Why I Choose to Study in the Martial Arts (Tae Kwon Do is not only for Kids)

   White Belt Essay by Cherie Durgin

When I am asked a question regarding the reason I chose a certain decision or direction for my children, the answer is typically not difficult to answer.  I simply state what was on my mind at that time and how it would benefit my child.  However, the question regarding why I chose Martial Arts for myself is not as easy an answer as I had anticipated.  People have asked me why I decided to join, and my answer was never clear.  My initial response has been along the lines of, "I am not really sure.  I guess it was to join my children in this challenge."  I was not really sure how to express the exact reason I chose to study the

  Martial Arts for myself that does not include the unoriginal answer of it "providing a               mental and physical challenge." It just felt right at the time. This uncertainty bothered 
  me.  Staring at a blank page without thoughts overflowing was unexpected.  However, the       more I  thought about it, the more I realized why.  As parents, our children come first.          

The choice to put my children into Martial Arts was easy.  I realized the benefits it would provide them.  As years went on, I have seen individual growth in different ways.  Each child has strengths that are being enhanced and weaknesses that are being challenged. The benefits I predicted that Tae Kwon Do would offer them have become a reality, plus more.  They continue to grow each time they attend class.   Every class I was able to watch, I was intrigued with what they were learning.  I was disappointed when I was unable to stay as I needed to be somewhere else.  Little did I know that this was a growing urge of wanting to participate in something that I simply thought was an enjoyment in observing. 

After some time, it dawned on me that the benefits my children were gaining out of Tae Kwon Do were things that I realized I could use in my life, as well.  The meditation helps them remain still and focused for a period of time, reflecting only on the present and mentally preparing for what was ahead of them in that hour.  The physical movements of stretching and forms help their balance, coordination, mental processing, and concentration.  The self defense skills benefit them to become more agile and aware of the unexpected challenges (physical or mental), they will face as they grow.  Their spirit, perseverance and confidence only increase as they work toward their next belt.  The appreciation of the Korean culture and history is naturally something that I feel my children need.  The vocabulary and lessons learned in class help them to recognize and appreciate the Korean culture which, of course, is already part of their identity.  It is difficult to pinpoint each and every reason why Tae Kwon Do is such a beneficial practice as the list is endless.  It improves the whole body and mind.  I enjoyed watching my children receive these benefits through Tae Kwon Do, and I finally realized something that surprised me:  It was my turn.  

As most parents would agree, our children are our priority.  They come first in every important decision we make.  It does not come natural for us to think about ourselves or especially to take time to ponder what benefits us in our decisions.  It is not natural for us to dissect the reason of why we choose to make a commitment, if we even make them at all.  Joining Tae Kwon Do looked like a quick, "on the whim" decision.  Friends were surprised when I joined as was my husband.  In actuality, the desire was always there but the justification to do it was not.   I realize now, and especially after attending a number of classes, that joining Tae Kwon Do is a life changing decision.  It is absolutely something I enjoy sharing with my children.  But, most importantly, it was a personal decision to commit to something that would ultimately benefit, challenge, change, and improve...ME.  It is my turn.    

     

 

  

The Meaning of Courage and How I Apply it in my Life

Brown Belt Essay by Rocco Manno November 2015

The definition of courage is having the strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger or

Fist Tower on Jeju Island in South Korea

difficulty. This means to be brave and to face your fears. I try to have courage in my life. At home, I am afraid of the dark and I am afraid to go upstairs by myself (even writing that took courage because I am embarrassed to tell people I am afraid of the dark). But whenever I have to go upstairs I think to myself that I have courage and I am able to go upstairs by myself. At school I tried out for the school play and got one of the lead roles, Captain Hook. I was really afraid to audition because I had to sing in front of two judges and other students. I was afraid I would not get the part and people would laugh at me if I made a mistake. But I took a deep breath and said I would do it, and I did! At first I wanted to be the crocodile because I had stage fright and the crocodile doesn’t have any speaking roles and he is only in the background. But I had enough courage to take a risk and to try for a bigger role. If I hadn’t had the courage to try, I would not have gotten one of the lead roles!

