MARTIAL ARTS

There are many different martial arts one can learn. I have primarily studied WTF Taekwondo and a few weapons forms, but feel that all martial arts have something to offer. I studied Haidong Gumdo (Korean sword art) for a while but stopped due to using a stance that was bad on my knee joint (I have a partially torn ligament and torn joint cushioning on one side.). I learned a little bit of hapkido in combination with my early taekwondo training. At one time, I studied another weapon art for about a year, Tahn Bang Sul (Korean short sticks), and also learned a little bit on nunchakus. I also have an interest in sais and tai chi sword as well as long staff. Two internal martial arts I find particularly interesting are tai chi and aikido. I do not currently study tai chi (only just dabbling around a bit with a wooden tai chi sword). I also do not study aikido, but have learned a little bit of it from Nathan. I train primarily in taekwondo and it provides the base to which I can adopt and integrate other martial arts techniques. Taekwondo is the martial art that has suited me best and is, frankly, my first love among martial arts!

In this section, there is a little bit of information about a few of these martial arts.

Please also read "Why I Study Martial Arts" for some insights into why martial arts can be important to your life.

RECOMMENDED MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOLS

The following is a list of martial arts schools that I know to be excellent schools. Either I have trained at these schools, or I have been taught by the Master/Head Instructor at some point, or I know someone who trains at one of the schools, or all of the above.

World TKD
Black Belt World
Urban Warrior Taekwondo
JSC Taekwondo
Deep Impactx - The Toronto Hapkido Academy
Toronto Aikikai

OTHER MARTIAL ARTS LINKS

World Taekwondo Federation
Ontario Taekwondo Association
World Haidong Gumdo Federation (This is the English site.)
Ernie Reyes West Coast Martial Arts (A few years back, Ernie Reyes' demo team graced the do jang I was training at with their amazing skills. If you're into martial arts stunts, it's a school worth checking out.)
Ryouko X-Treme Academy (If you're interested in extreme martial arts stunts and are as crazy as these guys, you'll want to check out Ryouko X-Treme Academy. I met some of these guys in the past and have seen them perform live. The bonus with these guys, you can learn their moves since they teach classes.)