Been a long time. I think Greychuan said it right though...after so much time it sort of just comes out however it comes out; and though I think I answered this in another thread a while back, but I'll try again with the other tidbits that I forgot about last time...it's always fun to step back into memory lane.
Let's see, around 5-6 years old: learned some Karate from a friend of the family. Around 9-10 yo, switched to TKD. Did that for a while, went to different TKD schools, eventually got a black belt...started helping out with the teaching duties, etc.
Around 12 yo, started learning Hawaiian based wing chun from my step brother, in addition to muay thai from a family friend from Thailand. Dabbled in some JKD around this time as well.
I think around 16 yo I started going to another class that taught Kung jung mu sul, it's like hapkido or kuk sool won. Basic karateka type kicks and punches, lots of small joint manipulation and throws.
Around 17-18 yo I started studying a Southern "Shaolin" internal style called Jingang Quan. I also started studying a different kind of MT with another local guy. This went on till I joined the military when I was 21.
So after basic, I get stationed in Florida. Started learning a Shaolin Wu Xing Chuan, Tai chi, Shiua Jiao, Chin Na, and chi kung (it was all in one school). Still maintained my MT by finding others that trained in it, and I took on students for wing chun after a while. Attained black belt/sifu ranking and started teaching this system for a while. A guy there had also trained in WC--luckily for me. We practiced and exchanged info...etc.
Took a few months of a trip on one of my deployments to S.Korea, and here I got experience with some of the masters there. Nothing special, I learned what doing movies was like...at least from the stuntman standpoint.
Got back, started playing around with XMA, doing all the acrobatic type stuff...had a website and all for it. Was thinking about going on the circuit for that or do San Shou--but was getting deployed too much to do it.
Trained in BJJ for only about a year. Fun fun fun!
Broke my wrist, had a couple surgeries, had to take some time off. Took some EBMAS wing chun for not long at all, my wrist wasn't able to take it--but it was a **** good class and a very hard workout. Teach knows his shiet, though I didn't agree with all the chain punching all the time.
Anyway...at 31 years old, I'm in school now so I train with friends in maintenance mode, while going to my old MT coach's place from time to time to train and spar. Been looking into a Judo club here that I'll probably go to once a week. Wing chun I practice with old students, or I'll use it when I spar at my MT coach's place.
At this point, I think the things I did the longest were WC and Muay thai--but it's all a mish-mash when I fight. Any bit of it can come out at any time. One something is ingrained, you forget about the classical mess (BL) and just act on instinct. It's been a fun ride, but I'm nowhere near being done yet.
Thoughts on wing chun: I think it is a very effective system, and it has worked well for me. I don't worry about lines or lineages or any of that crap. I take useful information from anyone I meet in those circles, retain it and use it. The wing chun I've learned is almost a mix in and of itself, having learned from a number of sources.
Last edited by SAAMAG; 04-17-2008 at 10:04 AM.
"I don't know if anyone is known with the art of "sitting on your couch" here, but in my eyes it is also to be a martial art.
It is the art of avoiding dangerous situations. It helps you to avoid a dangerous situation by not actually being there. So lets say there is a dangerous situation going on somewhere other than your couch. You are safely seated on your couch so you have in a nutshell "difused" the situation."