Martial art and Golf.

[mberube]

Since I am not playing hockey anymore cause of my two kids at home. The early mornings are too rough on me. I started to feel like a couch potato. So I decided I needed to do something to get my blood flowing and burn some fat. Martial arts sounds like a good idea.

I took up martial arts mainly cause I was not flexible in the lower part of my body. What a workout. Feels good. My body is in pain cause of all the exercises. After a while, I got better.

Not knowing that this would be beneficial to my golf game, I was watching Phil M. on golf insider at the beginning of the week and he said that he has been taking martial arts for some time and it is very beneficial for his Game. Especially the legwork and flexibility.

Stay tuned for a Ford commercial staring Phil and Chuck Norris.

Any of you guys martial artists and has helped your game?

[zhangtony]

I practiced it for three years in my college's life because
I had a lot of time at that time.

It will help you to find your physical power inside. I never
have any injury for playing golf two years. I know my physical
limitation through practicing Martial Arts. You will know the real
meaning of balance.

[Sakuraba]

I'm a HUGE fan of the mixed martial arts. Sakuraba Kazushi is one of my favourite fighters. As far as helping out your golf game, yoga probably would help more physically, and I'm not a believer in the mental aspect of martial arts.

[1972Apex]

I studied Shotokan Karate almost daily for several years. I found it greatly improved my flexibility and fitness, which certainly helped my golf game. No full time Dojo where I live now so I basically have to work on it on my own. Really miss it... you can hang on to what you've learned by working on your own and stay in decent enough shape but it is tough to improve and even tougher to be disciplined without an experienced instructor.
For a lot of people martial arts is phenomenal at first but about 90% seem to get their yellow belt and then lose interest. It really is worth it to stick with it over the long term.
I think you'll find martial arts very beneficial to your golf game in both fitness and flexibility. But even moreso you'll find you have much better mental focus.

[DMurkman]

mb - I am no martial artist but recently started taking Shaolin Kung Fu/Wu Fu at a local college. I'm the old guy (like, 2x the age of most of the college students) and one of the least experienced as I just took it up at the start of the semester. I will tell you that I have seen a very positive change in my flexibility since beginning the class. The stretching, "inner strength" resistance forms, and the kicks and strikes have really made me much more flexible. I think the best part is seeing the improved height and coordination of the kicks. I also tend to believe that there will be three other positive influences - first, fitness (as you have already stated), second, coordination (kicks coordinated with punches can't help but improve hand-eye coordination), and thirdly, concentration. Though never speaking a word about it to me, I notice the teacher when he does the splits or other pain-inducing moves almost looks like he is staring off placidly somewhere else. If I can use that discipline to stop the self-doubt and consternation with a bad shot or two, I see it having a positive effect on my mental game as well. The only thing I don't like about the classes is the tumbling/falling part - when you get to be 49 1/2 like me, it seems my "dizzyness quotient" just isn't what it used to be.

Thanks for an interesting post. (one last positive - maybe those fifty sit-ups he makes me do each class will have a little effect on my waist size!)

[mberube]

As far as helping out your golf game, yoga probably would help more physically

Yoga was one of my choices but I am the type of person that needs to do something fun with the beneficial side of it is getting in shape. I can’t do stationary biking to get in shape but biking to get to work is not a problem. Jogging is impossible but playing hockey is fun. I learn allot more then fitness in Tae Kwon Do and that makes it fun.

So many friends tell me that I will see à big difference in focus and inner strength. I am not there YET but I am intrigued and looking forward to it.

Thanks for the info and keep the posts coming.

[Agent99]

I like listening to all kinds of music and doing some tai chi-type movements along with other dance moves. I think of it as the east meets the west meets the north meets the south…for balance sake. Tai chi comes from the martial arts but without the “martial”. The movements are slower, positions are held longer yet the power (chi) achieved is no less beneficial, it’s just the end result is not to inflict pain. Builds good mind over matter control as it improves balance both internally and externally, posture, concentration, confidence…our golf game...

BTW, I looked up a few key words for clarity sake, and it might interest some of you to know, as it did me, the word “talent” comes from the Greek word talanton for balance.

talent n. 1. a special or very great ability; high mental ability. 2. persons who have this. 3. an ancient weight and unit of currency, especially among the Greeks. [f Gk talanton balance]

athlete n. one who competes or excels in physical games and exercises [f. L f. Gk (anthlon prize)]

sport n. an athletic (especially outdoor) activity; any game or pastime; an outdoor pastime such as hunting or fishing.

