jkdwarrior2
11-01-2003, 04:25 PM
My name is Tim and it is an honor and a pleasure to be a part of this forum. The following is an introduction and synopsis of my goals, aspirations, and influences which carry me towards self-actualization.
My journey into fitness and self-defense begins with meeting a rough and tumble sort of man who just seemed like a good-natured old cowboy who had fallen off his horse and hit his head a few too many times. He was a long-time customer of my family business whom I had seen and greeted many times but had not taken it beyond that.
His nature was one of loud boisterous laughter that seemed to shake the building and engulf all of us whether we liked it or not. His good nature was infectious and strangers to our town really seemed to get a kick out of him.
I had been going to our local workout facility for about a year and had developed some decent muscle tone and lost several pounds using the standard equipment. Somehow he found out that fitness was important to me and offered to show me how he stayed in shape. So one night, after work, I drove out to his ranch to see what he had in mind for me. If you knew this person, you would have been as skeptical as I was about what this old cowboy considered working out.
As it turns out, he had a bunch of homemade machinations that looked very peculiar along with several pulleys attached to an old tree with handles on one end and weights on the other. He also had a bar that was the entrance to his fenced off yard that you could do various gymnastics types of exercises upon. One particular device was one that you have probably seen somewhere before that is just a weight tied to the end of a rope with a wooden rod on the other end. You hold the each side of the rod and roll up the rope and the weight to develop strength in your hands, wrists, and forearms.
Among other things, he had a piece of rubber tubing that he had me hold each end and slowly move it from my waist to behind my back with my arms away from my body and then back over with it just off of my body while stretching it a little more with every movement. He would then have me try to stretch it over my head and try to snap it in two. He was able to break it but I never was able to.
I would go and work at least 5 nights a week with this unorthodox individual and made incredible gains in strength, body control, and endurance. He was never too tired to yell and scream at me when he thought it necessary. Shame was a motivational tool that he wielded like a catholic nun that helped me squeeze a few more dips or whatever exercise we were working on.
As it turns out, he had been a bodyguard and studied several martial arts. He also was a crack shot which he proved to me on several occasions after my late night workouts when his dogs would run something up a tree and he would reward them by shooting whatever it was out of the tree while I stood there dumbfounded at his accuracy. I am just a suburban city boy, yet he never held it against me and always just offered to teach me what my "daddy should have". Also, it turns out that he worked for many years in downtown Houston building skyscrapers which I attribute to his incredible sense of body control.
I could go on forever about this man of which I am a product of, to some degree, and would not be writing this today if not for him. I read somewhere: "When the student is ready, a teacher will appear". Please excuse this tangent for this is where my search began and why I strive to improve myself and go beyond what seem to be my personal limits and be someone who is respectful and worthy of this gift of life.
I must also note that this is an inadequate tribute to my first coach who passed away about six months after he started teaching me, yet one whom I owe a debt of gratitude and will never forget his contributions to my life.
This leads me to Russian Martial Arts. I am a student who uses whatever resources he can to enable me to improve my life and those around me who I encounter everyday, or occasionally. I searched long and hard to find a sense of purpose and direction with my training and with a lot of money spent, and a little luck, I happened upon this Russian style of training. Through this type of training, I have been able to progress by stripping away self-doubt and fear-reactivity that plagues us all and affects our ability to see who we really are, and contribute an honest person to the world around us. Also, it has allowed me to regain my natural body articulation, and gain a sense of inner peace. It has improved my life exponentially and I think that my old "cowboy" coach would certainly approve.
It all began with finding the ultimate martial art and has become much more than I ever imagined.
Now, I continue to train mostly by myself and occasionally with my kids who really think this stuff is neat. They really love to punch Daddy in the stomach and watch him roll around. I also look forward to attending seminars and getting to meet like minded persons who love and train in Russian Martial Art.
I would like to once again express my gratitude to everyone who contributes to this forum and any other that espouses the kind of sincere love and respect for one another that seems so rare with this type of subject matter.
Especially, I would like to thank General Retuinskih, Coach Sonnon, and Vladimir Vasiliev for inspiring and educating me with their wonderful training, educational materials, and other countless contributions to Russian Martial Art.
