[nabs-l] Athletics in College

[justin williams]

Agreed Kaiti. I practice a variety of striking techniques; you can find a
way if you have the desire to do so You n eed a good instructor.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti Shelton
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2014 11:18 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Athletics in College

Hi,

I took karate while in high school, and really loved it.  I was in a really
regimented program, which had us come to 3 hour long classes a week.

My instructors were very good about working with me, and often used me as an
example for the rest of the class.  It helped that, aside from a dad who was
taking the class along with his son, I was the only one who wasn't 6 or so,
so it helped the other students see how the moves should go since I was more
the instructor's size.  If I was doing something wrong they would pull me
aside to correct what I was doing wrong, then send me back into the rotation
so I could practice the moves the corrected way.

The one hiccup in the thing was sparring, and unfortunately it was what
forced me to stop karate just before earning my blue belt.  My instructors
did place special emphasis on blocking for me, and I was pretty good and
quick at it, but my eye condition is so tempramental that getting hit in the
head or face is risky, and it wasn't a risk that neither my parents and I
were willing to take.  I still brush up on what I know from belts white
through orange every once in a while to stay sharp, and I've even managed to
remember a lot of the Japanese terminology.

I have heard of totally blind people earning their black belts, even in
different degrees, and my instructor said he competed against a totally
blind guy who was very good.  So, it is possible to go as far as you want to
with karate, and it really is a lot of fun.  Had I not had issues with
getting hit and my retinas becoming unstable, I would have loved to continue
myself.  I would highly recommend it though; it is really fun, and is a
great way to get exercise.

On 3/28/14, Beth Taurasi <denverqueen1107 at comcast.net> wrote:
> My current boyfriend is a tai kwon do champion and has done it for 
> years, especially during the teen years.  I'm sure he could give you 
> some pointers.  I tried judo, but the place where we do it in Denver 
> was too far away from where I lived at the time.  Anyway, if you have 
> any questions, you can talk to me.
> Beth
> On 3/28/2014 7:44 AM, lizzy wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> I'm thinking about taking some form of a martial art (more 
>> specifically Judo, Karate or Tae Kwon Do) in the fall semester. They 
>> are all club sports, so no one has to have prior experience to join.
>> I'm wondering if I should speak to the instructor before coming to a 
>> class? Should I try to learn some of the movements one-on-one before 
>> class and then practice them while there? Or should I just show up 
>> and go with the flow? Are martial arts typically very visual? If 
>> anyone has experience with or knows someone who has done these 
>> martial arts before could you give me some pointers.  I honestly have 
>> never seen any of the moves so I don't really know what to expect.  
>> I've done other sports before but nothing like this so as always, any 
>> advice or information you can give me would be fantastic!
>> Thanks,
>> Lizzy
>>
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--
Kaiti

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