About

When I was about nine, I did ju jitsu once a week at a church hall near where I lived. My parents took me along after noticing my weekly haul from the video shop was being increasingly dominated by martial arts films. I loved learning the style and pretending to be Bruce Lee.

I had reached green belt when it came to an end. Football was the reason. At that time I was also going football training once a week. Unfortunately, one of the clubs switched its night and the two started to clash.

I had to drop one and football won out over ju jitsu. I have no idea why but as I was so young, it was probably something as simple as Steve Bull scoring a good goal that week.

How many times over the years have I looked back and thought 'I wish I could go back and make that decision again'? If I was still doing ju jitsu now, I'd have 20-plus years of experience in martial arts training. I'd be as hard as nails!

While it took me until December 2011 to actually do it, I have wanted to get back in to martial arts training for many years. Sadly, as you get older doing new things becomes harder. It's partly because life as an adult is busy when you have to juggle work, friends, partners and other interests. But it's also because of fear - you just don't like being out of your comfort zone. Once you pass 30, you're never really a beginner at anything.

A change in personal circumstances at the end of 2011 meant I suddenly found I had the time to do it - and I had run out of excuses not to. I took up wing chun. Now, writing this 15 months later, I'm so annoyed with myself for putting it off for so long. I should have ignored the fear and I should have made the time decades ago. Because I love it - and I don't ever want to stop.


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