I remember the first time I went to Chosun Taekwondo Academy. I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect from the instructors and the other students. I had to have courage to walk up those steps and go to my first class. At the end of class I had to go up in front of everyone and do a free kick. I felt nervous but excited. And I did it and everyone clapped for me. As I continued to train in the next weeks and months I made new friends and became more confident. If I didn’t have courage, I would not have walked up those steps on the first day and I wouldn’t have my brown belt which is really important to me, and I wouldn’t be on my way to getting a black belt and only extraordinary people earn black belts in Taekwondo. It is okay to be afraid, but don’t let fear take over your mind. By having courage I can face my fears!

Courage

Brown Belt Essay by Stefan Lee November, 2015

Courage. It is something truly important we must have because the world is full of wonderful and sometimes frightful surprises. Another way I describe courage is encouragement. If a big test is coming up or even my taekwondo tests, I always think to myself: "I can do it, I can do it." And most of the time it works!. I think courage also means to believe in ourselves, that we can do something, that we can reach our goals. These are some ways I use courage in my life and how I describe it.

Courage

Brown Belt essay by Aidan Morrison November, 2015

Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc, without fear. Courage helps you to try new things and take risks. In school it helps to be courageous. I show courage when I take tests because if I'm not confident I might fail the test even though I could do it in the first place. If someone was bullying in school, I would need to have courage to stand up to them.

It took courage to sign up to take Taekwondo. It takes courage to keep going through the belts because there is more and more to remember and learn. At belt test you have to be courageous to perform various techniques in front of advanced taekwondo masters. That is the meaning of courage and how I apply it in my life.

The Meaning of Courage and how I Apply it in my Life

Brown Belt essay by Harrison Gratzel November, 2015

Courage means brave powerful and not scared. It also means being scared but doing it anyway.

How I apply courage in my life: 
I use courage when I am at tae kwon do and I have to stand in front of the class. And when I am doing swimming and I have to put my head in the water. Also when I go on the bus sometimes. I also use it when I am starting a new camp. I also need courage when I am getting shots.

Retrospective

by Julie Cheshire-Gluckstein

     I am amazed that in a few weeks I will be at the halfway point between the white and black belt. I still feel so new. In fact, I am still adjusting to not being in the last row.

      There is comfort in that last row. Comfort in knowing you are the newbie and can make mistakes.  Not that you feel that way at the time, but just as a child fears the expectations of the next grade, there is the anxiety that comes with the added responsibilities of a higher belt. 

     On the other hand, many things come easier. When I tried and failed to do a front kick with a ball of foot as a lower belt, I was told not to worry - that would come later. What do you know?  I did a front kick with a ball of foot last week. Today Instructor Garrett

Steps to the Stone Buddha at Golgulsa

emphasized the importance of a reaching stretch we were doing; he noted that it helps with the ball of foot kicks.  Amazing.  The stretches in class must have enabled my body to make the move.  Slow and steady. Patience. Progress.

     I have also gained confidence in my ability to meet each belt requirement. I now have overcome enough obstacles that I have faith that with hard work, I can and will achieve the next belt. This self-efficacy has allowed me to relax more when I struggle with new movements. It is my hope that as I continue in rank, I will also be able to approach the belt tests with less anxiety.

     The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn. But isn’t that true of all the most valuable pursuits? Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge to be mastered, I have gained an appreciation for the endless amount of lessons to be learned (I must admit the Korean language component is still daunting; foreign language has always been my worst academic area).

     I am enjoying blue belt. Besides the fact that it is the most striking color (my favorite), it has also been a time to reflect. Moves are coming a little easier. Connections between previous and present learning are beginning to become apparent. And the poomsaes are relatively short and fun. While I look ahead with trepidation, I also know that is part of the process for moving forward. 

How Taekwondo has Influenced my Life

by Christina Dolan

     Taekwondo has influenced my life in many ways.  It has helped me in mind and in body.  When I signed up four months ago, I expected a life style change.  Taekwondo has not only influenced my life, it has become my life.

Chosun students meditating at Golgulsa Temple

     I grew up in a household where perfection was expected and anything less than perfection wasn't worth doing.  It was either an all or nothing type of lifestyle.  You could only imagine the type of pressure one might feel with this type of mentality.  If I didn't get the highest grades in school, my grandmother would ask why didn't I know whatever it was that I didn't get correct.  I had very little self confidence because, let's face it, you are in school to learn.  If I knew EVERYTHING, than I wouldn't be a student, I'd be the teacher.  Even as a teacher, you don't know EVERYTHING.  There was so much focus on the things that I didn't do or didn't get, there was no room to focus on what I DID accomplish or DID achieve. 

