As a child I wanted to take karate but my parents wouldn't let me. They said it was piano lessons or nothing....as a tomboy that was an easy decision, I went with nothing. Do I regret it? A little. But I stand by my passion which is staying physically active. Sitting on a bench running my fingers on a musical platform just wasn't me. So when I had my son, I wanted to give him the opportunity to learn something that will give him discipline and still provide a means for him to stay active. Now 12 years later, my son's been practicing and competing in Taekwondo at state and national levels as a 2nd degree black belt.
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| My son in red (the flying ninja) |
I too started taking taekwondo classes a few years back and was able to obtain my red belt, just two belts shy of a black belt. Due to the distance and busy schedule, I wasn't able to finish. But last year, the beau took an interest in Krav Maga, an Israeli self defense discipline, and started taking classes at Beach Cities Family Self Defense, a local school nearby. He expressed such excitement during the first week of classes that I became interested in it and started taking classes with him. Now a year later, we've achieved both the level 1 and level 2 testing requirements making us current orange belters.
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| With our Master Instructor |
The classes not only teach self defense techniques but they also put you through rigorous cardio training to break you down physically and mentally to prepare you for self defense at the most unexpected moments. All classes last an hour long and on some days, you're practically put through boot camp style "warm up" for the first 30 minutes before they start on techniques. So needless to say, what you learn here not only will help you defend yourself but also put you in shape!
I have learned a lot by taking Krav Maga and after having taken 2 belt tests already, I have a lot of respect to those who continue on to obtain their black belt, which normally takes 4-5 years. It's a tough training process, but the end result is rewarding.
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