I have been doing martial arts for a very long time, and minus the time I did Karate when I lived in Calgary, I’ve been under the teaching of the same teacher and learning with the same students since I was nine.

There are many things I enjoy about this sport. besides the fact that it is a form of exercise and a very satisfying stress reliever (just imagine whatever problem you have as the punching bag) Martial arts is a way of recognizing yourself and your strengths, it’s a way to meet people and learn of culture. It strengthens not only your body but your heart and expands your mindset. Martial arts is definitely physical; there’s sparring, you learn how to break an arm, how to fight back, you can hold power over people.

But most aspects of Martial arts are on improving oneself.
Learning to control breathing, movements, anger. Single hand or weapon forms especially, for it’s just you and your weapon. There are some cases where your forms include another person. There’s something called a ‘two person form.’ which is two people doing a form together.

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(Shaolin monks preforming a single hand form)

It is not two people doing a form side by side. When watching a presentation it is meant to look as if the people are fighting each other, one person goes in for a hit, the other blocks. however, all of this is practiced, like a play. These two people know the form. they’ve gone through it until they can go so fast it doesn’t look practiced. I’ve always thought these were so cool because it’s more like a dance. You know every move the person is going to make and it’s so, so satisfying in a way. There is nothing violent or dangerous about these forms. There are friendships, there are bonds that grow. Its knowing someone. That is what I love about Martial arts.

(my dad and brother doing a two person sword form. Ignore that they messed up multiple times.)

Just a couple of days ago I got back from a competition featured in the birthplace of the style, Quanzhou China. It was a week long trip, two days traveling on a plane, three days of touring with immense jetlag, and two days of competition. China is so different from Canada. Not only the look of the country but the way people move, to the simplest gestures, and things we consider common sense such as waiting in line, or driving in the proper lane and not on the sidewalk. It was such an amazing experience, not only seeing Asia for the first ever time, but seeing all the different styles of Martial arts, some were just like ours but with subtle differences. Seeing the places where the style was shaped, meeting people from around the world and having something in common.

(View of Quanzhou from our hotel room at night)

I would like to thank this activity for helping me meet so many amazing people, for allowing me to experience all of these opportunities.