Just in case you are wondering where all this Monkey Kung Fu stuff is coming from, it actually comes from my notes that I kept when I was still practicing Tai Hou Quan a couple of years back. (The good old days when I could still walk on my hands, roll, flip-up, etc. – basically when I was a couple of years younger, more flexible and way, way lighter.) The notes weren’t entirely necessary but because I was so intrigued with this particularly beautiful martial art, I made them anyway, and as such have now decided to store them online because thanks to Google’s infamous cache, just about everything put on the web now lives forever!
I did Monkey Kung Fu for a couple of years and then switched to Kyokushin karate (chasing after a girlfriend who was particularly skilled in that sport) which I also did for a couple of years, meaning I’ve now at least got a small grounding in both Chinese and Japanese primary martial arts.
Unfortunately though, a nasty knee injury sustained during a heavyweight tournament late last year forced me out of the sport and this last year has passed leaving me particularly frustrated and depressed, simply because I had to give up a number of physical activities which I particularly enjoy. The result of course has been a tremendous weight increase, something in the region of between 25 to 30 kilograms – and that’s not muscle I’m afraid :(
Anyway, the good news is that as of late I’ve noticed that my knee is no longer bothering me, even during my treadmill running and stair climbing sessions, indicating that it may at last be time to rejoin the martial arts world. I don’t think picking a ground-based, joint-locking martial art would now be in my best interest (I want my knee to last a bit longer you know!) and as much as I would have loved to pick up Capoeira, I don’t think my body can take that particular strain anymore.
So it will probably be back to karate for me then, but I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it. I’m just waiting to start my new job in Westlake Tokai so that I can get a feeling of what time I will get home in the evening – meaning I can then pick whether to train in the Strand/Somerset West or Muizenburg area. There seems to be enough dojo options to choose from in any event.
So what does this all mean then? Well, probably more material for this here blog I guess! :)