Beware the Ides of March and April Showers

February for me I thought was a new dawn.  Being doubly at risk to Covid-19, the rapid development of vaccinations and being able to get my first jab was like opening a window to the light at the end of the tunnel.  

Mental health issues were also a concern.  Four people living in the same house 24x7 for 11 months had also taken it's toll: Two had confirmed mental health issues going into the first lockdown, whilst I was starting to have some issues, which only got worse for a while.  The other member of our household also started to suffer, so there was offer of respite there too.

Then there were financial issues that were immediately pressing when the first lock down occurred.  These had got worse and worse during the 11 months, as it turned out through no fault of my own.  I thought I had managed to these resolved too by February.

I was wrong on both  counts 😕  The "so near yet so far syndrome" kicked in, with the frustration of having to wait another 12 weeks before thinking of actually being able to comfortably go out again,  I am not the only member of my family to need a second jab, and in some ways things became even more of a frustration.  Tempers started to get more ragged, and mine was included in that, plus mood swings.

Then there were the finances, what I had thought was resolved turned out not to be.  Lets say it involves pensions, a mistake on behalf of the pension company, and then the tax man losing most of my repayments plus another complication.  I thought I had solved all that, but no I hadn't  and the complication reared it's head again with a bite back.  With the other issues, I was struggling to face that too.

Now comes the hardest part, I have to admit I have a liking for alcohol.  Most of the time it isn't a problem, but at times during the 14 month Covid lockdown (for me) it has been an issue, and these last months it has probably been at it's worst.  All in all you could say that it was a volatile cocktail and I wasn't making things anything easier for myself.

Looking back thing really started to deteriorate just before my 60th birthday.   Things seemed to going reasonably well between most of us, then one what I thought was a small reaction to a situation started to make things unravel.  I will spare you the details, but basically we all limped through a couple of days to mine then my sons birthdays, but then after that things really unravelled.

I just about held myself together when working and tried to stick at karate, but the close proximity of all concerned made that difficult too. Home issues intermingled with the training and as things worsened between me and the rest of the family, obviously my training was affected as well, so I lost for me what was a certain anchor point for a while.

Basically, whatever other peoples actions were, my own responses and mood swings were definitely making thing worse.  For the last part of March and most of April it is fair to say that no-one in the house wanted to talk to me.  In part this was down to the fact that they all have their own issues to deal with, but a a bigger part was my difficulties in dealing with issues I had thought already resolved and mood swings caused my own mental state, fuelled with an increased reliance on alcohol as an escape mechanism.

Most of April was more of the same, with me withdrawing into myself, trying to avoid conflict and family contact time (including training) and resorting to alcohol as one of the escape mechanisms.  Also trying to bury my head in the sand about external issues and ignoring correspondence I knew was related to it "putting it off until tomorrow", but knowing it would come home to roost.  Something had to give and eventually it did.

For a few weeks things limped along as they were, but on 24th April, things came to head. It was a combination of everything that got to me, The feeling of isolation, coupled with the other worries and fuelled by drink led to me holding a knife to myself, contemplating ending it all.  My partner took one knife from me, but I found another. At that point, the lack of response to my sister's calls resulted in the police being called.

The police took the second knife, and long talks with me and my family ensued.  Due to my co-morbidities and the fact I hadn't had the second Covid jab, the first option of being taken to A&E really didn't appeal.  The second option was to try to work it out within the family, and that's the way I've gone.  It certainly hasn't been plain sailing, but we started talking again at that point.

I faced up to the root cause of the financial worries, though there is still a lot of work to do.  The family have helped me get my drinking under control and the sense of isolation has to a large extent faded. However, we are all aware how fragile things are and at times have to strive to keep feelings under control.  Very much work in progress but hopefully at least some things are now going in the right direction.   I am enjoying my karate again too, so little steps.

REY 31/05/2021

Never give up, never give in

The month of November, going into December you could say has been a testing one.   Work has been manic, having had to work the last two weekends and again this weekend, I have managed to train at least once a week, but sometimes that has been it in some weeks, apart from short snatches of kata or drills here or there.

Naihanchi Drills 0511

It has been somewhat challenging at home too, with the ups and down of mood and tension that goes with four people being at home all the time.  The separation needed doesn't always materialise and things can be magnified many times over as a result, but we have to keep on going.

