About MA4MS
About MA4MS
Quick Answer
Why does MA4MS exist?
MA4MS exists to help people with MS feel seen and to show that practice can adapt across standing, seated, wheelchair-based, bedbound, breathing, and visualization approaches.
Martial Arts for Multiple Sclerosis exists to help people with MS feel seen and to show that meaningful practice can adapt without losing dignity, discipline, or purpose.
Mission First
MA4MS provides educational resources for people living with MS, caregivers, martial arts instructors, and supporters. The project focuses on adaptive movement, breathing, visualization, accessible teaching, confidence, and practical ways to remain connected to martial arts principles.
The site is not about one person. It is about the people it serves and the idea that practice should meet the person where they are.
Founder’s Journey
David Ellinger founded MA4MS in 2006 after a lifetime shaped by martial arts and years of symptoms that were diagnosed as Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in 2002, when he was 28.
He began practicing martial arts at age eight and studied Karate, Boxing, Capoeira, Judo, Kung Fu, Aikido, Tai Chi, and other systems. As vision changes affected him, he also trained blindfolded at times to understand movement, balance, timing, and space through senses beyond sight.
A pivotal lesson came when he asked an old friend—a Ving Tsun Kung Fu Grandmaster—for guidance. The answer was simple: “Do your horse.” It was a return to foundation: stance, breathing, balance, patience, and practice that can be revisited again and again.
That lived experience establishes context and trust. It does not turn MA4MS into medical advice, and it does not make the site about its founder.
What MA4MS Believes
- Adaptation is a skill, not surrender.
- Practice can be standing, seated, wheelchair-based, bedbound, breathing-based, visualization-based, or observation-based.
- People deserve clear information, accessible presentation, and respectful language.
- Instructors can adapt without pretending to be medical professionals.
- Caregivers can support without taking away dignity or choice.
Explore the Practice Philosophy
See how the mission becomes practical through movement, breathing, visualization, and adaptation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was MA4MS founded?
MA4MS was founded to connect martial arts principles with respectful, accessible practice for people living with MS.
Who founded MA4MS?
David Ellinger founded MA4MS in 2006. His story appears here as context for the mission, not as the focus of the site.
What does “Do your horse” mean here?
It means returning to foundational stance, breathing, balance, patience, and practice that can be adapted and revisited.
Is MA4MS about its founder?
No. The Founder’s Journey provides context for the mission, while the site remains focused on people affected by MS, adaptive practice, accessibility, caregivers, instructors, and useful resources.