should this bug me??

[The Kai]

Hey article in yesterdays paper

http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/jun05/331452.asp

Should this bug me or not/

[Ronin]

Why WOULD it bug you?

[Fantasy Warrior]

good luck to him and his paitients. It's a difficult subject re standards though.

I saw an ad for a guy doing some sort of Tai chi based stuff for people with MS. Good on him too.

[Jaric]

No it should not. If it does you have major issues. We take it for granted that we can get up, go outside, and practice martial arts for as long as we want with no problems. We have this webiste so we can bitch about crappy schools, crappy martial arts etc, but at the end of that day we have a choice to go do whatever we want. This man is passing on whats good about martial arts to a group of people who probably thought any physcial art or sport was beyond them. And hes not even giving the belts away. In the article he even says its takes longer, and people go at the their own pace. Sure these guys and girls aren't going to win any UFC's anytime soon, but they many qualities most martial artists dont have: perserverance, dedication, and a will to go on. I applaud this man.

[Quikfeet509]

No. You should support their effort with a donation of time and money.

[VikingPower]

Overcoming CP is bad enough, getting a black belt while doing it is pretty damn good in my eyes. And now he's teaching others with problems to do the same. I don't see a problem with it. They probably don't have any ego issues.

[beka]

I think it's wonderful.

[Striker1976]

I cant believe you would have a problem with this, i dont know where in the world it says that martial arts is for fit people and those who have developed minds. I thought it was for those that wished to learn and grow and develop themselves into better, stronger, happier people.

[Locu5]

Yes you should... freak. Were you beaten up by a retard when you were a kid?

[lawdog]

The only thing that bugs me is that it might bug you!

[KickAHippie]

Let me address two things:

1. That is great. I am glad to see someone finally found a use for TKD. The amount of patience and dedication this man must have are enviable. Good for him and all those kids that stick with it through their disabilities.

2. First of all, you are an asshole. One reason backing up your assholeitude is that you have to come onto an internet forum to let others decide wether something should bother you. Make up your own fucking mind you dipshit. If it bothers you than you would still be an asshole, but at least you would be an asshole with conviction. If it didn't bother you than you wouldn't be on here asking this question. Second of all you are an asshole for hating kids with cerebral palsy. That is all.

[Don Gwinn]

That guy's just plain awesome. If it bothers you, then at best you spend too much time obsessing about what other people do in the martial arts. Not only do you not attend that school, you don't even study TKD. He's not lying to anybody, he's not pretending to make these kids into badasses, and he's not teaching them death touches. I fail to see the problem unless he's charging their parents $500 per month or something.

Truly, I admire the man for being honest with the kids and telling them how much longer and how much harder they'll have to work to meet the standards. If you've never worked with kids with developmental disabilities, you can't appreciate how tempting it is to do everything for them and tell them they're great. But that's the opposite of what they need, and this guy gets it.

[roly]

i think this is a great thing to be doing, as long as he doesnt claim to be able to teach how to throw chi fireballs etc etc

i cannot imagine the effort this would take, he is a stronger man than me

[ant]

How the hell does THIS bug anyone? This is fucking awesome.


Mattias, now a second-degree black belt, said he allows his students to progress at their own pace and tries to use different strategies for motivating and coaching each of them. Imparting an "indomitable spirit," though, is a universal theme.

"You're always working on it," Mattias said of his philosophy toward Tae Kwan Do. " . . . You're going to do whatever you set out to do, no matter what the challenges are."

Mattias said that besides building his confidence and helping maximize his physical abilities, tae kwon do helped lead him to what he hopes will be his life's work. He just finished his sophomore year at Concordia University in Mequon and hopes to teach social studies.

"I can't think of anything that would be as rewarding as teaching is," Mattias said. "It's really neat to see the impact you have on other people's lives."

[Shadowdh]

Fuck no it should NOT bother you... wtf...

[fug]

Well the votes are in, NO IT SHOULDN'T BUG YOU!!

We had a guy going for black with palsy (nicknamed Fuzzy, we were so kind) in Wado. The Japanese attitude was that martial arts were for everyone; everyone can benefit, young, old, weak, strong, and even FREAKS.