Naihanchi after the lesson 0711

That said, I did manage to fit in a lesson with PJ Broomy at the start of November, and led to something a little different later on.  From my own dojo's perspective, we have been concentrating mainly on kata, the Naihanchi pad drills and fundamentals, mostly online due to the lockdown (all online for me of course).

More Naihanchi, drills and kata 1411

One of the signs that I, and fellow students of a similar grade, are making progress is that we have now started to be shown Naihanchi Sandan and perform it in lessons.  At the start of the Covid-19 crisis, my only kata to perform was Naihanchi Shodan, but zoom lessons have by their solo nature for practice have included kata as a strong element of our lessons.

Kata and Naihanch drills 1911

Our Sensei also keep asking us to provide performance videos of our kata, so that they can check on progress individually.  This has resulted in a good amount of feedback, which I like to think has gone a long way towards the progress.  Along with lots of practice of course.

2111 Lesson Part 1

One of the lessons we did, I videoed my part for the whole session, as a sample record of what we are doing and guess what, it was fundamentals plus the Naihanchi drills. The good thing about this is that it allows me compare what I do now against what I was doing when I started ☺☺☺

2111 Lesson Part 2

The good thing about that, is I got to realise the improvements I have made over time.  They are only small ones on a day to day basis, but over two or more years they mount up to quite a lot of progress.  As always though, there is still room for improvement.  That's an attitude I always want to keep, as nothing I do will ever be perfect.

2211 Lesson Part 3

Sometimes, when work is demanding and home life is problematic, an escape is needed.  Karate easily provided that during the summer months, with space in the garden to train and get away from all the other issues for a while, but then comes autumn and winter.  The weather isn't so clement and night draws in.

2111 Part 4

The first victim was kobudo, as space indoors even during the daytime, doesn't allow for the use of bo and nunchaku, the weapons taught primarily in our dojo.  Them the number of lessons I could attend dropped off, due to me having to work my full and sometimes extended hours, to meet project requirements and catch up on basics.  Due to family needs, the space available later in the day is far less than the earlier hours.

2111 Part 5

I found myself drifting back towards online life and gaming, which before karate had always been my release.  But it is nowhere near as mentally challenging or gives the self discipline and physical outlet I need to cope physically with my medical needs or mentally, to combat the current circumstances.  Fortunately a friend had inadvertently offered a lifeline.

2111 Kata after the lesson

When the "Karate Nerd in China" came out in December / January, I was an avid viewer, and the series piqued my interest in the "oldest kata" in karate, Seisan.  My lesson with PJ Broomy at the start of the month had me frustrated, because I couldn't join in directly with the kata part.  They do Tekki Shodan, but not as a part of their core, but they do Seisan.

Seisan, first part

PJ kindly shared a video of him doing the kata, with detail, so I set myself a challenge: To learn it.  I did this with a twofold purpose, it could be used as a breathing kata to add on to Tensho, that I already practice, and to know I kata I could do if I do another online lesson with PJ's dojo.  The history also fascinates me, so I think it will be the source of two further blogs: Nerd meets Practice and then a pure Nerd blog, in truth the first one is part way there.  That's another challenge, the mental stimulus.

2811 Kata cool down

So now I'm back to training more and today is the last weekend scheduled I have to do project work, so there is light at the end of at least two tunnels (the other is more personal, so not for here).  I have even gone back to the tai cho kata form of Naihanchi Shodan, inspired by Robey Jenkins, and added Noah Legel's Tensho to the mix for cardio and relaxation.

2911 kata - Naihanchi Shodan and Nidan, Tensho

So my motto has to be "Never give up, never give in" and I want to say thank you to my son Brendan, and my Sensei Ben and Alison for the source of determination and perseverance, and my online mentors, Robey Jenkins, Noah Legel and PJ Broomy, for the direction in how to adapt what I do ☺☺☺☺  Also, a big thank you to all of my extended dojo family (Hanshi Nohara, Senseis Craig, Darren and Graham, Elsha, Jack, Sam and all) for giving me the reason to continue 🙏🙏🙏.

