I've been involved in the Martial Arts for 20 years now and just like many of you
I began training to defend myself. In the last 5 years I've fought and trained
fighters for combat sports (pro boxing / Vale tudo).
Even though I don't teach a self defense curriculum I've always tried to remind
the fighters that when the fight carrer is over we still have the street to contend with
and a even greater battle called "Life." I've never wanted to be a "World Champion"
in combat sports I just wanted to be an influence that may help a person become one.
I've trained with world champions in KickBoxing in the Past....Ive met many Boxing
World Champions at different shows (HBO/PPV).....Ive trained Under Dave Mennes
brother in Muay Thai for the last 3 yrs.....all that to say this ...with all this access to
so called "World Class" athletes I still feel that there is something left to conquer in
my training.....competive sports take a lot of time and effort...which causes alot of
wear and tear on the body......But by no means is it a streetfight.....a Bar Fight...
a military battleground or anything close to these bloody battles.
In the last two weeks Ive had two of my ex fighters make contact with me to say
these things: Fighter one (a ex boxer) left the gym at age 15 when his mother was
killed in a car accident 3 yrs ago and had to move away. He came by the gym recently
and thanked me not for the boxing lessons or training but for my comments about real
self defense....character development and Prayer.......He now is in college and
runs a small business in his spare time.....and is heavily involved in the church
with his girl friend. Fighter two is a member of this forum who is in the military,
he just recently started training at the gym and asked me to train him for an upcoming
fight, but because of the WTC events he has been called to duty. He sent me an email
to let me know that our training together (albeit short ) was important and meaningful,
and looks foward to picking up where we left off.
This makes what I do worth it.......If I never win a belt or a super big cash
prize.....I know deep down that I have TWO world champions in this thing called
life.....Warriors who face up to the daily threat of designing a lifestyle in what
can be a not so nice world.
Scott, even though Im a Sport fighter, I don't take a exception to anything
you said in the Manifesto Post.....As a matter of fact I agree with you on alot
of points...especially about the degradation of Martial Arts in this country.
May peace be unto the forum
and May God Bless America.