This is a message from one of our recent 1st Dan Black Belts. He has worked hard to attain this level, and we are proud of his dedication and motivation. We hope to see him continue to progress.
“I started out at Taekwondo World in the beginning of 2013. It began as a passing interest in Taekwondo, having done some previous martial arts in my youth like Kung Fu and Muay Thai I was interested in Taekwondo as a martial art that combined both flexibility and strength to do… well… TOTALLY AWESOME KICKS!!
I wanted to find a martial art with more technical skill and expertise involved than just kicking and punching heavy bags as hard as you can, but also something with more freedom and action than the heavily theoretical (and somewhat uninspiring) style that was Kung Fu. In Taekwondo I found exactly that. Demo Kicks, Poomsae techniques, Sparring there’s always something new to learn and another level to strive for.
The Masters at Taekwondo World have a step by step approach where you learn every skill bit by bit. First the fundamentals, then more advanced techniques that build upon that basic training as you progress in skill and belt grade. I remember being the newbie who didn’t even know how to do a proper round house kick, now I can even do jumping spinning 360 hook kicks, it wasn’t a quick process, but over the years its astonishing to see how far I’ve come. I finally reached the rank of black belt at the end of 2015 and while most people would think that’s the end of the road I’ve come to realize that it’s actually the beginning. Now the fun really starts. The progression system at TKD World is really good for motivating you to learn more and do better. Kick by kick, stripe by stripe and belt by belt you become faster, stronger and more able, not just at kicks but also in life.
Training at Taekwondo World has fast become the part of the day that I look forward to the most, just thinking about the things we’d learn and the kicks we’d get to do puts a smile on my face. Not only is every session a rewarding workout, you get to have fun learning and perfecting various kicks and techniques while doing it. Recently I’ve come to realize that with everything I’ve achieved here at Taekwondo World, it’s given me a new purpose in life beyond the everyday humdrum of office life.
Life in the office got you down? Do some kicks! Sometimes you need to achieve something for yourself outside of your career. Taekwondo was the answer for me.
So whats the next level for me now that I’ve got my black belt? I’m going to keep training so that one day I’ll be good enough to be a Master, so that I can share Taekwondo with others and that they might find purpose and meaning in it as I have. It may be quite a while away, but I have no doubt that with training and dedication I will get there.
Taekwondo. It’s a way of life.”