3011 Rotating the strike

0211

Early morning lesson with PJ Broomy
Following along with a regular dojo class

0511

Kata,
Kihon Gata
Naihainchi pad drills #1-3

0212 Early Morning kata

0711

Kata
Kihon Gata
Naihanchi pad drills #1-2

1211

Fundamentals

Punches, receiving techniques, kicks, shuto, hisa-geri, uke
Kihon gata, combinations
Kata and performance

1411

Kick, punch called combinations, turns and combinations
Naihanchi drills 1 and 2 padwork
Kata

2111

Fundamentals, punches, receiving techniques. kicks, etc.
Naihanchi drill #1, elements and drill
Kata

0312 Kata Tai Chi Style

2811

Jamie Clubb lesson, sprawls, spear take downs, going to ground, knee control, breaking grasps, going to the back, etc.

3011

Kata
Rotation and elbow strikes, round the clock moving the nearest foot and round the clock with back foot as the pivot
Naihanchi drills

0312

Kata
The four basic kicks, turning ushiro geri on an uke, mai gei and mawashi geri in self defence
Naihanchi drill one with variations, including turning to get sight of a second attacker and being taken to ground on the knee strike and recovery.

Been a long time..... or Ring Rust

Its been a while now since my last blog and so much has been going on, it's been kind of hard to keep track.  I've kept my usual notes on the lessons, done a few videos but that was about it, not been writing anything else down as too much else is going on.

0907 Slow kata and press ups after lesson

In the end I suppose all I can do is try to summarise.  Working from home can be both a blessing and a curse. early in the lockdown it was a blessing, as it allowed me the flexibility to train three times a week for the first time ever.  Later in the lockdown it has become a bit of a millstone, as there has been so much work going on to get ready for offices re-opening that it has overflowed at times into home life and time.  On balance though, I still believe it to have been good for me, as it allowed me to keep working full time even though I have had to shield.  Now comes the uncertainty of when I will be asked to go back to the office, and how that will be done when travelling on public transport will become a major issue for me.

1107 Tensho to go

On the family level, the lockdown has put a strain on all concerned.  I think even the best of families would have been pushed to all stay in the same house 24x7 for four months. I had some mental health issues going into the lockdown and I think it is fair to say that all of us have suffered with various issues over this period.  My biggest mistake I think was trying to deal with my issues in isolation from other things that have been going on, and that added somewhat to the tensions we have all geen suffering from.  In recent weeks, though things have eased somewhat as we are all talking to one another and are trying to work things through.

1107 No Lesson so Fundamentals

On the karate front, I still use my karate to help both my phyiscal and metnal health.  Even my wife gave it a go for a few lessons, before deciding it wasn't quite for her just now.   I think the different ways me and our son approach karate and try to show things didn't help, at times that can get confusing for a complete beginner, I'm still a novice myself of course.   There is still a lot of variety in the lessons, but it's obvious that many are chomping at the bit to get back in the dojo.  That cxan't happen for me anytime soon, so the online lessons will still continue for some time to come, even when the dojo does re-open.

1407 Compass elbow drill practice and Naihanchi

Work and family issues have limited training over the last month or so down to one or two times a week on average, but during this time have at least had the opportunity to train with PJ Broomy again.  This time both me and my son took part, and managed to get some partnered drill work in,  another great lesson, thank you PJ.  

1507 Kicks, take downs and kata

For my own part, when I have had no lessons, I've been trying mostly to do forms for exercise and practice fundamentals and kata as a more formal kind of practice, rather than working on aide memoires from lessons.  Usually we would have gone over the material over the course of a couple of lessons and some of the ideas would have stuck, but the sporadic nature of my attendance has mean this hasn't always happened, so made the aide memoire style of working much more difficult to do.

1507 Open handed Naihanchi and Tensho

Until I have to go back to the office full time, I am aiming to train at least two times a week if at all possible, so as not to have to knock off the ring rust again. Will have to see how things go.

Lessons

0907
Fundamentals
Kata - Naihanchi Shodan and Nidan, technical performances

1607
Kata, single move and performance, Naihanchi Shodan
Speed combinations
Jab, reverse punch, hook, upper cut, knee, then three variations to follow:
Drag down, stamp
Encircle waist with arm, turn away, hip throw.
Step through after knee, leg sweep and reverse punch to ground
Last 5 kihon gata -

Rokudan	Ashi uke, jab, cross, Mawashi Geri
Nanadan	Mae Geri (land in front) right jab, back kick
Hachidan	Mae Geri (land in front), back kick, reverse punch
Kyudan	Shuffle, backhand forehand punch, shuffle, backhand forehand punch, right then left mawashi geri, spinning kick
Judan	Shuffle, backhand forehand punch, shuffle, backhand forehand punch, right then left mawashi geri, hisa geri

An Australian lesson

1907 - lesson with PJ

Advanced stuff comes from understanding the basics correctly. We did 3 levels of tzuki. Looked at wrist alignment. The importance of breathing. Considered the workings of the modern and primitive brain under stress. We did a combo Gedan barai (arm clear), yoko uraken (which includes the empi uchi) and a gyaku tzuki to change the relationship and facilitate a rudimentary nage waza. Followed this up kote waza (kansetsu waza) to stop conflict immediately.

