This site kept coming up on Google so i thought I better register I'm MattB and I'm from just outside of Swindon, UK. I've been involved with martial arts of one form or another since I was about 8 years old (26 now). Don't let this fool you into thinking I'm any good though. There have been some rather large gaps!!!! Life story you can skip... I started out at 8 doing Karate at a new local club called Kudokan (i think it was spelt!) karate. Basically a Shotokan style some a chap called Lee Crown had renamed for himself. Had done well down in London so moved up to Swindon and it did well here too. I trained for quite a few years until all of a sudden i got very fed up with 3-4 nights a week and jacked it in. A year later the instructor vanished into the night and that was that anyway. 5 years later my interest (well massive regret at stopping) picked up again so i looked around at what was in the town. A TAGB club drew my attention so i started on TKD. I trained with the TAGB for a couple of years until i had a little time off to do my A-levels. Came back to find my instructor and a few others had left the TAGB for something called PUMA (if i recall!). Some months later i went to uni and that was the end of it again. Then back in 2005 i found out my employer (Nationwide Building Society) had a martial arts club when they did a charity event at work. The club teaches JeePai kung fu (a style that seems to be at one other club - in Worthing - and nowhere else!) and kickboxing. Best of all it's free to train 3 times a week Training is really relaxed and everyone is there for the fun of it. Attendance is a bit hit and miss as classes start straight after work and getting away from the office is never easy, but i love it none the less. I've even been treasurer for a couple of years now! My fav is our Thurs morning sparring sessions. Looking ahead I'm really interested in joining the TAGB again and following some more structure. Sadly there doesn't appear to be a club in my town, which means driving to Swindon ....life story done now Looking forward to using the site! Thanks MattB
Welcome to MAP. Lots of good experienced people here--I'm learning stuff every time I surf around the forums.