      This sort of "all or nothing" mentality was devastating to my self-confidence.  I was afraid to try anything because I was so afraid of failing.  I was afraid to take chances, I was afraid to take risks, and I was afraid of disappointment.  I learned as a young child that if you didn't achieve perfection, you were a disappointment.  I began to internalize this feeling, and it carried over to adulthood. 

      As an adult, I very rarely stepped out of my comfort zone.  I was afraid of hearing my grandmothers voice saying "why?"  I would not take many chances.  But in 2010, a devastating accident took everything I knew about my life and changed it.  Nothing was in my comfort zone.  I found myself lost and confused and almost everything I did, I was failing.  At least that I what I thought. I entered into a great depression.   

     My children started Taekwondo in 2012.  Through them, I began to see that not everything had to be as perfect as I thought.  They were taught that everyone moves at their own pace.  They were encouraged to make their own mistakes, rather than watch someone else's.  Martial Arts was something out of their comfort zone.  As they continued to go to class, they learned about courage and integrity, self control and perseverance, and spirit.  Their spirit shown brightly with every class.  After giving much thought, I decided to join them in Taekwondo. 

      Taekwondo has influenced my life by giving me self confidence.  I still get frustrated when I don't get my turns correct or when I can't get my arms and feet to move in the right direction.  Instead of giving up when my technique isn't perfect, I want to try harder.  I will work as hard as I can to get my form correct.  The teachers and other students are so patient with me, they never once question why.  Taekwondo makes me want to try new things WITHOUT fear. 

      Taekwondo influenced me to venture out of my comfort zone.  It has given me the courage I need to block the "why isn't it perfect" out of my head.  When I do start to question myself, I think back to my teachers and fellow students words of wisdom.  They often say that it's ok if you didn't get it the first time, or that it took many belt levels to perfect a technique.  The courage that I have building is not just for Taekwondo, but for many others aspects of my life. 

      Taekwondo has been a stepping stone for me to try new things.  I recently joined my community's fire department.  I do not know anything about firefighting, but with training and school, I am learning.  I was so scared the first time I put on a Scott mask.  I knew that I only had 30 minutes of "breathable" air.  I knew that if I let fear overcome me, I would accelerate my breathing and that would only decrease my "breathable air".  I walked around a building and walked up and down stairs and through windows and stairs.  Slowly, other students began to lose their air and had to leave the building.  I continued to concentrate on my breathing and sure enough, I finished the obstacle course WITH "breathable air" flowing through. 

      There was a few times that I questioned myself.  I asked myself "what are you doing?  People run out of burning buildings, and you are running in!"  I have to change that thought to "Look at what you are accomplishing!"  I may not be perfect, and I may not have been able to crawl through a window, but I'm getting there.  I am not putting myself down because I am not able to do something 100% right away.  That change in mindset is a huge accomplishment for me.  Previously, I would have given up, saying that it is too hard for me and if I can't do it right, then I'm not doing it. 

      Taekwondo has influenced my mind as well as body.  I am able to breathe in a controlled manner.  My breathing comes in handy when I'm having a panic attack.  I find that when I am panicking, I'm not able to control my breathing, which often leads to hyperventilation.  Hyperventilating makes a bad situation worse.  When I first joined Taekwondo, I did not like to meditate.  I understood the reason for mediation, but for me, sitting in quiet with my eyes closed was anxiety producing.  It was hard at first, but I kept on trying.  At this point, I'm no longer panicking, but using the skill of breathing in other areas of my life. 

      Mediation or at least concentrating on my breathing was one of the reasons I was able to  finish the obstacle course with "breathable air".  It helps me when I feel anxious.  Instead of hyperventilating, I am able to slow my racing thoughts by slowing down my breaths.  It has taken a long time to get to this point, but I have come a long way.  I still hear the discouraging voice in my head, but I try to overcome it.  I try to replace that thought with "look at how far you've come". 

      Taekwondo has influenced my life in many ways.  It has given me the confidence that I need to find new hobbies.  It has given me the courage to start over again.  Through meditation I am able to control my breathing and that will help in many other areas of my life.