2007 Kihon and kata

2307 Forms and kata

2307
Kata then Naihanchi Sandan drills

• Double grab, trap and forearm smash into neck while turning body away and to the side (zenkutsu)Step in front of attacker  into zenkutsu for taiotoshi (body drop throw)

• trap grabbing hands, forearm strike into neck while turning body away and to side (zenkutsu), elbow, backfist, knee
• block / trap hook with one hand, taisho, push past head, circle under arm to lock elbow with other, secure second arm and free up original blocking hand to strike.

2307 Kata peformance

Warm down form and kata 2507

2507
Summary of today's lesson: Kata, escaping from headlock (elbow, slap, hammerfist, followed by knee then escape). Stepping to one side to evade, then attacking. Emphasis on moving back foot across the using an appropriate technique) Bo was first 4 kihons plus walk through of Shushi no kon.

2707

2707
Fundamentals, kihon gata, padwork

Tensho after the lesson3007

30/07/20
Kata
Quadrant drill
Jab, cross, hook
(FH parry & BH punch: BH parry, FH punch : high receive & Mawashi empi Uchi (elbow strike to sternum))
Hammer fist, looping left, roundhouse right
(FH Jodan uke, twist, BH uppercut : BH jodan uke,  twist, FH groin slap : FH Jodan uke, BH Shuto Uchi (knife hand strike))
Backslap, elbow

Ring Rust 0408

0608
Kata practice and questions.  I got the one about the opening of Naihanchi Nidan and answered with it being a counter to a bear hug, sink and open up the shoulders and arms to break the hug.  Worked on a short drill from one of the Pinans, as pad work.  Intercept punch (symbolised by pad hand), ear slap then head control, front leg knee strike, then front hand goes under the arm, back hand controls the head.  Pivot on front black, back leg moving away to effect a throw.

Reminder after the lesson

!0 weeks and counting ....

This blog is very late due to work and other issues 😟 However, I still want to keep on blogging, so here goes.   Week 10 of lockdown was challenging to say the least, there was a big down after the good ending to the previous week, with the Kata with family call that I did.

Kata with family

Work was starting to ramp up up with preparations for offices I cover region wide making preparations for re-opening, and the tensions within a family of 4 being cooped up together for 10 weeks bubbling along, there was not as much quality time for training.

Monday kata after the lesson

That said, formal training is an absolute lifeline.  With the extra kobudo lesson my dojo are now doing, plus a free lesson on the Sunday by Brian Bates, that I was invited to by my Sensei, I managed over four hours of training that way, best ever ☺☺☺  Because I have been keeping up my training, my physical health hasn't been too bad despite the lockdown, however it has taken a toll mentally.

Practice 1905

The worry for me about what will happen when the lockdown ends is starting to kick in.  I have been lucky enough to get mental health support, unlike some members of my family,  and this has been really helpful for me at least.   If we don't try facing up to our problems, they become even harder to deal with 😟😟

Two things that have become clear to me with time are that:

1) You can only be responsible for your own feelings and behaviour, not those of other people

2) Whatever the mistakes of the past, you can only deal with what is here and now

Going down the route of what if and if only is the route to complete bitterness and confusion 😟

For me, without family, a job and karate, I would be lost.

1805

Kata - Naihanchi Shodan, Nidan (Sandan)

Kicks

Front leg Mai geri, back leg Mai geri, both sides

Front leg Mawashi geri, back leg Mawashi geri both sides

Front leg Yoku geri, back leg Yoku geri both sides

Spinning back kick, both sides

Balancing, knee up, front leg Mai geri, Mawashi geri, Yoku geri, rotate 45 deg then back kick without kicking leg touching the ground, both sides.

Shadow sparring, first practising jab, cross, upper cut,

 and jumping front kick then free form.

