For many years I’ve always been interested in movement and how to get fitter and move better, I tried a lot of fitness things in the gym, remembering the high intensity training I learnt in boxing, but the older I got a part of me was saying I can’t do this type of hard training now, too much tension.
I then began to look into Martial Arts for answers to this dilemma and enjoyed exploring several different arts and meeting people hearing of their experiences.
During this time I had the pleasure to know Thong and his lovely KaizenTao Crew, I had known Thong for a while and was blessed to be able to meet and learn from Thong at a seminar in Munich in 2014 which pretty much changed my view on movement and life, I felt it answered the questions that had been simmering in me for years.
I have been taking KaizenTao Remote Coaching lessons with Thong for the past year. These lessons are unlike any I have had with any other martial arts and to me it feels holistic and is a therapy to me, Thong links well being and the troubles and stress one goes through in life to martial art and shows me how to come to terms with it over time. Thong’s teachings give me constant insights and re-calibrations, via breathing, movement and alignment drills and lots more.
All that Thong teaches has carried over to my everyday life instantly, it seems about the here and the now and I am amazed at how responsive the mind and body can be if given the appropriate sensory experience.
Thong has really opened my eyes to the possibilities, more importantly I feel more stable in my life and know what needs to be done and maintained, self-defence was my initial aim and perhaps it still is but not solely in a combat sense anymore.
To me it is learning to cultivate the self and defending from the inside, being mindful of my dark side and being a good person, to which I am forever thankful to Thong for and will pay it forward to my loved ones.
~ Stephen Belbin,
A dedicated student of various arts: Kickboxing, Boxing, Capoeira, Systema, Silat and Wing Chun. Started Kick-Boxing when he was 15 years old, over 22 years ago.