Generic self-introduction!

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Hi everyone, I'm a 40-year-old NT in Montreal, Canada... I think. I've recently discovered that I enjoy the company of Aspies rather more than that of NTs, and the more I learn about Asperger's the more I think that it is a good possibility that I am somewhere on that spectrum - I plan to speak to my doctor about it, not that I think that it will change anything at this point in my life one way or another. I was hyperlexic as a toddler, have a very high IQ, and was ostracized and bullied for the entire duration of my elementary and high school experience. I'm now told I'm likeable and funny, and I'm so proud of that; it's something I decided to learn to do, not something that comes naturally, and I worked very hard to learn to mimic. I still can't "read" other people worth a darn but I've gotten better at identifying verbal mood markers over the years, and a few years studying martial arts helped a lot with reading body language (you have to "read" it to react quickly to an opponent, and the way people shift their weight in conversation vs their intent/feeling is strikingly similar to the way they would if they felt physically threatened). I was never very good at the kung-fu, I've always been clumsy and awkward.

I was diagnosed with depression relatively young, and still struggle with it, but I can honestly say that most days, these days, I'm happier than I was than the day before, and that is my goal each and every day.


Looking forward to hearing from you, all of you, any of you,

Pickle-Marie in Montreal

Canned welcoming reply!


Scratch that. Hello there, Pickle-Marie. I think a lot of us here can relate to the childhood bullying, but I'm also happy to hear that your life is continually improving. I have had some people recommend martial arts to me for my clumsiness,mans it's cool to finally hear from someone who may be on the spectrum who has some experience with it.

Pull up a digital chair and sit a spell.

What a lovely welcome message, thank you Sagroth! I'll gladly take you up on that digital chair you're offering there. I've started blundering around the site and I think I really like it here.
I'm boringly predictable in that, like most students, I love talking about martial arts, and I'm especially intrigued by the idea of studying specifically to address clumsiness - I started training to deal with fear, personally. Are you looking at any style in particular or is it still just a general idea more than a plan?

Well, both martial arts and yoga were suggested to combat my issues with coordination. More ground-oriented combat forms are out, as I have a huge fear of being smothered. From what little research I've done, Aikido looks like a decent option. Lots of focus on breathing and posture. What martial arts did you train, and if you studied more than one, which do you think helped you out the most?

I've trained seriously in Wing Chun kung fu and Hung-Gar kung fu; I've done a bit of karate and a bit of white crane kung fu farther back on the timeline, but nothing to write home about. And (disclosure) I'm out of training and have been for several years now.
Wing Chun is far and away the style that meets my needs best; it's a fighting style that emphasizes the speed that you can only get when your body is relaxed, and maximizes the benefits of the "shortest distance between two points" principle. Simplicity, speed, and balance. It's the style that is known for the "one-inch punch", popularized by Uma Thurman in the movie "Kill Bill". My focus wasn't on my clumsiness, although in retrospect perhaps it ought to have been - I needed to address a growing anxiety problem and I wanted to feel scary, physically powerful, strong, competent, able to defend myself. Predictably enough, the mental training was much more useful for that than learning how to throw a devastating punch, ultimately.
If your primary goal in taking up a martial art is managing a tendency towards clumsiness, I would start with the obvious question: why are you clumsy? Is it mostly because you are easily distracted and forget to pay attention to your body while moving around (that's me), or do you trip over stuff and overbalance and stuff even when you're paying attention and trying not to? Actually, even more obvious, HOW are you clumsy? Are you a tripper, a stumbler, a face-faller (me, again)? An overbalancer? A toe-stepper or shin-kicker? I'm not sure about Aikido for you, anyway, I would more go for something that doesn't require mats on the floor (Judo and Aikido both have a wrestling element that I think you would just hate if you have a horror of being stifled). Are you more likely to benefit from a formal atmosphere in the training space or a relaxed one?

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome!

Welkome to WP

Mick

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!