Naihanchi Shodan

Naihanchi 2105

2105

Flowing Naihanchi - continuous smooth

Hands only Naihanchmovementsi

Then interpretations of Naihanchi

Pre-emptive strike (2 palm strikes), crash, two knees

Elbow strikes to arm, eyes closed,

Back slap, elbow, pull in, two knees

Front hand hook and forearm strike, back hand hook

Developing into Front hand hook, forearm strike and pull, two back hand hooks

Imagine someone holding clothing.  Back hand strike down (onto holding harm), back fist

(Open hand slap to face) Back hand strike down (onto arm), back fist, strike down (onto arm), front hand punch, back fist

As Drill: Back hand - open palm strike, strike down, backfist, Naihanchi double block (front hand up and outside, back hand down, front hand back fist

Then equivalent kata movements in fighting stance as drill, back hand block, double block, front hand back fist

Back fist, front leg stomping heel kick (to knee) forearm strike (to side of neck)

Back foot stomping kick, back hand pulling (arm), front arm chudan uke. (represents pulling opponents arm out straight and rolling over nerve point with other arm then hyper-extending)

Step out with front leg, double arm sweep (represents step behind, back arm clears opponent's arm, front arm pushes opponent over leg)

Flowing Naihanchi - continuous smooth

A bit of a workout

2305

Kata

Kihon gata

Bo lesson

Shushi no kon

2405

Pad work

Palm, elbow, elbow, knee (groin) , drag down, stomp (first four going forward)

Crash, forearm strike, clinch head into shoulder, knee, drag down, stomp

Crash, forearm strike, clinch head into shoulder, elbow, elbow , knee, drag down, stomp

<you are in a clinch> eye gouge, (bite, head butt), elbow, elbow, knee. dragdown, stomp

Nunchaku, Family and commitment

Last week was week 9 of lockdown for me, and being on the "at risk" list is more worrying than ever, with it seeming like people are being asked to go back to work before there is any proper kind of control on Covid-19. That said, karate training is my rock in uncertain times and never fails to deliver in terms of variety with stability, kata, fundamentals and the quadrant drill always feature somewhere in the mix.  

Sunday working (1005)

The variety this week was in the form of one lesson featuring the use of fundamentals in a dynamic rather than static setting, working on various stance transitions away from the kata, and some variations in pad work.  My kata work is improving, so I now get to perform our second kata as my highest known in lessons, and we had another lesson in kobudo, this time in Nunchaku fundamentals.  ☺☺☺ This is when commitment pays off ☺☺☺.

1105 after the lesson ends, one more kata outside

I especially enjoy being allowed to perform Naihanchi Nidan, but will still keep the emphasis on practising Naihanchi Shodan. There are many common elements I still need to work on, such as transitioning, the double uke and backfists.

The Nunchaku lesson consisted of the start of the kata taught in by dojo, the "Hamahiga" kata broken down into simple actions, then put together into a longer sequence practised on both sides.

1405 Kata calling

The final action of the week involved something I had actually planned as a FB live feed between me and my sister, with a few others invited online to attend.  I originally had the idea of me doing kata for 30 minutes, whilst my sister did her Tai Chi forms. with maybe her grand childen doing their exercise routines.  On the day though. it developed into something else, as my son wanted to join in.  So we did a live chat instead, where my son and i took turns to demonstrate kata or kobudo basics, whilst the other chatted with our family in France.  They in turn shared videos of what they were up to.  All in all, a brilliant end to the day and the week ☺☺☺

1305 Outdoor session including the Quadrant drill

1105

Warm up
Mokosu
Formal opening
Kata
Quadrant drill

Lesson reminder from 1405

1405

Warm up
Mokosu
Formal opening
KataShuto Uke
Cat Stance steps
Yoi, turn right into Cat Stance, RH Shuto Uke, Left foot forward into Zenkutsu dachi, LH Gidan Tsuki. Retutn to yoi, turn left into Cat Stance, LH Shuto Uke, Right foot forward into Zenkutsu dachi, RH Gidan Tsuki.
Naihanchi Steps
R side then L side fighting stance, Jodan Uke, backhand punch.
R side then L side fighting stance, Chudan Uke, backhand punch.
R side then L side fighting stance, Gidan Uke, backhand punch.
R side then L side fighting stance Jodan Uke, Chudan Uke, Gidan Uke, back hand punch
R side then L side fighting stance, front foot sweep kick, kneeling Gidan Tsuki
R side then L side fighting stance, jab, cross, front foot sweep kick, kneeling Gidan Tsuki
Kata, practice to Naihanchi Sandan, performance to Nidan

