This blog is about my own experiences as a black belt Taekwondo student, which are grounded in practice and research and other sources about Taekwondo. I hope this blog is a good read for Taekwondo students (past, present and future), because I believe that students under the guidance of good instructors will not only learn the art, but will also learn to live the virtues that this art stands for and who will be able to bundle up their knowledge that allows them to “take it into your life.”
A student said to his master: “You teach me fighting, but you talk about peace. how do you reconcile the two?” The master replied: “it is better to be a warrior in a garden than to be a gardener in a war.”
I love teaching Taekwondo, I started to love it when I was a lowly yellow-belt and to got help the white belts learn to take their first baby-steps in their dojang. I loved it more and more the more I advanced in belt rank, and now love it even more as a black belt student. Teaching Taekwondo allows me to teach students of all ages and skill levels not just the technical aspects of this art, it most importantly allows me to be a life-coach who helps students of all ages transfer all the other skills learned into their live worlds: their families, their schools, their work, their circle of friends and their lives as a whole.
The “quote” above seems to reflect what so many think about Taekwondo, I encounter similar questions almost on a daily basis when I talk about Taekwondo and what learning this art has done for me and for my life. There are many misconceptions about learning martial arts, one, of course, that it makes students aggressive (it does not), that it teaching violent behaviors (no), that people want to go out and fight (no, they don’t), and that students of Taekwondo really learn nothing beyond some physical skills that somehow allows them to kind of be like Bruce Lee.
Yes, obviously I teach my students how to kick, many different kicks actually, I teach them how to evade an attack, I teach them how to punch, I teach them how to become physically stronger, I teach them their patterns, I teach them one-step sparring, and I teach them kicking drills. Beyond, that, I do so much more, much of which those who don’t practice the art or who are afraid to step on the mat, do not realize. I think they are missing out by not practicing Taekwondo. Regardless of age, any student can begin to learn Taekwondo and over time realize, what it is all about.
So, when I say, “when I teach Taekwondo, I do so much more than teaching how to kick and punch,” this is what I mean (and with that, I don’t even have to talk about most of that in class, my students just learn as they go, sometimes even without realizing it):
1. I teach children that it is necessary to repeat tasks over and over again until their master the skill, so they can move on to the next (similar to school).
2. I teach students confidence, that comes along with mastery of increasingly difficult skills that they thought they would not be able to master or were afraid to try.
3. I teach students to overcome difficulties, themselves and their fears, dealing with the unknown, and being out of their comfort zones.
4. I teach students that the only individual they should compare themselves to are themselves, how much progress they have made in a day, week, month or year, while they at the same time learn alongside and with others and from others.
5. I teach students to lead, by having higher ranking belts teaching lower ranking belts. Doing so, I teach a sense of “paying it forward.”
6. I teach students compassion and empathy, because lets face it, all of us who teach have been white belts at one point (years ago) and we know how we felt, we can relate.
7. I teach adults that it is never to late to learn that they are not too old to try something new and unfamiliar.
8. I teach older adults to be less afraid of falling because they learn to balance better and increase step distance and improve their gait.
9. I teach a mentality of not giving up and dealing with frustration that comes with Taekwondo training, when one faces a new challenge that seems insurmountable.
10. I teach listening skills, so students can follow instructions and give their best.
11. I teach manners and etiquette because those are skills and expected behaviors in the dojang and anywhere else, since a handshake will not go out of style and neither will saying “thank you.”
12. I teach students to focus on their strengths, yet know their weaknesses and how to learn to overcome them.
13. I teach students motivation, which is setting and reaching goals in Taekwondo and in life.
14. I teach students to be mentors to and role models to those who are just learning a skill.
15. I teach students patience, with themselves as they learn and other as they mentor them.
16. I teach students an, “I can do this attitude and with that, a sense of perseverance and indomitable spirit.
17. I teach students about life: sometimes all of us have to do things that we don’t like or that are uncomfortable, we have to do them.
18. I teach students that sometimes things don’t work out the way as planned, they might have to deal with an injury or some other issue that might prevent them progressing as planned, I teach them about dealing with unexpected circumstances.
19. I teach them that hard work pays off and that not many things are given to them, they have to earn them.
20. I teach them respect for others and most importantly, for themselves and their achievements and accomplishment.
21. I teach them to be open to critique about everything they do to get better.
22. Most importantly, I teach them to have fun while learning the art, making friends who have the same interests, and constantly learn to strive for distant goals they never thought they would achieve.
If you like to read more about what Taekwondo can do, please check out the link to my publications, “Beyond the dojang: A phenomenological perspective on transferring the virtues of Taekwondo into daily life,” and “Taekwondo, more than a martial art, a journey for life” on my website focusedsolutionsconsulting.com.