Martial Place

Around two months into my training I tested for and earned my yellow belt. When I say “test,” what I really mean is the hardest physical exam of my adult life. I had to compare it to my week of super strenuous hiking through the Philmont Scout Ranch as a Boy Scout. That was an endurance and mental fortitude test I had no intention of repeating. By this point my wife and I were practicing every night. We’d do front kicks and side kicks while sitting on the couch. We’d half-moon around the table and around the cats. We were sold for life. For my wife, Kristen, the martial arts was a totally new experience. At yellow belt she said one night after class, “hey hun, I just realized were doing stuff that could really hurt someone!” What a great thing to say! My confidence in my wife’s ability to defend herself grew that night. Our movements as yellow belts became more fluid. We were using combinations and knew how to counterstrike. Everything was still so new! We were writing down everything we learned in class by yellow belt. We didn’t want to forget anything!