Personal Reflection on the Impact of Taekwondo in My Life
My father did many sports like running, soccer, boxing, swimming and a few more. All of my brothers and I mainly played one sport, soccer. I still play soccer to this day but I’ve kind of put on the side for now. The reason is because I started to practice another sport known as Taekwondo. I had some sort of idea what taekwondo was because all my brothers were black belts and they would show me some stuff they learned every now and then. I knew that there were forms, one-steps, and kicks.
On my first day of Taekwondo, I was really nervous. I went to Grandmaster’s room and he told me about the rules and a lot of other things that would help me throughout my Taekwondo experience. After that, Grandmaster gave me my book and my uniform. While my dad was talking to Grandmaster, I sat there and watched the high belts practice. I didn’t think I would do so well because it looked very hard. I didn’t expect to make it this far to write this paper to test for my black belt.
When I got home, I thought I would relax for a week and get used to my uniform and then start practicing, but I started the very next day. On our first day Grandmaster told us to copy the other high belts and to learn and respect them. I did a lot of stretching, kicking, and punching. After class, Grandmaster Sean Kim told me that I could not go to taekwondo on Tuesdays and Thursdays until I got my yellow belt. This made me desperate to test for my next belt.
I went to Taekwondo every day after school, practicing and learning something new every time. I was learning really fast to my surprise. I waited 2 months to test but when I did, I double tested. This was because one thing Grandmaster would tell everyone practicing that if you give fifty percent one day and zero percent on the other, you must give one hundred percent on the third day.
Since I got my yellow belt and green stripe, I got to start sparring. For the first sparring class, I was told the rules. When I first put on my fighting pads it was very uncomfortable and hot. At first I was nervous while fighting taller and stronger people like the higher belts. Soon, I got pretty used to fighting people older and younger than me. When I fought older and stronger, I have to fight at my best and show no fear. However, when I fight a younger and less skilled opponents, I have to teach him or her what they are doing wrong so they can fix their mistakes.
As I learned more sparring techniques I got better. Soon as I got higher belts and learned more techniques, I started coming to the higher class. Sparring also teaches me how to control my kicks and not to kick above the neck or lower than the belt. I soon learned that sparring is not only about kicking the other person, but reading your opponents’ moves and dodging everything they throw at you.
I also learned a lot during regular practice days; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Those were the days were I learned my forms, one-steps, and my kick. At the beginning, I thought it would be impossible to memorize fifty one steps, but when I put in a lot more effort, it became really easy. I tested every month until I got to blue belt. That was the first time I was actually pretty scared to test. Instead of doing what you continued to learn like twenty to twenty five on your one steps, you had to do a repeat of everything you learned like for example, forms from one through four.
After my blue belt test, I was considered a high belt. I had to learn how to teach lower belts so I could become a black belt. I was not so sure about being a high belt. I would have more responsibilities. When I first started teaching I was not very good at it. I did not like talking to people that much and I did not know what to do. Soon, I realized that it would have to be a quality of a high belt. When I became a red belt I came to all three classes. I taught in first class, warmed up in second class, and learned in third class.
Taekwondo did not just teach me physical movements like kicking and punching it also taught me mentally. I learned how to focus more and I disciplined my self. It also increased my confidence. Taekwondo also taught me some morals like courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and to have an indomitable spirit. It also helps my education because taekwondo perfects my memorization. I found that it helped me memorize stuff in school like steps in math and different things like that.
During class sometimes grandmaster Sean Kim shares some useful information and real life experiences that teach us things that we must know to grow up and be successful in the future. These real life experiences teach us many lessons and morals.
I have three brothers that came to this gym as well. They have all finished and have received their certificates and black belts. My main dream is to be like them and receive my black belt and certificate.
Taekwondo isn’t only a sport or martial art that I go to after school everyday, but it has become a way of life for me and my other brothers. Taekwondo has taught me many different things that I need to know in order to become successful in the future. Therefore taekwondo means a lot to me.
