Bruno@BS
03-08-2009, 06:52
I joined yesterday. I joined Genbukan ninpo a couple of weeks ago, and I did some research about the traditional ryu system and ninpo. I found several MA forums, including this one.
I am new to traditional Japanese Martial Arts. When I was in college I practised modern jiu-jitsu for 3.5 years, but quit when I was in the last year of my masters degree because of lack of time.
After a year or to I started again, but due to work (I was a consultant) it watered down eventually so I quit.
A couple of years ago I tried kendo. I liked the boken kata, but when it was time to don the armor (forgot the name) I chickened out. I had a severe concussion once, and I didn't fancy another one. I tried on one of those helmets, and asked a more experienced member to hit me. I understand that in any martial art, injuries can happen. Even in flower arranging, you can cut your finger.
But the hits were hard enough to have a significant risk of causing me a concussion (research confirmed this) and getting hit on the head is a normal part of practising. My livelihood depends on sitting behind a computer screen 10 to 12 hours per day, and concussions can seriously hinder that. so I left.
A month ago I found a flyer that advertised a traditional ju-jutsu dojo that had just opened up, not 5 minutes from where I live. So i visited their website, emailed the sensei, and then agreed to drop by for a try-out lesson. It was only then that I found out it is actually ninpo they teach atm, and not yet ju-jutsu (genbukan does both).
I really enjoyed the try-out session. So I filled in all the paperwork and became a member. There is a lot of discussion, comapring one MA to another. But to me, the most important thing is to enjoy it, and it provides what you want to get out of it.
I have a wife and 2 daughters (4 and 2) and a lot of my free time goes to renovating my house.
As for hobbies, I spend a lot of my time on C++ programming and writing articles about that. But my biggest time sink is being a moderator on a website for people who share an interest in wet shaving and straight razors. I also restore damaged antique straight razors.
Oh and I like coffee. A lot.
Note: if this post looks familiar: I used a similar post to introduce myself on another forum. since I am still me, and my reasons for joining are the same, as well as my MA background :) I figured there would be little point in writing something completely different.
I am new to traditional Japanese Martial Arts. When I was in college I practised modern jiu-jitsu for 3.5 years, but quit when I was in the last year of my masters degree because of lack of time.
After a year or to I started again, but due to work (I was a consultant) it watered down eventually so I quit.
A couple of years ago I tried kendo. I liked the boken kata, but when it was time to don the armor (forgot the name) I chickened out. I had a severe concussion once, and I didn't fancy another one. I tried on one of those helmets, and asked a more experienced member to hit me. I understand that in any martial art, injuries can happen. Even in flower arranging, you can cut your finger.
But the hits were hard enough to have a significant risk of causing me a concussion (research confirmed this) and getting hit on the head is a normal part of practising. My livelihood depends on sitting behind a computer screen 10 to 12 hours per day, and concussions can seriously hinder that. so I left.
A month ago I found a flyer that advertised a traditional ju-jutsu dojo that had just opened up, not 5 minutes from where I live. So i visited their website, emailed the sensei, and then agreed to drop by for a try-out lesson. It was only then that I found out it is actually ninpo they teach atm, and not yet ju-jutsu (genbukan does both).
I really enjoyed the try-out session. So I filled in all the paperwork and became a member. There is a lot of discussion, comapring one MA to another. But to me, the most important thing is to enjoy it, and it provides what you want to get out of it.
I have a wife and 2 daughters (4 and 2) and a lot of my free time goes to renovating my house.
As for hobbies, I spend a lot of my time on C++ programming and writing articles about that. But my biggest time sink is being a moderator on a website for people who share an interest in wet shaving and straight razors. I also restore damaged antique straight razors.
Oh and I like coffee. A lot.
Note: if this post looks familiar: I used a similar post to introduce myself on another forum. since I am still me, and my reasons for joining are the same, as well as my MA background :) I figured there would be little point in writing something completely different.