Another newbie in the martial arts world

[Green_Tea]

Hello! I'm Lesley and I've just gotten into martial arts. It's been something I have wanted to do for a while but didn't have time/money. I've always enjoyed being active. I've done dance, rock climbing, I was a rower for 7 years, horse back rider, avid runner... and now I have found my new love: praying mantis kung fu! I train at Wah Lum in Orlando.

I'm a fairly shy person but I would love to talk to people about kung fu. So if anyone wants to AIM me my user name is girlaXobscura. Sometimes I leave it on and forget so I'm not ignoring you! :) Or we can just talk here. I know there is a thread for this, but just thought I'd also add that I'll be at the upcoming Nick Scrima Tournament. This'll be my first martial arts competition. I'm SCARED! *lol* I've been practicing Little Open Gate like a mad woman! :) I look forward to reading the forums.

ALSO: Anyone else on here not fit into a lot of their pants anymore? Rowing made my thighs bad but they have just exploded in the last year from those low horse stances. :)

[EarthDragon]

Welcome lesley, hope your road to learning is a long one, stick with it, the rewards can be priceless.

[Losttrak]

Welcome, Lesley! Hope you enjoy the ride. Here's a forum hint. A person's signature speaks volumes...


BTW I just finished a class on Photoshop, so I can fully appreciate the skillz you show on your webpage. Nice pics!

[SaMantis]

Hi GreenTea! Welcome to the forum. I've trained up at Wah Lum Boston for the past year and a half but I started at the Orlando school, so I know you're in good hands there!


Anyone else on here not fit into a lot of their pants anymore? Rowing made my thighs bad but they have just exploded in the last year from those low horse stances.

:D Ha ha, for me it was too much Guinness!

[mantis108]

Welcome to the wonderful world of mantis. I had a student, who does competitive rowing in college. He's strong like an ox and build like a rock. Pressure point is a non issue for him. He's also the only student of mine so far that has the most discipline. That he credits all to rowing (all those morning practices). For that I respect rowing as a sport. The only set back is that he's pretty rigid that's also from rowing. ;)

Anyway, relax and have fun. Hope you will do well in your first tournament.

Warm regards

Mantis108

PS his girlfriend(s) are from the rowing team too. So... I don't think you are alone in the lower limbs issue. lol...

[Green_Tea]

Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone. You guys make me smile :). Thanks for visiting my website too heh heh. Yeah, we did do a lot of morning practices in rowing. M-F 6am and Saturdays at 7:30. Rowing probably made me rigid, I have heard that from my sihing. Of course now he says I'm too loose so I just can't seem to get it right heh heh:). Rowing did made me loose flexibility even though we'd stretch at practice. My hamstrings have gotten so bad. I can touch my toes but I can tell I have difficulty with heel kicks because of it (I think in eight basic kicks heel kicks are the hardest, even harder than cresent kicks). I also can't do my splits anymore and that frustrated me. I used to take dance so I had gotten pretty flexible. But I'm slowly but surely getting it back. I've got about another two frustrating inches to go on my right split. I was thinking about getting the book, "Stretching Scientifically". Any thoughts? Maybe I'll also ask that in the Training a Health forum.

[Hua Lin Laoshi]

Green_Tea
Are you with Sifu George Kee?

SaMantis
You can't just say the Orlando school anymore. Since Sifu George opened his new place there are now 2 WL schools in Orlando. His old school was in Altamonte Springs but he moved down the road to Orlando.

[Green_Tea]

Hua Lin Laoshi,

There's actually four sifus at my temple: Mimi, Tu, Marcus, and Ricardo. We also have Sigung Chan.

[SaMantis]

Wow, I didn't realize Sifu George had moved closer in -- I knew he was building a new school though, just thought it was near the Altamonte location. Thanks for the heads-up HLL!

[Frogman]

Welcome.


Tommy
RibHit
:cool:

[yu shan]

Good luck with your training in Wah Lum. Seeing your past achievements, you are up for a challenge! BTW, your legs are not going to get any smaller doing WL, there is alot of emphasis on leg strenght. I`ll keep an eye out for the ring with a crazed woman doing LOG! Hope to meet you.

