My first introduction to martial arts was at the age of 4 when my parents decided I needed an after-school activity following our migration from Malaysia to Perth, Western Australia. Having been tortured in swimming classes (some of my earliest memories are of arguing with the teachers to get out of doing class), there was only one option remaining - karate. Training most days after school plus Saturdays, and competeing on Sundays, karate kept me out of trouble throughout school. I earned my shodan (first degree black belt) under Brian Mackie at the age of 13 competeing successfully at state, national and international tournaments.
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| Karate - I'm about 10 years old in this pic |
I moved to Sydney to complete my Postgraduate studies in science and could not find a karate school nearby, so decided to try my hand at MMA. It didn't take long for me to discover that I was seriously deficient on the ground and start asking questions about grappling.
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| Me being a Scientist - yes, that's me with long hair! |
I've tried my hand at several sports - athletics, swimming, rock climbing, salsa, ballet, hip hop, cross country running, touch football and gymnastics - but nothing compares to jiu jitsu!I train because I enjoy learning, I am fascinated by biomechanics, I love the physical challenge and have benefited from the mind-body aspect of martial arts.
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| Back in my rock climbing days |
