South Africa -- Being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth has not prevented Ryan Jeffery from leading a completely independent life and achieving his second Dan black belt in the demanding sport of Funakoshi karate.
Come Sunday, the 40-year-old will be grading for his third Dan black belt at Winklespruit, where he will undergo a series of rigorous tests and pit himself against other athletes.
Because of his illness, Jeffery had a loss of muscle control and balance on his right side, requiring him to find different ways of doing daily tasks, such as clipping his nails or unscrewing bottle caps.
Certain aspects of karate training were slightly modified to accommodate Jeffery's weakened right side, but he has been pushed as hard as any other able-bodied student.
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment