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Erina |
Mike |
Natural Concerns
Mike talks how his mother was naturally worried about him doing martial arts.
Erina: I have a brother so I can relate this. You know, my brother when he started to, you know, join karate team, my parents were super worried about, you know, head injuries and any kinds of injuries.
Mike: Right.
Erina: So what did your family say about that? Were they supportive?
Mike: Well, when I first got into karate, they were supportive of me mostly because karate is not so much used as a, it's not a martial art used so much for fighting but I used it for a really good experience and discipline and because I started when I was twelve, it was very strict and it taught me really good discipline and it actually, surprisingly enough, it teaches you not to use violence in conflicts and so my family really liked that aspect. The fact that it taught me discipline and it taught me about, you know, how violence is not usually the way to solve problems and it doesn't work well. So of course the aspect of getting injured and doing damage to your body was always there and I think especially my mum was always pretty worried and when I showed her videos of my fights or sparring, she would give a lot of scared reactions and commentary, ooh, ah, that looks like it hurts, are you OK? But all in all, I clearly explained to them the benefits of martial arts and how they discipline not only your body but your mind so my parents were pretty understanding with that.
Erina: Wow. I want to see your fight one day. You said that you don't box any more but I would love to watch your fight.
Mike: Well, yeah, I spar every once in a while but maybe if you get lucky.
Erina: Thank you Mike.
Mike: Yeah, no problem.
martial arts
It's not a martial art used so much for fighting.
A 'martial art' is an Oriental and traditional form of self-defense. Common martial arts are karate, tae kwon do and kung fu. Notice the following:
- I try to do a martial arts class at the gym at least
three times a week.
- He tried martial arts for the first time when he was in Asia, and he really like it.
supportive
Was your family supportive of your karate?
When you are 'supportive' of something, you encourage someone to do it and think it is a good idea. Notice the following:
- It is a difficult time for her, but her family and
friends have been really supportive.
- Has your husband been supportive of you traveling so much for work?
discipline
Karate taught me discipline.
Here, 'discipline' refers to repeating a specific action with regularity to improve your skills. Notice the following:
- He has been very disciplined about his diet and still
hasn't see results.
- When you do independent studies classes at school, you need to be really disciplined about getting all your work done.
aspect
It teaches you not to use violence in conflict, and so my
family really liked that aspect.
In this example, 'aspect' can be replaced by 'part.' Many aspects go together to make a whole. Notice the following:
- The location is a big aspect that you want to consider
when you're looking to buy a house.
- One of my favorite aspects of this car is the sunroof.
commentary
My mom would give a lot of scared reactions and commentary.
'Commentary' is comments, observations or opinions that someone makes about a specific topic. Notice the following:
- I review your essay, and I wrote some commentary on the
back about how you could improve.
- Please hold your commentary until after the show.
Vocabulary Quiz
aspects • commentary
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About the Teacher / Creator
Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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