When I was five years old, I was but a small, energetic child with a bad temper. My parents, one day, brought me into a karate dojo. Their goal was to curb my aggression and teach me discipline. In short, karate worked. As a small child, I did not exactly grasp what I was doing; karate lessons were just a hobby that expended some of my energy. Looking back, I now realize that I did not learn a lot about martial arts, but rather how to stay still and focus, and of most import, self-discipline. This school was shut down after only a year or so, but I soon found myself a new school because I had sprouted an interest in martial arts. There, I improved my discipline tenfold, as well as my muscular strength, body coordination, and ability to defend …show more content…
Offensive arts I practice include bagua kung fu, karate, drunken fist kung fu, and judo. Each art has its own particular application in a fight. For example, bagua lets me better fight other martial artists because of the structure of the style, and judo lets me end fights quickly; slamming someone on concrete will usually incapacitate them. Defensively, however, parkour is my go-to martial art, albeit most people would not consider parkour to be a typical martial art. I prefer this art when the odds are against me, or when a good reason to fight does not present itself. I exploit my quick and lithe movements to leave a fight before it starts. I pride myself in my rudimentary parkour skills because I have seen vast improvement since I started. Additionally, I am decent at changing fighting styles mid-fight, making me a more formidable opponent. The area in which I need the most work is my flexibility, which inhibits my high kicks, as well as my flips. The most important aspect of martial arts I need to improve, I feel, is defusing a fight with …show more content…
Training, for me, is always as extreme as I can make it. I like clapping push-ups on my fists, repetitive practice of techniques until I bleed, and fighting other martial artists to fully understand the application of a technique. I also love martial arts because of the cryptic meanings of certain techniques. My biggest puzzle right now is applying bagua techniques They look unlike any technique from other martial arts I know, which makes them hard to understand. Drunken fist, on the other hand, is easier to understand since it is such an aggressive art. Notwithstanding, the part of martial arts I favor the least is competition. While I do participate in tournaments, I do not feel they accurately judge one’s self-defense skills. Furthermore, since martial arts is more of a lifestyle for me than a sport, I have little motivation to win. Having confidence in my technique is more important than a