The Core Principles I Learnt From My Taekwondo Training

"Ouch", I grumbled, with tears welling in my eyes. I had just been punched in the nose, kicked in the head, and thrown to the hardwood floor, all in the span of ninety seconds. I stayed on the ground, trying to gain my composure, when I could see my instructor’s feet coming towards me. “Are you okay, Diya?” "I think so, Master Collier, " I uttered as I wiped my nose to make sure it wasn't bleeding. "Try blocking next time, " he said with a slight smirk on his face. My nose was still throbbing and my whole body ached. "Yes, sir. " I popped back up, and continued to spar with my opponent. I’ve had many moments like this in my twelve years of training in taekwondo and though I loathed such moments at the time, I truly value them now. Through such painful falls, and strenuous training, I was able to learn great lessons about work ethic, discipline, and respect, as well as finding confidence in myself and having experience in leading a group.

In my taekwondo school, all of our rules stem from the five tenets: self-control, perseverance, indomitable spirit, integrity, and courtesy. When my instructor had first informed me of these tenets, I absently nodded my head while my five-year-old mind wondered what I would be having for dinner that night, unaware of how important these rules were to my success inside of and outside of the taekwondo training room (the dojang). There were many times during my training that I wanted to quit taekwondo; I didn’t feel confident in my abilities, I didn’t have any friends, and I was constantly being beat up. On top of all that, my instructor had been deployed, making me feel defeated. However, being a stickler to the rules my entire life, I could not break one of the five tenets, perseverance. Being the highest belt in the class, black belt, my instructor appointed me interim co-instructor along with Colin, a boy one rank lower than me. Both of us knew it was going to be a challenge, but we felt as if it was our duty to keep the class going, otherwise the rest of the class would not be able to train and advance in rank for eighteen months. We had to show courtesy to our peers. When we began to teach, it was difficult to have control over the class; they were constantly screaming and throwing equipment. It took a lot of indomitable spirit to come to class twice a week with a smile on my face while desperately trying to gain control over a group of people from the ages eight to thirty-five, all at enough different ranks to make a rainbow. By the end of the second week of teaching Colin and I were getting impatient with the class’s neglect of respect and of the discipline required to practice taekwondo. So the next time the class met, we taught the class about arguably the most important tenets of all: self-control and integrity.

To me, integrity is the most important to learn in order to understand all of the tenets fully. Without having a moral compass within, indomitable spirit could quickly turn into doing things to help oneself rather than doing things for the sake of others, perseverance could turn things into a chore, and courtesy may turn into saying polite things while the meanings of the words vanish. Learning self-control is also important to me because when Colin and I first began teaching, our instructor told us that it would require a lot of self-control; he explained, “Your job is to teach your peers, not to compete with them. ” As higher ranks, it would be easy to take advantage of the power that we have been given. Those words have stuck with me ever since.

Through becoming temporary instructor I was able to find confidence as a leader and have self-respect. I also became aware that I use the five tenets in all aspects of my life. When I preside club meetings for school, I am able to project my ideas assertively, but I am also able to have the self-control and courtesy to have a conversation with my peers about their ideas. I am able to persevere and have indomitable spirit when we run into obstacles. I have respect for my classmates and teachers. My training in taekwondo has helped me become a good leader and a good student, but most importantly has made me strive to be the best person I can be.