Martial arts, kids and neighbors with chain saws

Inside Motherhood featured a post about a 17 year old Kenny Partanen from Florida who disarmed his saw wielding neighbor and grappled him into submission. Right on Kenny, you’re an official bad ass and you can’t even vote yet.

Now here’s something you don’t hear every day. Kenny Partanen, a 17-year-old boy in Florida was at home on Saturday morning when a neighbor forcibly entered the house, brandishing a chain saw. The man was screaming obscenities and waving the saw. When Kenny managed to get hold of the saw before the neighbor could get it running, he told the man to leave; after he refused to go, Kenny used his years of training in Hapkido to grapple and contain the intruder until police arrived.

I’m well aware that my unborn son is an action / adventure buff, but I would definitely like to enroll him in martial arts training. I studied karate for several years, am familiar with several other forms and have an older brother who used to try to beat me with my own arm. Ahh, the joy of older siblings.

In addition to having numerous neighbors with saws, I find martial arts to be a great form of exercise and a confidence builder. It also fosters self control in students so there won’t be a bunch of Jean Claude Van Dams running around. There are enough bad movies out there, anyway.

For now I’m just counting baby kicks, but in the future I would like to see him (and subsequent kids) to be counting side kicks.