Yay! I think I found my calling :)

Post Reply New Topic

Well, I always new what it was deep down. Martial Arts.

I have been doing Martial Arts for about 2-3 years now (different styles and systems). About 14 months ago I found ToShinDo. At any rate, I got my third belt rank then stopped, due to a move and some other stuff. Last week I hit the dojo again for the first time in over a month. Man, what was I thinking not being there?

From the moment I walked in the dojo door to the time I left, I felt "alive" for the first time in a long time. Since last week I have gone 3 times, loved it all.

I had a feeling from over a year ago that I wanted to make Martial Arts my life, but I was still in HS and had other things on my mind.

My other calling is helping others. I figured I could mix them. So ya, I guess my true calling is a lifetime of martial arts with the goal of one day running a program or dojo to help teach others with autism/disabilities (or gifts, whichever you want to label them as).

Anyways, my folks just agreed to let me dip into my education fund (college was not looking like an option atm) and said I could get 50 hours 1:1 training with one of the instructors. Hes a really great guy (Advanced Brown in TSD, mix martial arts, judo, and some other arts as well as being a licensed fitness trainer (his workouts cause pain, but are great >.>))

I have taken some 1:1 with him in the past and he works really well with me and my... strangeness. So, 50 hours + the 2-4x/wk schedule I used to do. I am so happy right now.

Plus he shows me the cool stuff . In the system I am still a very low rank and I cannot take the more advanced classes. But, with him I get to learn the nerve strikes, sweep take downs, knife fighting, ground fighting, and throws normally reserved for those in higher ranks.

Eventually I will need to get a special education certificate of some sort and some business knowledge.

Sorry for this random post, I am just very happy.

I am so glad for you
My teen son takes Kenpo karate and it is the one thing he looks forward to!
Everyone is there to learn, and it is a "safe" place. Very positive, no bullying allowed. When you go there you know that it is something that is good for your self esteem and your mind and body.
It's can also be kind of social.
Keep it up! Maybe you will become a volunteer assistant and eventually an instructor.
What a great quality you have to want to help others, especially special needs. There is an instructor at his dojo who was a helper as a teen for my young kids, and went on to become an occupational therepist who works in the school system, and also instructs karate for regular and special needs students.Parents like me soo appreciate her!

Well, my interest in To-Shin Do and helping to teach kids with Autism and such only go to a certain point. TSD is basically modern ninjitsu. The techniques learned at the later level are meant for killing and or disabling (arm breaks, neck breaks, fractures, etc). Also one thing you learn later (though I hope to learn sooner) is strike meant for hitting nerve clusters in order to paralyze or shut down organs.

I am a very non violent person though (not a pacifist however). I seek this stuff for personal improvement and knowledge.

After I reach a certain point I plan to develop a specialized curriculum for people with disabilities. My goal in teaching is to help such individuals learn motor skills, balance, perception, and "discipline" (for actions). I don't really think it would be a good idea to teach some of the people in said category nerve strikes and "the most effective way to kill an attacker with as little effort as needed".

Of course, this is all way down the road. I am 18 now, I think I will be between 21-22 before I get my first degree BB.

I went to a school in MA some may know called Dr. Franklin Perkins (not the one for the deaf). The kind of people I want to teach are kids who went there. Its not just Autism. ADD/ADHD, Bi-polar, etc. I want to help all sorts of people with different struggles. That being said, some of the kids at that school would be very dangerous with some of these moves.

I have mixed feelings about allot of this. I feel Martial Arts reduces the chances of a fight, but increases the chances of a fight (if it happened) to have very unpleasant results for the person on the other end of this stuff.

As I said, I am 18. Very young. I have my whole life ahead and allot of "wisdom" to acquire. By the time I am ready for teaching, I will know more.

Thanks for the support

Edit: One of my "dreams" was to start a business that catered to individuals with special needs through Martial Arts. I have had it for awhile. Not sure how realistic it is.

I am very excited for you. My husband teaches ju jitsu... he teaches a few kids classes and the kids who do the best in these classes are the autistic and adhd kids. They love it. They also show improvement with motor control, fine motor skills, grades, classroom behavior, self control... The positive impact of mind and body working together is something to see. He is currently going for a degree so he can be a certified occupational therapist who can incorporate these kinds of techniques in schools and he also hopes to open dojos in the future where all sorts of people can go to better themselves and enrich their lives for whatever their reason may be.

I encourage you to keep on keeping at it. The importance of the benefits of the things you spoke of go over looked and you can and will do so much good for so many people in the future. I believe martial arts do nothing but good for people. You have no idea how delighted your post just made me. It is good to see someone who not only knows their calling, but to find one that can help so many people... When you are ready, I am sure you will be a wonderful teacher. I do wish you well in this.

CHUCK NORRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !

Wow!! ! This post makes me truly happy and thanks for posting it. It sounds like you have a good career ahead of you and years from now there will be lost of people who look back on your class as one of their favorites. Lots of people have a certain teacher who sticks out in their memories as somebody who truly taught them a lot and truly "got" them. You are destined to be that teacher for some very lucky people.

I agree, and what helps is that you're Autistic; helps ya think outside the box quite a bit.

You're filling a need that most don't think of. They "claim" they do, but they don't; use it to your advantage, good sir.

In fact, as you know, I own my own business. I know "what's so special about that?" It's the strategy I'm using that's different from everyone else.

I've told some people in the industry--those I trust--about it, and they think I'm insane. I've told those who have faith in me about it--who I also trust--and I blew their minds.

Am I bothered by those who think I'm insane? To answer that question, was Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell bothered by it? Was Ayn Rand bothered by it? Was Ronald Reagan bothered by it? Was Walt Disney bothered by it? Was Todd McFarlane bothered by it?

Get my drift?

My point is...go for it, good sir! Oh yeah, and...CHUCK NORRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

Chuck Norris would not hold a candle so to speak on any of the top level people in my art. They would decimate him.

But thanks for all the positive feedback.