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Hello, my name is Nathan and this is the first time I have been to this forum. I take tae kwon do and practice several other arts and weapons. I have been in a wheelchair since birth. I would like to know of anyone else in a wheelchair or knows someone in a wheelchair and takes the martial arts.

Some might say that I am in the wrong martial art. Tae kwon do and I can't throw a single kick. My brother started taking tae kwon do and I would go and watch every day. I pretty much was learning everything he was learning even though I wasn't in class. After a year, me and him and the instructors all knew each other well and became friends. Well, I eventually joined and have been in it for less than a year.

Back in the '60's and '70's there was a martial artist named Ted Vollrath in a chair who did spectacular and quite convincing demonstrations. My spelling of his name may be off.

student

Welcome Nathan!! I think it's fantastic your taking up whichever system you choose. Student is correct, I remember the gentleman in the wheelchair very well. He couldn't kick either but adapted and performed beautiful form. His upper strength more than made up for any lack of kicking. And his form was excellant. You will always be an excellent student because you have to work harder and remember what an inspiration you are and will be to those who are not only handicapped, but also those who slack off and try to take the easy road. And down the road, I can see you being an excellent teacher. Your spirit and hard work will bring you the rewards you seek. Please keep us posted and join us whenever you can. My best wishes.
Bill

Thanks, BillB. I don't really think of myself as being a role model or anything like that. I am very passionate about the martial arts, not just tae kwon do. It is my goal to teach. But I need to actually get good and have experience before I can do that.

I have had to adapt to no leg techniques. All patterns have to be modified. And when we are warming up with the legs I have to do something different. It really isn't that hard. This is what I do when everyone else is doing a...
front or back stance=wheelchair turned a little. One side ahead of the other so I can have a back and front fist.
snap kick=uppercut
side kick=punch
crescent kick=back fist
round kick=ridge hand
hook kick=knife hand
axe kick=hammer fist
back kick=back elbow

Of course, sometimes that does not always work. Sometimes, especially when it comes to fancey footwork, I have to get creative. It is these times that the teacher helps me out. I have to make my chair do things it wasn't made to do. Spinning is always a problem, but I do spin quite a lot in sparring. The first thing I had to do was make my chair lighter. I took off the leg rests and arm rests. I pretty much stripped it down to the seat and wheels. I think my main disadvantage in sparring is reach. Sometimes it is necassary to actually tilt one side of my chair to get in close enough to get a hit in. It isn't that hard, just a quick shift of my weight and back gets the desired effect.

I also like weapons. I like nunchaku, sai, bo (the 6 footer), and I'm trying to learn the sword.

Nathan it sounds to me like you have what it takes to be that role model. Just think of those who see you and think, "If Nathan can do it, so can I." The key word you used is "adapt". It appears you have already learned how to do that. Keep it up, you inspire all of us to work a little harder. Wishing you the best in whatever you pursue.
By the way, where are you from?
Bill

Thanks again. I am from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. And compared to my instructor, what I go through is a picnic. Vietnam war vet who was in an explosion where shrapnel caused brain damage resulting in dificult control of half his body. When he kicks with his bad leg, it is weak. When he kicks with his good leg, standing on his bad leg makes it weak. He is most definitely the toughest guy I know. One time he had surgery on a Friday (a double hernia!!!ouch!) and was back to teaching the next Monday! Now that is what I call determination.

If there comes a day when HE gives up, then I guess it's time for all of us to pack our bags and go home.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quoteI'm not sure which is worst, being in a wheelchair since birth or waking up in the hospital one day as a quadriplegic after much of your life has been spent honing the skills, strength, and speed of the lower half of your body only to discover it is all gone.

On one hand a person doesn't miss what he never had although he may wish he could experience the feelings and abilities – human nature is to want what we don’t have -- but on the other hand, another is to be perpetually tormented for years with not having what he did not cherish until he no longer had it. Which do you think is worst, Mr. Nunchaku? When does one give up? When can he throw the towel in and decide he doesn’t want any more of it?
<HR>
BTW, I went the double hernia route. It's not so bad except it's very painful and the worst part is the fear of not wanting to be operated on -- Misconceptions like "Oh no... I'm going to loose my nuts"

I went for years through karate practice, weight lifting, and long-distance running with a single hernia, and when the gut would pop out through the broken muscle wall, I'd just take my fingers and pop it back in. One day I sprang another hernia on the other side and became an unhappy camper although I was dealing with it. Somehow I managed to get into a hernia discussion with the owner of the house I was renting and he told me his father nearly died or did die from neglecting to have the operation. What happens is what they call strangulation. The circulation of the intestine gets cut of, it turns gangrene, and then your whole system gets poisoned and then you die; you don't even know anything is going on until it's too late.

The next week I got it fixed. Easy; just as slick as can be; same-day in-out, no-muss, no-fuss service. They lay you out, stick needles in you and then you go out. You wake up a couple hours later in a wheel chair. As soon as you can stand and walk a few steps they tell you not to let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. Simple as that.

Painful? Hurts like hell to walk around at first, but in a couple of days the discomfort settles down to a low roar and as long as you don't get kicked in that area for a few weeks, you're better than new!

Why the rant? Because MANY men are walking around with inguinal hernias, the most common type, and continue to do so because they are AFRAID of the operation, most probably just the fear of the unknown. It's such a SIMPLE operation, and if you need the repair and don't get the operation, you could die.

Besides, it’s a lot of fun to show all the <strike>girls</strike> women the scars.


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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera

I would have to say it is much easier to be born in a wheelchair than an accident later in life. This is only how I feel though. How I am is how I am. This is my world and I have experienced no other so it doesn't bother me that much. Sure I have thought about how I could be better, but it isn't something lingering on my mind all the time. I only think about it once in a blue moon. By the way, I am not paralyzed (sp?), I have Osteogenesis Imperfecta, brittle bones. And the fear of surgery is a fear I do not have. I have had at least 10 surgeries in my life. Nothing life critical or anything but more than a one day in and out surgery.

Some of us can accept our lot in life while others cannot. You are fortunate to have peace of soul.

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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera

Mr. Nunchucku,

My TKD teacher used to have a class that he called "The Iron Horse" (a play on names from the Tekki, Naihanchi, or Chul-gi kata). He had about 5 people in wheelchairs and two went on to be techers in TKD. I have lost touch with these guys (they moved and I moved as well) but I know first hand that I would NEVER want to fight one of these people. They would roll right over me.

One thing that I remember my teacher stressing is to use the chair as a weapon. I am sure that your instructor has talked about that from time to time.
Thanks
Jeremy Bays