Welcome to the first in a series of interviews with our students. We find out who they are, both in and out of the dojo, and hear some of their tips for good Kempo experiences.
First up: Ti, one of our Brown Belts.
Give us a vague idea of who you are outside of the dojo: I live in South Bristol and work in film exhibition and programming for the British Film Institute.
Tell us something interesting about yourself: I run the Bristol Bad Film Club and the genre film festival – Forbidden Worlds – that recently resurrected the Bristol IMAX.
Given those two answers, I suspect you have a favourite martial arts film and/or actor? Project A – Jackie Chan
How long have you been doing Shorinji Kempo? I started training around 2008 for five to six years and then took several years off. I recently restarted training last summer!
Why did you start Shorinji Kempo? I thought it would be a great way to keep fit rather than going to the gym. Plus I hate running.
What were you most nervous about before you started? Whether my general fitness would be good enough for martial arts.
What were you most looking forward to? Learning a martial art!
How long did it take you to learn how to tie your belt? Oooooh…. six months? My wife recently started karate and I’m now teaching her how to tie her belt. I think she’ll take longer…
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in Shorinji Kempo? Find a training time that works for you and stick with it, even when you’re feeling really lazy. Once you’re in a training routine, you’ll really appreciate it.
Favourite Shorinji Kempo technique? When you’re starting out, there is nothing more satisfying than perfecting a Gyaku Gote… which means you can throw someone to the ground if they grab you.
You took a break for a while, what brought you back? The fact that training relocated to 10 mins from my house.
What would you say is the main benefit you have got out of doing Shorinji Kempo? Improved fitness and increased self-confidence.
If you could travel anywhere in time and space, where would you go, and why? Currently I’m reading lots of books on Genghis Khan – don’t ask why – so that period of time in central Asia is currently fascinating. Fascinating and lethal. [Ed: but I did ask why!]
If you could change one thing about the world, big or small, what would it be? Let’s go as big as you can get and just strive for general acceptance and tolerance from everyone. No biggie.
If you could have a giant billboard anywhere, with anything on it, where would you put it and what would it say? I think we should have less billboards and more cheeseboards.
And on that sage advice we shall leave it! If you want to meet more of our students, why not come to a class?