My brother and I started studying martial arts at our local dojo when I was ten. Our little town happened to have a great teacher in John Olivier. I found that I had an affinity for breaking (bricks, ice, wood, etc), and he was one of the best out there at performing and teaching this aspect of the sport. I have a VHS tape which I need to digitize some day, showcasing all the weird, creative approaches I took to breaking. I only have a couple of photos from the dojo, and with John when I was older.

I would leave the sport as new ones took over my attention. But the practice of meditation, and the ineffable mental concepts which came from breaking multiple times my body weight in ice and bricks with my hand, have never gone away.