This part of my homepage is to try and show what martial arts means to me and hopefully provide links to places where you can find out more. I started martial arts about 4 years ago. The first art I joined was Taekwondo at the Centre Club in Libertyville IL. There I studied under 3rd degree black belt Mike Sabo. About 1 year ago I also started Jujitsu under Mr. Sabo. In all honesty it was the best thing I could have done at that point in my life. It brought me discipline, respect, honor, and humility. Not to mention the fact that I now feel comfortable with the fact that I can protect myself and those around me if the need presents itself.

Now I'm in college at the University of San Diego and I don't have a car. This means I can't really find a studio to study at but I have a lot of martial artist friends and we all go down to the beach to spar(a type of mock battle). There is a Capoeira (Brazillian Kick Fighting)school here in San Diego that I would love to try. Any one who has seen the movie Only the Strong can lend validity to my interest.

Anyway please visit some links and enjoy.

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that emphasizes mostly kicks, such as roundhouse, side, and hook kicks and a variety of sweeps, hand and elbow techniques. There are many different styles of Taekwondo. I was in Chung Do Kwan. Furthermore, there are ten belts below black including white and it is quite a struggle to get through them. I have found very few things as rewarding in life as completing a test and receiving my new rank. It's definitely worth the work. I would encourage anyone who is looking for a martial art to try Taekwondo. It is one of the best things I've experienced in my life and I know it will continue to show me a way to grow when I start back up again.

I practiced Hakkoryu Jujitsu at the same school under the same instructor as Taekwondo. It is, in a way, less flashy than Taekwondo but in a way it's flashy in a different way. Jujitsu is similar to wrestling with an emphasis on joint locks, and manipulation, and throws. Where as Taekwondo is a fighting style at a distance Jujitsu is better in close. The main philosophy behind Jujitsu is to bring the least harm to yourself and your attacker and to do it with the least resistance. Where as the blocks and strikes in TKD often move against an attacker, the tactics learned in Jujitsu often flow with the attacker using his own momentum against him. Basically the reason I took it is because Jujitsu and TKD compliment each other very well. You have a style to keep an attacker away but if that fails you also have a style that will protect you in close. Hakkoryu Jujitsu is a Japanese martial art so it is often used to compliment Shotokan Karate. It's a very interesting art and I am also looking forward to continuing my career here in California.