for your opponet. It also instills confidence and great for stretch exercises. To this day I do certain exercises which keeps me supple for my golf game.
I do recommend it.
Guest 77
Hi Ranchette,
My experience was similar to yours. When we began to leave the borg, the first thing my son wanted to do was join little league baseball. I still remember sitting in the bleachers, on those perfect spring evenings, with the sounds of kids laughing and having a good time, thinking to myself...and what the hell is supposed to be wrong with this? Absolutely nothing.
Next he wanted to do karate. I agree with you totally. They don't teach them to go out there all cocky thinking you can now beat up the world but instill self confidence and respect for others. I thought it was a great experience for him.
I think the real reason the society frowns on things like these, are that it would take up too much of your time, and then you wouldn't keep attending the meetings and going out in service. Then your donations would slack off....and well, you get the picture!
Tracy
Ranchette,
Many of the principles learned in martial arts are effective in other facets of life, too.
You're taught to channel the energy and momentum of an opponent against him. If someone comes charging at you, either physically or verbally, you can step out of the way and let him run into a wall, or block at the right spot and let his own energy flip him upside down.
I discovered that breaking a board, bricks, or concrete blocks is not about physical strength but about using correct techniques and understanding the materials you're working with. I'm just over 5 feet tall, and I felt tremendously empowered when I broke my first board with an elbow swipe.
Learning concentration and meditation is enormously valuable, too. I also like aikido and tai chi.
Oh yeah, and Ti Kwan Leep :
Teacher: Approach, students. Close the circle at the feet of the master.GinnyYou have come to me asking that I be your guide along the path of Ti Kwan Leep. But, be warned: To learn its ways, you must learn the ways of your own soul. Let us meditate upon this wisdom now. So: Aaaaaaooooommm......
Student1 (Ed Gruberman): Uh, sir! Sir! (oo! oo!) Sir!
Teacher: Who disturbs our meditation, as a pebble disturbs the stillness of the pond?
EG: Me! Ed Gruberman?
Teacher: E-Ed Gruberman?
EG: Yeah, uh, no disrespect or nothin', but, like, uh, how long is this gonna take?
Teacher: Ti Kwan Leep is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.
EG: So like, what, an hour or so?
Teacher: No, no, we have not even begun upon the path. Ed Gruberman, you must learn patience.
EG: Yeah yeah yeah, patience. How long will that take?
Teacher: Time has no meaning. To a true student, a year is as a day.
EG: A YEAR??? I wanna beat people up right now! I got the pajamas! Hah woo yah ooomm!
Teacher: "Beat people up"...?
EG: Yeah! Just show me all those nifty moves so I can start trashing bozos! That's all I came here for! YO ASTA STA STA!!! Pretty good, ey?
Teacher: The only use of Ti Kwan Leep is self-defense. Do you know who said that? Ki Lo Ni, the great teacher.
EG: Yeah? Well the best defense is a good offense, you know who said that? Mel, the cook on "Alice".
Teacher: No, um...Ti Kwan Leep is the wine of purity, not the vinegar of hostility. Meditate upon this truth with us. Aaaaoooommm...
EG: Listen, shrimp! All this fag talk is really starting to piss me off. Now, are you gonna show me some fancy moves, or am I gonna start wipin' the walls with you?
Teacher: Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ti Kwan Leep. Approach me that you might see.
EG: All right! Finally some action!
Teacher: Observe closely, class. Boot to the Head! (SH-ZOOMP!)
EG (drunkenly): Owww! You booted me in the head!
Teacher: You are lucky, Ed Gruberman. Few novices experience so much of Ti Kwan Leep so soon.
EG (quietly, to himself): Ow, oh, my head!
plmkrzy,
The lectures and attitudes you have recieved over this is exactly why I just won't tell them.
It's painful to have something that brings you happiness and fullfillment in life only to have these feelings squelched by people who are so unreasonable.
I don't want to allow them to poison whats important in our lives.
Guest77,
Thanks for your input.
I agree it is a clean sport.
think4oneself,
I still remember sitting in the bleachers, on those perfect spring evenings, with the sounds of kids laughing and having a good time, thinking to myself...and what the hell is supposed to be wrong with this? Absolutely nothing.You describe here exactly how I have felt in new situations over and over again.
During all these events we were brought together as a family and were with many other families doing the same.
It felt so natural and I remember thinking "there's absolutly nothing wrong with this!How dare them!"
I was and still am angry that I was robbed of these memories and bonding for the past 30 something years but I won't dwell on this because I would still be robbed emotionally if I did.
Ginny,
Lol,at the Ti Kwan Leep!
I would like to take the classes too but will have to wait till I can afford it.I learn alot anyway by observing.
Ranchette
Ranchette I love the martial arts. After I got out of the borg some 20 years ago, that was probably one of the things that kept me somewhat sane. I studied about six different styles of martial arts and became most proficent with Taekwondo. I got into the competition aspect of it also and would go to tournements but that wasn't such a big deal to me really. I just loved getting the discipline, control, self respect, and sense of accomplishment.
I was always getting beat up as dub and my motivation for getting into the martial arts was that if anyone wanted a piece of me again, they were going to pay dearly for it. Funny thing was, I never had to use my skills in a real self defense situation. I taught public classes on how to protect yourself from assault for a few years afterwards and showed a few of my moves there but that was about it. Regardless, I encourage it especially for kids so they can attend to principles much higher than those offered by the Watchtower.
Kind Regards,
Skipper
My son is 28 years old and left the borg about six months ago. One of the first things he did was enroll in a Kung Fu class. He always wanted to do that. He has enjoyed it tremendously and it has been so good for him.
Target
Ranchette
I practice Martial Arts. Though I had never been a dub, I don't see what is wrong with practicing Martial Arts. Now, while it does teach a lot of good principles, you have to watch out for the instructor because in Martial Arts, there are a lot of bullies and con-men posing as instructors. The bullies are just looking for people to beat up while the [i]con-men[i] are looking for people to rip-off.
"The porpose of Karate is not to conquer others, but to conqure the weaknesses of oneself."That is true not just in Karate, but in also all the other Martial Arts. In the end, it boils down on who the instructor is, how the instructor teaches and what the instructor teaches. Martial Arts itself is not only about learning to defend oneself physically (fighting), it emcompasses about everything and learning to defend oneself is only one part of Martial Arts.
I hope I am helping you with this.
Ajax
OR, as Sponge Bob would say,
"Kar-rah-tay"
;)
Lisa
hey all, i'm starting karate tonight :) i can't wait. before this i did boxing for about 9 months. i loved that too so i know i'll love karate. so happy i'm free to try new things that really interest me without having big brother telling me i'm evil. screw the borg!
i wish the best to all who are discovering new talents within themselves :)
love
h
Ranchette, have you ever looked into Aikido?
http://www.aikidofaq.com
"Aikido focuses not on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using their own energy to gain control of them or to throw them away from you"
Aikido is amazing to watch. It is very fluid and peaceful and has no offensive techniques.
