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.

Continuing on from Grade 11, I wanted to resume with Taekwondo because I thought it’d be a waste to throw what I had already learned previously away. There is a grading coming up soon and we are preparing for that. I hope I can get a double grading but I will have to remember the pattern better. I think not being on the lowest level in the class anymore is nice since most of the class consists of primary school kids and I think that takes a toll on my confidence. There aren’t many higher level belts in our class and I have my friend with me so I think I will continue focusing on developing my skills and building on what I have already learnt.

Taekwondo is an individual sport so there is no teamwork involved. But the teachers like the incorporate group activities to have that respect mentality that exists quite prominently in martial arts. To be able to learn discipline and respect for other is not something foreign to me as it is also bound into our school’s principles.

So I did my grading for Taekwondo and guess what? We got a double promotion which is what happens when you skip a grade which we did! So I am know officially a yellow belt which is incredible. Even though I am still lower in grade than many of the smaller kids, I’m just really I have gotten to experience something like this. I am actually quite late in starting Taekwondo because a lot of kids start at the ripe age of 3 while I am 16 but I really wanted to try it and stepped out of my comfort zone to achieve what I did. I’ll definitely join again next season because of how much fun lessons are (thanks to all the kids who make it hilarious) but also that I’ve met and made friends even though if they’re not in the same grade. That’s what I love about these activities, meeting more people because there’s always so much to learn even if it’s from a kid. The enthusiasm they bring to everything they do is perhaps some excitement I’ve lost throughout the years of stressing but their laughter reminds me of the good times. The teachers are great as well. They are professionals and do Taekwondo for a living so I definitely have a lot of respect for them for being able to be physically challenged everyday. Two of the teachers are also Korean so sometimes I have a little trouble understanding but that doesn’t really affect a lot when a lot of the movement learnt is through copying.

So I’ve never done Taekwondo before so this activity is one where I acquired a new skill. Thanks to the teachers, each lesson is filled with laughter but gravity at the same time. Of course some of the exercises are hard especially push ups. I honestly can not do a single push up but I guess it makes you stronger which is important. I’m happy about going up a grade but I think the main benefit is not knowing a pattern and knowing how to perform it but feeling safer within my own body. Being able to rely on yourself to protect yourself physically boosts your confidence mentally and I really benefit from such boosts. We learn a bit of self defence here and there and I don’t think I’ll be able to beat up someone if I get attacked but at least I know where to hit and that I have a pretty strong kick that could do some serious damage. Taekwondo is not an attacking martial art, so it is really only used in self-defence.

So apart from just learning the grading patterns and working towards a new belt, we also learn self defence and some exercises that come with that. So the level I am going to be at is definitely not going to at the “I can beat you up” level or even “I can bruise you” level so I think at least having knowledge about what to do in situations where you are physically trapped makes me feel a little more comfortable when walking in sketchy alleys. Also I’d like to point out that Taekwondo is a self-defence sport so openly attacking someone with the fancy leg kicking is not encouraged but not banned. So…. yeah no. But we did this thing called candle training where they light on of those metal candles in front of you and without touching it, you’ve got to put it out. Using the AIR. No actually you punch at it and apparently it is possible to produce enough wind around your hand to put out a candle, sort of like that shown in anime. I couldn’t put out anything which is quite discouraging but I did make it flicker so ACHIEVEMENT!

Anyways, the kids aren’t that intimidating anymore. They’re actually just kids, quite silly honestly and very loud might I say. But they do come up and start talking to you and they ask some of the most mind-baffling questions which is a fun situation to be in. Seeing them outside of the class is a little weird seeing them in their school uniforms instead of their dobok’s but sometimes they wave which is honestly a little heart-warming.

I used to do Judo when I was really young and it was a really fun memory even though we never really did any real Judo, mostly just crawling around on the floor. But still I actually kind of always wanted to learn some kind of martial arts especially since I am Chinese and I feel that it will connect me to my heritage a little more. Taekwondo isn’t exactly a Chinese martial arts (it’s Korean) but it sounded fun and it was convenient since it happened in school, I signed up for it. Of course I dragged my friend along too because I am too scared to try anything new by myself but she wanted to do it too so it worked out.

So the first few classes we were separated into a separate group because the other kids were preparing for their grading but getting into the basics seemed quite fun. Also it was a little (just a tad) humiliating. Imagine already being scared out of your mind just trying something new and knowing for sure that you’ll embarrass yourself and then walking into the room filled with kids aged from 6-10 kicking around like a bunch of pros. Tiny kids but very intimidating.

Anyways, it is a little tiring because yes it’s a sport but I think that I’m going to enjoy it.