I wasn't expecting to see a post like this...alright..well, here it goes...
Just before my 12th birthday, I was enrolled in Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do (Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art of defense; Hap Ki Do is another form of a Korean martial art of defense, one based on grabs (being grabbed) holds and chokes, for those not familiar).
I studied Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do for 7 1/2 - 8 years, formally (i.e. attending class, in uniform, by instructors, competition training). During that time, I received my Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do, competed in two formal competitions where I won third place and first place, respectively. In the 18 months before I stopped attending, I was training in bo-staff, height jumping (with a short run of four feet, I could jump-and-roll above my own height of 5'4"; my last jump was measured at 5'10") and dual-board breaking.
At each advancement testing (new belt, higher rank) we were required to know an abundant amount of korean terminology, history of Tae Kwon Do, perform well in several different areas, as well as be able to break a 1' x 1' (1" thickness) board; 2 boards for both of the last three belts (blue, brown, and also red), as well as, our Black Belt. I (my hands/feet a.k.a. "deadly weapons") am currently registered nationally, here in the U.S. and also in Korea with the Kukkiwon (Federation).
During the middle 2-3 years of training in Tae Kwon Do, I was privately instructed in Tai Chi and Aikido. I would test formally with a class, but train privately (school, martial arts, homework, band, flag corps, etc. prevented me from attending a regular class in Tai Chi or Ai Ki Do). I currently hold a Green Belt in both.
Sorry for the monologue, it was and still is, a very proud time of my life. I miss it dearly.