"I can honestly say I feel 15 years younger"

 

My interest in martial arts began about 3 years ago over dinner with an old friend.  Like  me, he is a father of a large homeschool family and has a lot of the same joys and  struggles that I do.  At one point during the evening I was lamenting how hard it is to find time to get exercise amidst the demands of work, fathering, and life.  My friend described how he had been taking one of his kids to karate class and after a few weeks of sitting there and watching it occurred to him that he might as well join in. Surprisingly he really enjoyed it and soon had the entire family going to class a couple times per week.  Hearing this sent me on a personal crusade to come up with a similar opportunity for my family.   I loathed the thought of driving around to soccer, ballet, baseball, and a host of other activities while I sit on the sideline growing older, fatter and dumber.  Martial arts seemed to be the missing piece I was looking for. Thus began my quest for a martial arts school.

After contacting several schools in the area I finally decided to try a month membership as a "chain" school near home.  It wasn't quite what I had hoped for, the instructor was plenty friendly but was only about 25 years old with a 2nd Dan black belt, not exactly the Mr Miagi image I had of a karate instructor. The workouts seemed rather abbreviated and it never seemed that I got warmed up enough to avoid hurting a hip, knee or some other aging part of my anatomy. Adding to my concern was finding out that I was limited to 2 or 3 workouts per week and that a membership at their school required a 18 month financial commitment.  This was a big red flag in my book but it got even worse.  As I pressed for more information I learned that 18 months gets me 1/2 way to being a black belt and that the cost for the second half of the program more than doubled what the first half cost.  I started to feel more like I was getting sucked into a pyramid scheme than enrolling in a karate school.

It was around this time that I finally found out about Top Tae Kwon Do and stopped in for a visit.  Being older and wiser I was armed with all the necessary questions this time around and was pleased to learn that there were no contracts to sign, only one unchanging monthly price and I can quit any time I want.  Classes are offered daily and I can come any time they are open.  I learned that Top Tae Kwon Do is not a chain, there is only one instructor, in one location and that Master Mehdi has over 37 years of martial arts experience, is a 6th Dan Tae Kwon Do instructor in addition to previously obtaining a 7th Dan in Kung Fu.  This all sounded good so my daughter and I dropped in for a class and were astonished at the quality, intensity and fun we experienced. I actually broke a sweat warming up for class and was pretty well exhausted by the end, but I felt awesome!  There was no comparison to the "chain school" we had been experiencing the last few weeks.

That visit was nearly 3 years ago and the benefits we've experienced are too many to list, but I'll try anyway.  I can honestly say I feel 15 years younger. I had suffered from chronic pain in my knees and lower back for several years but now those symptoms are nearly or completely gone.  I actually put on 10 pounds over that time period, but since I can now see my toes without bending forward I'm guessing there was a substantial conversion from fat to muscle. I can now do a jumping spinning crossing kick and a 360 tornado kick with ease and feel much more confident if I were put in a situation where I needed to defend myself or another.  The many hours Noelle (my oldest daughter) and I have spent together has deepened our relationship and has been a quality touch point into her life.  As the eldest child in a large family she often gets the short end of the stick so TTKD has been a great way for us to get quality time together.

Noelle and I had the honor of receiving our black belts in February and it was a true joy to be able to go through that process together.  The rest of my kids have seen what a difference it's made in Noelle's life and now it has become a family event with dad and all the kids.  This has really benefitted us as well since my wife gets some very deserving time to herself a few times a week and I can confidently check off "Phy Ed" from our home school list as the kids grow in physical conditioning, flexibility, confidence, better eating habits and in self defense skills.

There are many aspects to our involvement with TTKD that I totally love.  I can honestly say that over the past 3 years of consistently training 3 times a week that I have yet to get bored, at all.  Master Mehdi has a particular gift in knowing how hard to push students at all levels and his unrelenting positive attitude and upbeat personality are unwavering.  He has a seemingly endless supply of stories and illustrations that shed light into the art of Tae Kwon Do and the art of living itself.  It is nearly impossible to be a part of TTKD for long and maintain a grumpy personality.  All students are encouraged constantly to smile, to make friends, and to help others in the class.