8 AUG 2025

I started Taekwondo as a teenager under a guy named Rex Hammersley, and I had a lot of fun! I learned some basic self-defense and confidence, I made lifelong friends, and even went to tournaments!!

At my very last TKD tournament, my opponent in the semi-finals overwhelmed me with non-scoring punches, and we were reset. I won by scoring with TKD kicks AFTER that!! In the finals, I got mowed down by a roundkick to the body even though I blocked it!! We were reset, and I won by scoring with TKD kicks AFTER that!!

I'm happy I won, but both of my opponents could've taken turns beating me up in the parking lot after the tournament, and I knew that I wouldn't have stood a chance.

When I approached my TKD teacher about my concerns, he addressed them honestly!! After that, he opened up a Kickboxing class for the advanced students to develop our TKD base further, and also encouraged exploring Jeet Kune Do and MMA.

Even after I stopped going to classes, Rex gave me necessary perspective on how surviving is winning after my first time getting jumped.

I think his honesty and good heart are what kept me interested in martial arts in the long run and why I study Ninpo now. There are teachers who will feel personally attacked and then lie or appeal to civility with romanticized Asian politeness stereotypes in order to shut you down. Rex is better than that!

It's like when Paul Masse talked about how easy it is to find good technique everywhere, and how finding a teacher with a good heart is what's most important.

Nowadays, my Taekwondo teacher, Rex Hammersley, is offering Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Hammer Martial Arts out of Plainfield, Indiana, USA. If you're in that area of the world, give him a look! It's not Ninjutsu, but they do wear black!!

External Links:
• Hammer Martial Arts
• Key to learning good technique..