Four ways Tetsudo changed my life

Tetsudo is a martial art that has really helped me in my life. What do I mean by that?

Well it would be easy to say that it has increased my fitness, or it has taught me self-defence, or helped discipline. These are stereotypical answers to how a “martial art” has helped me.

However, I want to look deeper, Tetsudo not only helped my fitness etc. but it gave me the confidence and mindset to actually achieve major life goals that I once thought impossible. Intrigued?

These are four ways in which Tetsudo helped me become the person

I wanted to be.

1. Changing Mindset – Tetsudo teaches concepts of use for the mind, and for me that meant how could I improve my life situation. I was working a low end job in the care industry and I wanted more. I decided to that I would try and make a difference by changing my mindset and I settled on going to university and getting the qualifications that I would need to get a better and more enjoyable job. The support and guidance that my instructors Ustads Nigel Law and Paul Gascoyne provided was invaluable, and the focus that I was able to dedicate to Tetsudo was also able to be used in my studies. Tetsudo also managed to give me the confidence to study abroad, and through continued training I was able to get the most out of my experience in academia.

2. A Great circle of Friends – As someone who often struggled to make friends and found it difficult to engage in social events, I found the social aspect of the artform intimidating at first. Everyone knows each other in the wider association, as it has grand social events to mark particularly prestigious events, i.e. new black belts being awarded. My club also enjoys going to the local pub after a session, and this was something completely new to me. I went to train, not socialise, but the more I involved myself, the more I built my social confidence and now I consider my fellow martial artists my friends.

3. Mental Health – It is fairly widely known that endorphins are released when exercising, which promotes a good feeling. We have all experienced that hype after a hard gym session and the positive feeling we get from it. Tetsudo gives that, but with the concepts of the changing mind I spoke about earlier, this positivity can be focussed on helping with anxiety and depression, of which I suffer with.

4. Fitness – Yes I am going to talk about fitness! While I am a gym-goer (not as much these days) Tetsudo has helped me with my fitness levels and ensured that while I was studying I could maintain my health. A healthy body does promote a healthy mind. I used to do a lot of weight lifting before Tetsudo, which made some of my joints stiff and my movements were not particularly fast because of the high muscle mass. The more I trained in Tetsudo, the more I realised I needed to trim that muscle mass, so I could have a more even body type. My cardio levels rose, and I was able to move easier, my joints are less stiff, but there is still a way to go before I can move at my potential.