Time lapse of Padwork recap of 1605

The final action of the week involved something I had actually planned as a FB live feed between me and my sister, with a few others invited online to attend.  I originally had the idea of me doing kata for 30 minutes, whilst my sister did her Tai Chi forms. with maybe her grand childen doing their exercise routines.  On the day though. it developed into something else, as my son wanted to join in.  So we did a live chat instead, where my son and i took turns to demonstrate kata or kobudo basics, whilst the other chatted with our family in France.  They in turn shared videos of what they were up to.  All in all, a brilliant end to the day and the week ☺☺☺

1605

Warm up
Mokosu
Formal opening
KataFundamentals (Punches, Receiving techniques kicks)
Pad work: Crash, left knee, right knee, RH slap, elbow, pull in to R hip, hook, hammerfirst hook

Kata with family including Nunchaku

Nunchaku

Nunchaku by left side
Step out into yoi, tension Nunchaku at eye level
Step forward RF into Shiko dachi, hammer down RH (LH Nunchaku held horizontal, RH Nunchaku held vertical.
Touch both Nunchaku to R forearm, then Front hand and Nunchaku comes through the middle to vertical over the R shoulder.  Back hand and Nuchaku go round the outside to vertical behind the R shoulder.
Back hand releases and comes back to guard, front hand flips Nunchaku forward, and from the wrist performs several figure of eights.
Nunchaku flipped to guarding hand and trapped step out to Yoi.

Step forward LF into Shiko dachi, hammer down LH (RH Nunchaku held horizontal, KH Nunchaku held vertical.
Touch both Nunchaku to L forearm, then Front hand and Nunchaku comes through the middle to vertical over the L shoulder.  Back hand and Nuchaku go round the outside to vertical behind the L  shoulder.
Back hand releases and comes back to guard, front hand flips Nunchaku forward, and from the wrist performs several figure of eights.
Nunchaku flipped to guarding hand and trapped step out to Yoi.


kata with family

Competition, good news and Dojo day after.

This is by way of a multiple blog because so much happened in two days:

Competition 06/10/19:

I had triple nerves, both as a competitor and a father, as both me and my son were competing.  But I didn't need to worry.  It was at Inter-Club level, so not as intense,  Results were:

Son - NSa 2nd out or 6
Me - NSh  3rd out of 4
Kumite Son - 1 - 1 points, lost on extra minute 1st point

My son thought he had done better in the Kumite, but accepted the result, proud of him,  it was a wonderful day 😁😁.  Our Dojo won 13 medals in total, but more importantly was fun competing with friends.  Than you to my Sensei and all from the Matsuri Dojos.  A special thank you to Sensei Darren Hollis of the Stevenage Dojo for his encouraging words 😊😊.

Good News

First test results had been inconclusive, but lung age suggested 30 years older
Nurse appointment - new breath test, but said my description of what I did (karate, walking etc) and effects of steroid inhaler said differently
Doctor appointment - results from new breath test not fully uploaded, but showed oxygen levels improved to 97% and continued use of steroid inhaler may give some more improvement

Dojo day after

Lots of aches from the last two days.  We did Some different stretches and core exercises in warm up, then on to Kata: Naihanchi Shodan, followed by Kata and other drills with different partners:

Naihanchi crash - plus add ons
Pinan Crash, punch, arm control - plus add ons
Tegumi style, arm block, finger strike, hammer fist to arm, arm control - plus add ons

Then on to Kobudo, where we did Bo Kihon Katas.  What made it more fun was that my son, who was watching, was invited to take part by Sensei Alison.  He's been wanting to do Kobudo for ages, so all in all a really good few days 😁😁😁

A Short introduction

Hi, just a little background about myself: I'm Robert or Bob if you prefer, 58  and approximately 2 years ago was told I had a heart condition.  It was hereditary and my father had died from it, and for a while I went into my shell 😟

Then through a love of wrestling I share with my son, and his starting Karate, I found Karate.  I kicked back against the sinking feeling I had and tried to do something positive 😃

I thought it might be good for me and maybe even helpful to others to share my journey in blog form.  So will be posting here to see how things go.  Thank you for reading this and hope you enjoy 😃

Comments and questions welcomed.

Robert, March 2019