Synopsis: Aikido, which means the way of the spirit of harmony, is befitting for National Making The First Move Day® and the population we serve.
Reading this article will be easy for many, but what about the dyslexics who face the challenge of reading the text as written? What about those with ADD/ADHD who are unable to sit still long enough to focus on the article? What about the disabled arthritic whose pain interferes with ability to comfortably read the artcle?
The subject of this article has such a condition. William Ross was a proud servant of his country in the U.S. army until a progressive arthritis rendered him disabled amid his army service. Ross says "I could not walk any longer" (W. Ross, personal communication, February 19, 2019). You may recall my article Disability Bullying: National Making The First Move Day® wherein I mention the self-defense component of the national holiday I founded. Instead of allowing his arthritic disability to overcome him, William Ross now helps kids, families, and all START MAKING THE FIRST MOVE TOWARDS BULLYING PREVENTION AND RECOVERY IN ALL FORMS™ by providing Aikido self-defense demonstrations/techniques for National Making The First Move Day®. Because it is the most passive of all defense which actually uses the force of the attacker as the defense mechanism, Aikido, which actually means the way of the spirit of harmony, is befitting for National Making The First Move Day® and the population we serve.
Ross attributes his being able to walk to his aikido training, and says "Aikido allows me to lead a normal life; it's like yoga but for martial arts" (W. Ross, personal communication, February 19, 2019). In fact, Ross is actually a sensei who has practiced aikido for the past 24 years and martial arts in general for the past 27 years. He is a 5th degree (master) in kajukenbo, 2nd degree black belt in two aikido styles, is a trained combat medic, and ranked 6th in the 1994 Black Belt World Games in Hollywood, CA. Wow! This disabled veteran refuses to be overcome by his disability!
The kids at the National Making The First Move Day® celebration thoroughly enjoy Ross's unique self-defense demonstration, and he is with us again this year by popular demand. How phenomenal it is for this disabled veteran to give freely of himself despite his disability to help others START MAKING THE FIRST MOVE TOWARDS BULLYING PREVENTION AND RECOVERY IN ALL FORMS™.
To learn more about National Making The First Move Day®, read my article Disability Bullying: National Making The First Move Day®.
#mtfmoveday #greshundebouse
Ross, W. (2019, February 19). Text communication.
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