Skinny Kid Syndrome

What is it about skinny kids and martial arts? I hear many stories about practitioners and Sensei who as they grew up and entered into martial arts were "skinny" as a kid and was "picked on" as a skinny kid. There were stories about Tatsuo Sensei in this regard and I have since found them to be slightly askew in truth.

I was considered a skinny kid as well so this is why your seeing this post. I was reading about a Florida Sensei, Mr. Ersaid B. Souto of the Dragonfly Dojo. His bio spoke of him as a once skinny kid as well ergo the posting on skinny kid syndrome.

This makes me wonder just how many folks who practice a martial art, especially Isshinryu, were skinny kids. I had a picture I carried that showed me at barely 105 lbs and about a year later a picture as a body builder at 215 lbs. Just before entering the Marines in 1972.

I also received an introduction to karate from a guy named, Mr. Don Collier Sensei, who opened a dojo downtown Daytona Beach Florida. Then there was boxing, Judo and finally karate-jutsu-do.

Just an interesting view where it appears, on the surface, that there might have been a skinny kid syndrome leading to a lot of martial arts practice and training.