Be Well Rounded And Have Fun

Martial artists get caught up a lot in names of styles and argue which is better. First of all, style is a matter of preference. I do feel that one must keep an open mind and see the good in everything. I have been a martial artist my who life. I have been a Mixed Martial Artist my whole life. What I mean by that is, I've always cross trained in other systems. I spent years studying multiple disciplines. There is an old saying, "Be a master of one and not a jack of all trades". Well I say, "Be a master of everything!" Mind you this is my life long quest. I want to be good at every martial art I train in. To do that I have competed in and done above average or the highest level of the combat sports, I've competed in. I finished 2nd in the country in Tae Kwon Do by getting a silver medal in the 1994 Nationals. As a boxer, I did OK. I can say I lost to a former Olympic bronze medalist in my 4 pro fight (after only 3 amateur fights). In Judo, I've been able to place at the local tournaments (working towards 1st places!). I have been able to shine in the sports of Kickboxing, Thai Boxing, Shidokan Triathlon (Knockdown, Kickboxing, Grappling) winning national and international titles. I train in Kendo along with these other arts (will try the Kendo Nationals some day).  I am a competitive person but most importantly I make competition fun. There is nothing wrong with losing. The only time you lose in win you don't prepare and do your best. If you train and perform to your best, you've won. You are competing against yourself to be the best you can.