Given these definitions, golfers are athletes and golf is at the very least both a physical game and a sport.

[Hank Hill]

Can anyone recommend any places for taking up Tae Kwon Do as a beginner in Ottawa/Hull? Also is there mixed sex classes? the wife would like to try it as well.

[mberube]

I take TKD in Aylmer with Master Fu. All classes are mixed gender and belts. There are allot of TKD schools in Ottawa depending where you live. Somerset at bank for example.


Wing Hon Fu Tae Kwon do
Aylmer

[broken27]

Can anyone recommend any places for taking up Tae Kwon Do as a beginner in Ottawa/Hull? Also is there mixed sex classes? the wife would like to try it as well.

Looking for a good fighting system or for exercise? If it's the latter, then Tae Kwon Do is a good one to get into. Tae E. Lee has several outlets in Ottawa, and is apparently one of the best guys in the world at this.

Have heard that it's not so good as a fighting system though. I only started taking it, and felt that the pattern-oriented thing wasn't for me.

Dan

[mberube]

Looking for a good fighting system or for exercise? If it's the latter, then Tae Kwon Do is a good one to get into. Tae E. Lee has several outlets in Ottawa, and is apparently one of the best guys in the world at this.

Have heard that it's not so good as a fighting system though. I only started taking it, and felt that the pattern-oriented thing wasn't for me.

Dan

It depends what federation you are learning.

My master is 6 times world champion. Sparing is his speciality. Patterns are part of the system in place. You need to know specific pattern to get your belts but that is part of the modern martial art.

We do speciality classes and sparing is a big part.

For street fitting purposes, grappling is the way to go.

I don’t know how I would do against other martial arts but I don’t really care cause it is not my main objective.

[Hank Hill]

I take TKD in Aylmer with Master Fu. All classes are mixed gender and belts. There are allot of TKD schools in Ottawa depending where you live. Somerset at bank for example.


Wing Hon Fu Tae Kwon do
Aylmer

Thanks for the info. I live in Hull so I will look into this.

Looking for a good fighting system or for exercise? If it's the latter, then Tae Kwon Do is a good one to get into. Tae E. Lee has several outlets in Ottawa, and is apparently one of the best guys in the world at this.

Looking for exercise, strengthening and increased flexability, not really interested in the fighting aspect. Cheers though.

[Hank Hill]

Wing Hon Fu Tae Kwon do
Aylmer

I take it the one on rue principale is french, and the one on Eday is english?

Do they have a website or anything?

[mberube]

Wing Hon-Fu Ecole De Tae Kwon Do School
819-684-9558
140, rue Principale,
Aylmer, QC J9H 3M4

All classes are bilingual. Master Fu is English.

No web site available.

Mike

[flagolfnut]

I took TaeKwon Do with Mr Fu for almost 20 years. A lot has changed since I started, the main one being TaeKwon do at least with Mr Fu is a lot of aerobic activity. Any given night you might do a pichugi (that's the name of a kick) 1000 times, depending what you're level is. It's a great work out. You gain flexibility, endurance and strength, but I have to disagree with what MBerube said. Mr Fu does not specialize is sparring. He doesn't specialize in any particulay area of TaeKwon Do. There are classes where you might spar (fight) the whole class, but more times than not you are practicing other areas as well. Mr Fu also has branches in Hull and Gatineau. Martin Monfils is a student of Mr Fu's and he is a good instructor, he teaches in Gatineau, but Mr Fu is a very well liked person , he is polite, and very respectful, and he has a great sense of humour. I have taken Kung Fu in Aylmer as well but I would definetly go with TaeKwon Do. As far as learning how to really fight Thai Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are 2 of the best. But for a good time and great exercise TaeKwon Do is excellent.

[mberube]

I took TaeKwon Do with Mr Fu for almost 20 years. A lot has changed since I started, the main one being TaeKwon do at least with Mr Fu is a lot of aerobic activity. Any given night you might do a pichugi (that's the name of a kick) 1000 times, depending what you're level is. It's a great work out. You gain flexibility, endurance and strength, but I have to disagree with what MBerube said. Mr Fu does not specialize is sparring. He doesn't specialize in any particulay area of TaeKwon Do. There are classes where you might spar (fight) the whole class, but more times than not you are practicing other areas as well. Mr Fu also has branches in Hull and Gatineau. Martin Monfils is a student of Mr Fu's and he is a good instructor, he teaches in Gatineau, but Mr Fu is a very well liked person , he is polite, and very respectful, and he has a great sense of humour. I have taken Kung Fu in Aylmer as well but I would definetly go with TaeKwon Do. As far as learning how to really fight Thai Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are 2 of the best. But for a good time and great exercise TaeKwon Do is excellent.

