Well he took my brothers,not me though. I wasn't allowed to go for a long time:
"Why would you need to defend yourself?your brothers and future husband will do that,besides your a girl and girls don't fight"
So I enviously watched as my brothers learnt,then at the age of 9 I was kidnapped. Not gonna go into the details but basically it showed my dad that him my brothers won't always be there to defend. They weren't there when I needed them most. After I was free I forced my dad to let me take martial arts. This time he couldn't say no. 14 years years later, I'm sufficient in judo,kickboxing,jujitsu,muay thai and eskrima (only started eskrima a year ago though) and I kick all five brother's asss.
I suppose if he'd never taken my brothers I wouldn't have found the arts. I've felt vulnerable,hopefully never,ever again. My contact with evil people fuels me.
Martial arts is now my life. And even though dad didn't want me to train,he's pretty impressed by my dedication. Almost proud,almost.
Boxing was my first sport/art. I chose that of my own regard. My dad didn't like it, because he thought like many people do that boxing is too dangerous, but he accepted it.
Dad used to wrestle when he was younger. So, when I decided to take up wrestling he'd give me all sorts of tips. He used to train like a monster for wrestling and a lot of his training ideas came onto me. He taught me all the body-weight exercises I can do now.
My dad is a very hard worker. He's faced many hardships, but he hasn't let that affect him. Whatever he does, he does it perfectly, regardless of what it is. When I find training difficult; say I've had a bad night's sleep, I always think of how hard it would have been for my dad to commute 89 miles a day and back to work when things were tough for my family. I try and emulate my dad's attitude when I train.
From advice in wrestling, advice in university examinations.. whatever, if I need sage advice, dad's the person to go to.
My God Uncles who are God Fathers influenced me to practice a certain Karate but I don't called the God Family anymore but there is three that influenced me the most through their children who did martial arts whether they taught me a lesson or not now my permanent lesson is not writing messed up things to long lost family or women.
Purpose, commitment, perspective,... My Dad started everything for me in regards to my path for Martial Arts. His was the methodology, the approach, and the determination that inspired me to train, and teach H2H. With all things there are rights and wrongs,... with my Dad there was always the Right to fix the wrongs.
For me, an elder male cousin told my mother that martial arts would help our grades. He put the bug in her ear, she put us in some classes. We stopped, but, I returned as an adult. Now my kids are into it. We're hobbyists, but, it's a hobby that makes you move, opens your mind and gets you to meet new people and explore new ideas.
My father couldn't give a d*mn about his family. It was my mother who took the time to understand what I wanted, helped me find a good instructor and then drove me to every class before I got my driver's license..
My father and stepfather are both big boxing fans. My brother had a much larger effect on my martial arts practice, but the former helped plant the initial seed. They both taught me a few things about boxing, and have a few amateur fights under their belt. My brother was in the same boat, but he branched off after reading the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and then encouraged me to train in many styles.
Well, you asked, and I don't hide from my past. Not every father plays the role very well.
My father and stepfather = a-wholes, I was 0-2 growing up. So I honor no one on father's day.
As to martial arts, it provided me the male role model my fathers should have provided. So in a twist, my fathers' lack of father skills influenced me INTO taking up martial arts. And in a further twist, it (or rather, an understanding instructor) taught me to see my life more clearly, and provided the impetus for me to rid myself of them.
So the short answer is that lousy parenting caused me to take up martial arts, which helped me to oust them.
no, my father and my mother never influenced.
At first, he was skeptical about it. Being a correction officer, he was very exposed to violence and did not want to see his son get hurt. We eventually went to the dojo together, and before I knew it, he was signing me up! He bought my gi and my patches, and we work out together when I am not in the dojo training. Him and the head sensei have also developed a close relationship, as have the sensei and I. My dad has helped me a lot in my martial arts experience.
In honor of Father's Day, how has your father influenced your journey in the martial arts?
He's the guy who started it all for me.
he bought samurai swords and a mechete.