[flem]

yu shan,
i saw your name on this post and as i read through the thread i was regretting what was to come... wow, i'm impressed, ty!

[Green_Tea]

yu_shan,

Thanks, I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people. I've been wanting to make kung fu friends, but I'm just too darn shy. My husband ends up making them all *lol*. Anyway, look for the girl with the "Chun Li" buns (really the only way my hair'll stay up, no wonder she wears those things ;)) and my hubby looks like Elijah Wood plus a goatee *lol*. Oh wait, I think I have pictures...

Hubby (Jared): http://www.animesushi.com/albums/album25/idmjared.sized.jpg

Me (Lesley): http://www.risingsun.net/gallery/megacon2004/friday/image/mc2004-0041.jpg (did I mention I'm a **** ;)).

[Green_Tea]

Oh, *lol* looks like the admins thought I was cursing again. I said I was a geek :).

[Frogman]

HLL,

Sifu, It was not more then two years ago that they had the grand opening in Altamonte Springs, what a great show. I’m surprised that they would move so soon???

RibHit
fm
:cool:

[Hua Lin Laoshi]

Green_Tea
There's actually five Sifus at the Temple now. :)

Frogman
Time flies when you're having fun. The opening of the Altamonte schools was like 5 or 6 years ago. The new school was March 2003. Sifu George bought some property and built a really nice school with a large training area and all the amenities.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Beware of the Brazilian sifu.. only a few will understand this, but beware.. if he shakes your hand, count your fingers..

Be well..

[Green_Tea]

Originally posted by Hua Lin Laoshi
Green_Tea
There's actually five Sifus at the Temple now. :)


Who am I forgetting? *counts on her fingers* Mimi (1), Tu (2), Marcus (3), Ricardo (4).... I will feel really bad when I realize who I am forgetting :) I know Sihing Arial was thinking about testing for one.

[Green_Tea]

Oh wait, are you talking about Sifu Dave from Kissimmee? I know he's been helping us out but I have yet to meet him in person.

[Siuhoimoon]

I don´t know the Brazilian sifu very well... The times I was around the temple, he always seemed to be a good guy.... not so talkative, it´s true, but I could not see anything wrong with the guy..... but maybe I don´t know him so well as TCB. :)

By the way: does anybody know the other Brazilian sifu listed on the school listing? :confused:

[Mediocrity]

Welcome to the Wah Lum family :)

[Green_Tea]

Originally posted by Siuhoimoon
I don´t know the Brazilian sifu very well... The times I was around the temple, he always seemed to be a good guy.... not so talkative, it´s true, but I could not see anything wrong with the guy..... but maybe I don´t know him so well as TCB. :)



I love Sifu Ricardo! :) He seems so serious but I remember the first time I made him laugh. Now he teases me a little but not a lot. Though it means a bunch coming from him because I was a little afraid of him when I first came to Wah Lum :p .

Mediocrity, do you learn at the Wah Lum in Kentucky?

[Mediocrity]

Aye, I do currently. I'm new to it though (learning 16 hands). Studying under Sifu Sam Smith :)

[Green_Tea]

Oh! You aren't that far behind me then, I just finished Little Open Gate but I won't be moving on to First Form until July because I'm preparing for a tournament. Are you about ready to take your first test? (Or does your school work differently?). After 16 Hands you should learn 8 Basic Kicks and then Little Open Gate, right? Good to meet someone in the same spot as me :).

[Mediocrity]

I'm still in the middle of learning 16 hands and then after that I may test. Sifu said the school was still small enough that he knew whether or not we were ready so I may actually test or not.

[Green_Tea]

That's good that you get a lot of attention. At my school you can only test the first Saturday of each month. I was supposed to test in January but I wanted to make doubley sure I was comfortable with my basics so I didn't test until Feb. Do you have to do the written part too? With the history of Wah Lum? And tell teh difference between long and short and shoft and hard defenses and attacks? That was the hardest part for me. I made a color- coded chart to help :).

[Mediocrity]

Sifu quizzes us after class sometimes, but I'm not sure. Might have to do the written part though. I'll find out in a couple of months though :)