So Taekwondo was cancelled for the last few weeks due to the coronavirus which is really a shame. But also, I twisted my knee so I wouldn’t have been able to participate anyways. I have to say, it makes me quite sad as we were preparing for the grading and I was ready to get a new belt before I left the school. We had already learnt the pattern and the kick but things just didn’t add up in the end which is quite saddening.

However, I am glad I decided to join in Grade 11 as it was a completely new experience for me even though I see similarities between it and dance with the choreography-like patterns. There is more of a conviction and power that you have to show during Taekwondo compared to the softness of dancing. I really enjoyed it and I think I’ve learnt more discipline as there were a lot of little kids running around and the teachers were shouting a lot of the time which could be scary. To have control over your body to perform certain acts really brings me more confidence as well as giving me the exercise I need. One of the proudest moments was during candle training when we have to ‘blow’ out a candle by just punching at it which is a bizarre thing to describe but it’s an effective way to train our accuracy, speed and power. I didn’t succeed in Grade 11 but I was able to do it this year and I was incredibly proud of myself even though I might have singed of some of my finger hairs.

I think I will definitely continue this sport when I leave off for university because my goal is to become a black belt which I don’t see happening soon but it is in my future agenda.