Simply Brilliant

Taekwondo at 40

I started taekwondo right near my 40th birthday. I suppose it was a midlife crisis sort of thing. I could have bought a corvet and run off with a younger woman, but I thought I would take the easier route and do taekwondo. Besides all my kids were doing it, so why not me. To tell you the truth it scared me to death. I was middle-aged, overweight, and had never been in a fight in my life. What a journey it was for me to black belt. I did get that black belt, but the journey continues. I make two workouts a week plus I have added another martial art to my life -- Hapkido. So actually I have four workouts a week.

During the day I am a mild mannered computer jockey in the telecom industry. But at night I rip my shirt off, reopen the three wounds across my chest so the blood runs, and get that killer look in my eye, and take on everyone in the dojang. It's a frightful thing. Actually, even though I am a black belt (and worked hard to get it) I don't feel very dangerous. The last think I want to do is get into a fight. I get too beat up in class where I am among friends to want to go up against a stranger who would love to leave me bleeding on the ground.

Last night we did some hapkido sparring. We had the taekwondo sparring gear on (helmets, chest protectors, forearm and shin protectors, and teeth guards), but we also put the gloves on, the kind that leave the palms and fingers open. We kicked, punched, and did take downs in a free sparring manner. My 14 year old son challenged me. I outweigh him by over 100 pounds. If I can just get my arms around him it's over for him. But he made it very hard. I would punch and kick and try to close, but he would scoot away punching and kicking has he did. He landed some good kicks and smacked me in the face a couple of times. I got him in the end, but he made me pay for it.

I challenged the instructor--a big 250 fellow. I'm not so small myself, but he is better than me. I screwed up somewhere and he landed a jump back kick with full impact against my ribs. I about went to my knees. If that had been a real fight it would have been over for me because I couldn't go on for a couple of minutes. But when I got ahold of myself I did go back in like a champion. I kicked and punched and tagged him in the head a couple of times, but it only amounted to me getting thrown to the ground twice. Ah me, I guess I have to work a little harder. The funny thing is, that after a night like that I go home feeling better than when I left the office for the day.

posted by PapaT @ 1:21 PM