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My family has been
involved in martial arts here and there for a while.
In Indonesia, my father's uncles had trained in
Kempo and Indonesian Pentjak Silat. After
his family immigrated to Holland, some of his
brothers studied Kempo, judo and full-contact Karate for
several years, earning one of them a black belt
under the famous Dutch karateka
(karate practitioner) Jon Bluming. During mandatory
military training, my father trained in judo.
I decided I wanted to try Taekwondo when a
dojang (taekwondo gym) opened near my house. The school was Willim-Choi Martial Arts
Centre. I trained here for several years and became
part of a great family. Being a small school at the time, and
because I was a senior student, I often taught
class which I enjoyed a great deal. I came to a
place however, where I needed to train somewhere
else, so I left in search of another teacher.
I have many great memories from my first dojang, and
was fortunate to train with some amazing people. Unfortunately, today this school no longer exists.
However, it remains a very important part of my life
as a martial artist.
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Unable to train in
taekwondo for a period of time, in 2002 I began to study the grappling art
of brazilian jiu-jitsu and
vale tudo (no rules) fighting. My instructor, Sheldon Labbee, was an excellent
teacher, having trained under the Gracie's and
Machado's, as well as having a background in several other
styles. I only had the opportunity to train formally
for a year. Informally, I still train every so
often and have competed in some local
tournaments.
After several years with
my dojang, I
decided it was time for a change, and began to train
at a friends dojang, where I currently train. I now train under Master
Malcolm Edwards at Bae's Martial Arts Training
Centre (formerly Bae's Taekwondo).
Bae's competes in the
sport karate circuit and enters competitions
locally, nationally and internationally. In 2005 I won the National
Championship in
weapons and
Korean forms as well
as placing in continuous fighting. That same year,
myself and 5 other students
represented Canada at the WKA World Karate Championships.
In the future I hope to
train in other styles as well, to expand my
understanding of the human potential.
I look forward to the years ahead.
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Having graduated with a
Bachelors of Physical Education (B.P.E.), I am
currently working to complete my degree in Education.
One of my reasons for walking this path is to help lead the public to
healthy, active lifestyles. As a martial artist, and a person, I have
become dedicated to being physically active and
following healthy lifestyle practices myself because
I have personally experienced the amazing benefits
of this choice. My plan is to use what I've
learned to impact a nation and help a generation of
youth that is in dire need of help.
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Currently, I am
the head instructor for the taekwondo
programs at The
University of Manitoba.
It is a great opportunity to meet new people
and to bring up a new batch of martial
artists. This position continues me on my
growth as a martial artist.
My goal as a teacher is to
help bring students to a
higher level both physically
and mentally. Through
progressions and dynamic
lessons, students will
become more physically fit
and develop a greater
confidence in their skills.
Although I have had
experience in competing at
an international level, my
objective is to provide
students with practical
tools for defending
themselves in a
non-competitive environment.
Students will find the
greatest competition in
themselves as they continue
their training. It's a
balance of being both
empowered and humbled.
The martial arts are about
honestly expressing oneself.
My hope is that all of our
students will find a way to
show who they are through
their training, and perhaps
discover things about
themselves they otherwise
would have never known.
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Martial arts is to me,
as Bruce Lee said, 'honestly expressing yourself'
and to improve yourself physically and mentally
toward that goal. My
faith in God is vital to this goal. I know
that things are only possible through Him and so I
ask Him for the discipline to endeavour. Leading the right path spiritually will strengthen
you on the path to improving physically. My
faith and the martial arts come down to living life
rightly and to its fullest. I can definitely say
that the martial arts changed my life for the better.
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