Stupid hobbies.

[Kangleton]

I like to think I'm a martial artist, but it's been a while. Got my black-belt in Taekwondo, touched on Aikido, and trained extensively in kickboxing - but it's been two or three years since competing.

I also did a lot of sleight-of-hand, card and coin magic. I was getting paid to do it for a while but I ran out of ways to advance without spending a lot of time paying for tutoring or reading books. And I was never good at learning out of a book in terms of sleight-of-hand, as mimicking written instruction with subtle hand movements is hard.

Now I'm doing parkour, which is similar to free running (a term more people recognize).

[Saulus]

Do parkour like this and I'll be impressed.

[Kangleton]

Haha, damn - that game looks like'd it be fun to mess around with. But alas, I fear I'll never impress you with skills like those.

[Usurper]

Well...Here we go...

I am a vocalist,songwriter,recording engineer/producer.I also enjoy traveling and used to be in a world wide touring metal band called Arsis(Nuclear Blast Records).

Reading is another hobby..I have read and own over 200 Forgotten Realms titles and have also read a great deal of Dragonlance.

I used to get extremely wasted and get into bar fights almost every other weekend as well...Mostly between the ages of 21-23. was a bouncer at a strip club,so it was in the job description.Sadly,it was usually the military guys that I had to crush more than others..I figured they would train those guys a little better,so I just assumed perhaps they need to get some training in " How to fight disgruntled bouncers named Mike."*Shrugs*

Then my ex-wife had my daughter and my days of bouncing and hurting people had to come to an end...Now I am a daddy that does all the above still ,except for the previous paragraph and touring the world...

Now I am pretty chill and non-confrontational about things IF I can prevent it.
And if you do not believe I was in a real touring band,check out the pics submitted by Darcane in the gallery...

[greypawn]

Kangleton, Taekwondo is awesome! I'd still consider you a martial artist, especially if you have your black belt. Not sure if Peri would. Taekwondo is pretty popular in my neighborhood but I could never get into it for some reason. Lots O' kickin! I have bad knees.

[Kangleton]

Getting your black-belt is like graduating elementary school. There's still a whole lot more to progress through down the road, and it only gets more and more difficult and impressive. I stopped at the very beginning, really.

Also, I don't recommend Taekwondo as a martial art if you're looking for practical self-defense techniques. It helps you in a standing fight, though you have no proficiency on the ground, and that's where I find the majority of fights end up if you're fighting outside a dojo. If your opponent is untrained you should be able to keep them from taking you down, but otherwise you'll have a difficult time.

[Peridan]

Taekwon do is a martial art XD. And I agree, getting your black belt is just like getting started. It means you're ready for an actual education, rather than the best of the best.