Martialling balance of body with mind
JOHN Vonhoff can’t imagine a life without martial arts, a sport he has credited to becoming a better person both physically and mentally.
The long-time martial arts fan, who watched the movies and played the games growing up, only stumbled into the sport after becoming tired of the “drudgery” of cycling or running.
“I just wasn’t getting any mental simulation out of the everyday activities,” Mr Vonhoff said. “I was searching for something that was a bit more beneficial mentally as well and that’s when I stumbled on martial arts.
“I just saw it as a way to improve myself, improve my self confidence, as well as keeping myself physically fit and also a great way to learn something new.
“And learning a skill that is actually useful; that’s what really appealed to me.”
Mr Vonhoff first joined martial arts 25 years ago, after attending a class with a friend, and has been doing it ever since.
For the past 15 years he has owned his own martial arts school teaching Choi Kwang-do.
To become an instructor he had to become a black belt, which involved tireless work and frequent training.
Mr Vonhoff said the sport developed his self confidence.
“At the time there was 10 to 15 of us there and I thought to myself, ‘ wow there’s just no way I could do that, get up on that stage and be confident like that and run a class’,” he said. “Bit by bit, I developed the confidence and starting teaching people myself within the class for the instructor.
“Before I knew it I was up on the stage stretching, and preparing the class and taking the class even when he (the instructor) was available.”
After 10 years of learning Mr Vonhoff thought he could run a martial arts school on his own, beginning in 2003 and starting with about 12 students.
“From there we just progressed bit by bit and we’ve got the largest Choi Kwang-do school in Australia now; it’s a bit of an achievement I am proud of,” he said.
He did this all the while working as a telecommunications technician.
“I was working as a full-time team manager and running the martial arts school,” Mr Vonhoff said.
“It was like eight hours at work during the day and then another eight hours at work after hours.”
The school has now grown to almost 200 students of different ages and genders, with the youngest student just three and the oldest 67.
“It’s a good activity for all age groups,” he said. “It keeps the young ones developing both mentally and physically, and it keeps older people active.”