Thanks for everything,
Tim
My journey into fitness and self-defense begins with meeting a rough and tumble sort of man who just seemed like a good-natured old cowboy who had fallen off his horse and hit his head a few too many times. He was a long-time customer of my family business whom I had seen and greeted many times but had not taken it beyond that.
His nature was one of loud boisterous laughter that seemed to shake the building and engulf all of us whether we liked it or not. His good nature was infectious and strangers to our town really seemed to get a kick out of him.
I had been going to our local workout facility for about a year and had developed some decent muscle tone and lost several pounds using the standard equipment. Somehow he found out that fitness was important to me and offered to show me how he stayed in shape. So one night, after work, I drove out to his ranch to see what he had in mind for me. If you knew this person, you would have been as skeptical as I was about what this old cowboy considered working out.
As it turns out, he had a bunch of homemade machinations that looked very peculiar along with several pulleys attached to an old tree with handles on one end and weights on the other. He also had a bar that was the entrance to his fenced off yard that you could do various gymnastics types of exercises upon. One particular device was one that you have probably seen somewhere before that is just a weight tied to the end of a rope with a wooden rod on the other end. You hold the each side of the rod and roll up the rope and the weight to develop strength in your hands, wrists, and forearms.
Among other things, he had a piece of rubber tubing that he had me hold each end and slowly move it from my waist to behind my back with my arms away from my body and then back over with it just off of my body while stretching it a little more with every movement. He would then have me try to stretch it over my head and try to snap it in two. He was able to break it but I never was able to.
I would go and work at least 5 nights a week with this unorthodox individual and made incredible gains in strength, body control, and endurance. He was never too tired to yell and scream at me when he thought it necessary. Shame was a motivational tool that he wielded like a catholic nun that helped me squeeze a few more dips or whatever exercise we were working on.
As it turns out, he had been a bodyguard and studied several martial arts. He also was a crack shot which he proved to me on several occasions after my late night workouts when his dogs would run something up a tree and he would reward them by shooting whatever it was out of the tree while I stood there dumbfounded at his accuracy. I am just a suburban city boy, yet he never held it against me and always just offered to teach me what my "daddy should have". Also, it turns out that he worked for many years in downtown Houston building skyscrapers which I attribute to his incredible sense of body control.
I could go on forever about this man of which I am a product of, to some degree, and would not be writing this today if not for him. I read somewhere: "When the student is ready, a teacher will appear". Please excuse this tangent for this is where my search began and why I strive to improve myself and go beyond what seem to be my personal limits and be someone who is respectful and worthy of this gift of life.
I must also note that this is an inadequate tribute to my first coach who passed away about six months after he started teaching me, yet one whom I owe a debt of gratitude and will never forget his contributions to my life.
This leads me to Russian Martial Arts. I am a student who uses whatever resources he can to enable me to improve my life and those around me who I encounter everyday, or occasionally. I searched long and hard to find a sense of purpose and direction with my training and with a lot of money spent, and a little luck, I happened upon this Russian style of training. Through this type of training, I have been able to progress by stripping away self-doubt and fear-reactivity that plagues us all and affects our ability to see who we really are, and contribute an honest person to the world around us. Also, it has allowed me to regain my natural body articulation, and gain a sense of inner peace. It has improved my life exponentially and I think that my old "cowboy" coach would certainly approve.
It all began with finding the ultimate martial art and has become much more than I ever imagined.
Now, I continue to train mostly by myself and occasionally with my kids who really think this stuff is neat. They really love to punch Daddy in the stomach and watch him roll around. I also look forward to attending seminars and getting to meet like minded persons who love and train in Russian Martial Art.
I would like to once again express my gratitude to everyone who contributes to this forum and any other that espouses the kind of sincere love and respect for one another that seems so rare with this type of subject matter.
Especially, I would like to thank General Retuinskih, Coach Sonnon, and Vladimir Vasiliev for inspiring and educating me with their wonderful training, educational materials, and other countless contributions to Russian Martial Art.
Thanks for everything,
Tim