Taekwondo. It is more than a sport. More than kicks and punches and fighting or whatever else someone in the 'outside world' may see it as. Taekwondo is about learning, growing, and developing self-discipline and respect for yourself and others, with the benefit of self-defense, of course. But, I did not always see it that way.
It all began when I was young, around seven years old. My older brother had entered the world of Taekwondo first, then next my even older sister. I thought to myself that it looked cool, not looking at the dedication and practice it took to become successful in this sport. My mom signed me up for class and there I was, blocking, kicking, and yelling along with my older siblings.
Anybody would think that all it took was physical strength and flexibility. But, not only did it challenge my body, it challenged my mind. Study guide after study guide, I would have to learn, not memorize. I give credit to my mom for helping me implant it my mind. Some of the lessons from the study guide she would find so great that she would take it a step further and implement it into our weekly bible study on Sundays. My mom would even have us practice our forms or fighting until we could do those poomsaes and techniques in our sleep. This happened frequently before a large tournament.
Taekwondo was also beneficial in other ways. Participating in both local and national tournaments helped me gain experience and many times gave me a challenge. Going to tournaments you never know what to expect. The most recurrent question that zoomed through my mind at the start of a tournament was 'who's in my division?' and later on when I got older and my ranked increased 'Is there anyone in my division?' After attending over 40 tournaments, my family has more than enough trophies, medals, and certificates. If you would walk through our house, you would see them in almost all the rooms, with the exception of the kitchen.
Taekwondo has also given me a sense of belonging; it is like having another 'family'. Through the many years I have been in Taekwondo, I have made a lot friends, many of whom I have been in contact with years and are still taking Taekwondo alongside me.
With the benefits of traveling, I never knew who I was going to meet. You always get to see new people and places. Because of Taekwondo, I have traveled many more places than an average teen my age; from San Francisco, to San Antonio, Texas, to Orlando, Florida.
Even though Taekwondo was very time consuming, between school and trying to have a social life, I stuck through it and I am now able to marble at all the good things that have cam out of it. I think it would be great, in about ten years, to be able to look at all of our achievements, and to know that it was all possible because I began taekwondo.