Old School

Now that my month of crunch is over, it’s time to find some sort of martial arts class to sign up for. I’ve really been chomping at the bit for this, it has already been too long. Working out in my apartment is just not the same, and I don’t want to thump around on the floor too much (I don’t expect the folks downstairs would like it).

I’ve checked out a few places so far this week, and I’m realizing that I may have to drastically lower my expectations. I’m Old School ™, and the rest of the world has clearly moved on. I’m used to doing two hour classes, a hard workout followed by lots of skill training. It looks like nowadays, one hour classes are the rule (and for that, you pay over $100 a month). Talking to instructors, it seems that people just don’t want it. Don’t want to sweat, don’t want to commit the time. The kind of school I’m looking for likely doesn’t even exist anymore.

I visited a Tang Soo Do place, and it wasn’t for me. Pretty much just a straight-up kickboxing school, all competition-oriented and macho, not a lot of art in their martial. Then a Kenpo/Ju-jitsu school, which looked better. The instructor was a straight-shooter, at least, and seemed to have his head in the right place. But $120 a month, for a pair of one hour classes (which I wouldn’t be able to get to in time anyway)… that just doesn’t cut it.

There is a Hapkido guy somewhere south of Boston, who seems to be highly regarded. I’ve sent him an email, but I haven’t heard back yet, and that email address could be kind of old. It would be quite a ways to go, and the classes would have to be late for me to be able to get there in time. He is affiliated with the same organization as me, the Korean Hapkido Federation, but that’s no guarantee that he’s a good instructor or that his style is at all similar to what I’ve done. But it’s the best hope so far.

If that doesn’t pan out, I’ll just have to keep searching, and keep training at home. If I don’t find something soon, I’ll probably see about getting a membership at the gym near here, so I can at least do some full-on cardio without having to worry about the neighbours. In the long run, I may just have to organize my own school again, like I did in Vancouver.

In any case, this is going to be a process, and I shouldn’t expect quick results. I’m probably going to have to take my time, check out a lot of schools and talk to a lot of people before I find something that’s going to be worth my time, and help me take my skills farther.