I too was stuck in one forum and looked to my left and low and behold there was a martial arts forum. Well I have been in the martial arts since ten starting off with Tae Kwon Do, then at the age of 13 started Shotokan Karate. I carried that on till I was about 24, and a Black Belt. Then I was introduced to Ninjutsu (Budo Taijitsu) with a student of Stephen Hayes. Fell in love with it and to this day I go to his dojo and we walk through techniques. I was surprised at 590 I was still able to demonstrate a techniques and roll (yes a back shoulder roll) out of it. Just proved how much I love it. I am pre-op and will be having the surgery August 8th. I cant wait till I have the ok to return so I can finally move through the ranks and maybe one day return to teaching it. Thanks for listening Richard

If you are looking for sparring gear I bought mine really cheap on eBay! LOL! I got my kicks and punches for $20 for the set. It took some browsing and som waiting but I finally found a gently used set for practically nothing. Better than spending $30 each if you know what I mean! LOL! Off to TKD right now.... KIAP! Brightest Blessings for a Wonderful Day~ Jamie M. aka Lady Autumn Weight- 257/173/146 BMI- 44.1/29.7/25 Height- 5'4" Total Weight Loss: -84 lbs. Surgery Date- 1/19/05 Visit my OH profile or stop by My Weight Loss Journey Website at: home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-LadyAutumnsWLSjourney

Hey Lisa! It was great to hear from you! I started TKD about 2 years after my surgery. It has helped to stay within my weight limit. I lost 125 lbs with my RNY surgery. I still have alot of extra skin and after working at this for over a year I think that will be something I will have to live with. I started TKD for myself and am a green belt now. My youngest son (age 8) has now started to attend with me. My older son (age 15) does not have an interest in this at all. My husband is very supportive but does not attend classes with us. He does help me practice by holding the boards at home when I practice breaking. I will probably be a green belt for a while though. I am having trouble getting myself off the floor far enough for tornado kicks. I don't think I do too bad for being 37 years old! haha. I have noticed a great improvement of skill since I first started and that feels great. As long as I keep improving it doesn't matter what color my belt it. I really enjoy every part of the classes (even the hardest workouts!). I have entered a couple of tournaments in forms and have not done too badly. My goal is to improve in sparring skills right now. And am also looking to buy my own sparring gear. The class that I go to is more like a family. We sometimes have a class as diversified as ages two to 65. We do not go to different rooms so my son and I work out together. Although I do not have to worry about taking care of him while we are there because the others in class help him more often than I do. Well I think that is all I will write for now. I really enjoyed hearing from you. Feel free to keep responding. Tell me about your classes and family. And keep up the great work!!! Hi-Ya!!

Yes! I love TKD! Our whole family are in it. My children Ashley, Calvin, Timmy and I are blue belts, Robert, and Allan are green belts, and my husband is brown/red stripe. We test for our next belt July 9th. We have been in TKD since June 2003. My children and my self started as white belts and my husband started as green belt (he has done this before). We took a 4 month break right before my surgery and started back in January 30th of this year. I used to weigh 293 when I first started TKD. I was in size 8 uniform. I am a size 5 now, same size as my husband. I have a lot more energy now and I still enjoyed it then. It helped me to lose 14 lbs before I saw my surgeon. I am glad to hear from other TKD people out there! Keep up the great work! Lisa 279/159/150

Hey there! I started TKD about a year ago and I cannot believe how hooked I got on it. We have classes 3 days a week and I want more! I go to every class that is open. So I said all that just to say, if you have info to share or just want to chat martial arts, feel free to email me!