I never said that we do a lot of sparring in are classes. I said that M. Fu was 6 times champion. Sparing is his speciality. I never said that we do a lot of sparring.

I also said that sparring was a big part of specialty classes.

[HiG4s]

Almost all the different types of martial arts can be good for both excercise and learning to defend oneself, but they were designed for different reasons.. Okinawan Karate like Shorin Ryu was use often on boats, barges and other floating things which is why almost all the stances are wide and low, and the is not a lot of kicks.. Korean style Tae Kwon Do was designed to fend off horse back intruders in mountian areas, hence all the flying kicks. My favorite, which I took for quite a while was an Okinawan based modern style called Sanchin-Ryu. It is the only one I know that is an actual fighting and defence style but non-competitive (you don't have to beat someone else to move up in rank) like Tai Chi. Unfortunatly it does not exist down here in Florida.. www.sanchinsystems.com

As far as helping with golf,, it will help with almost any sport, but with golf the front to back balance is different..

[flagolfnut]

I never said that we do a lot of sparring in are classes. I said that M. Fu was 6 times champion. Sparing is his speciality. I never said that we do a lot of sparring.

I also said that sparring was a big part of specialty classes.

I didn't mean to cause a dispute. From knowing Mr Fu for 20 years I was just stating what I know about TaeKwon Do and how he teaches. Mr Fu was a second degree black belt when I started in 1986, and I've been to many competitions around Canada and the U.S and I have never once seen Mr Fu spar in a competition! Now I could have missed some tournaments he competed in before I was even born but I have never seen him spar except in classes. However there was this one time when the I.T.F world championships were in Montreal I was young at the time and went to watch, he might have competed in that tournament and won but apart from that I haven't seen him spar in competition. He probably is a 6 time world champion I will ask him about that the next time I see him. By the way what belt are you? And are you talking about the specialty classes that is going on right now to go to Puerto Rico for the G.T.F world championships, or are you talking about the Saturday morning classes he has? Because the only specialty classes I've been to was to train for the World Championships in Italy in 1998. Now I quit TaeKWon Do in 1998 and have gone back a couple of times, but I regret quitting. How old are you? I have considered going back a whole bunch of times and I went to one class 3 weeks ago, but the drive isen't there for me right now. TaeKwon Do was the most natural thing for me, I loved it, but I got tired of it, and now golf is my passion, but I'm not as good at golf as I am at TaeKwon Do. Anyway man sorry if I got you angry, I mean those RED LETTERS really caught my attention. Good luck with TaeKwon Do and maybe one day I'll see you there. And remember to always bow and be respectful to the senior belts.

[mberube]

I didn't mean to cause a dispute. From knowing Mr Fu for 20 years I was just stating what I know about TaeKwon Do and how he teaches. Mr Fu was a second degree black belt when I started in 1986, and I've been to many competitions around Canada and the U.S and I have never once seen Mr Fu spar in a competition! Now I could have missed some tournaments he competed in before I was even born but I have never seen him spar except in classes. However there was this one time when the I.T.F world championships were in Montreal I was young at the time and went to watch, he might have competed in that tournament and won but apart from that I haven't seen him spar in competition. He probably is a 6 time world champion I will ask him about that the next time I see him. By the way what belt are you? And are you talking about the specialty classes that is going on right now to go to Puerto Rico for the G.T.F world championships, or are you talking about the Saturday morning classes he has? Because the only specialty classes I've been to was to train for the World Championships in Italy in 1998. Now I quit TaeKWon Do in 1998 and have gone back a couple of times, but I regret quitting. How old are you? I have considered going back a whole bunch of times and I went to one class 3 weeks ago, but the drive isen't there for me right now. TaeKwon Do was the most natural thing for me, I loved it, but I got tired of it, and now golf is my passion, but I'm not as good at golf as I am at TaeKwon Do. Anyway man sorry if I got you angry, I mean those RED LETTERS really caught my attention. Good luck with TaeKwon Do and maybe one day I'll see you there. And remember to always bow and be respectful to the senior belts.

PM sent