I Get a Kick Outta' Taekwondo

Looking back at my life, I realize that in most of the situations I've experienced which involved someone having to stand up for him or her self, I was always the one either hiding behind the curtains hoping no one comes over and punches me in the gut, or the guy trying to invent something fast in order to change the subject to avoid all confrontation all together. I was by nature a wimp and a coward. I am not a physically big person, therefore I learned to be quite astute for not getting into fights. Of course violence is stupid, but even in non-violent situations I used to also avoid any form of verbal confrontation like it were a visit to the dentist to have some wisdom teeth removed. To say I lacked confidence is to say that ice freezes. You needn't be a psychoanalyst to conclude that I was afraid to speak my mind. I am an American and a Californian to boot. Therefore, I have an overabundance of free speech which I am blessed with. So why did I always keep things to myself? I didn't want to be the coward.

That all changed two years ago. After getting chased out of a bus stop like a squeaking little mouse by a crazy guy twice my size, and nearly getting attacked by two crack heads in a Berkley parking garage made me realize that you can't always hide behind the curtains. The crack head incident came just about a month before I had decided to come to Korea. After this episode I also knew that I had to do something to improve my confidence. Also, being from the San Francisco Bay Area, one needs to realize that sometimes trouble does crawl into your personal space. Sometimes it's a situation that lingers like a cockroach which becomes difficult get rid of. So if you have an opportunity to learn how to defend yourself a bit, why not take that chance up?

So I swore to myself that once in Korea I would come here to learn their national sport taekwondo. When I started it was quite an intimidating experience. I am quite naturally clumsy and inept at physical movement. Moreover, the students in the group at the time were all getting ready for their black belt test. So you can imagine how a maladroit like me would feel at the time. I didn't know a roundhouse from a front kick, or a middle block from a bow. I can't even remember if was able to touch my toes at the time. What I do remember however, Is fiasco after fiasco during every lesson. If I tried to kick a roundhouse, I failed. If I attempted to do a simple form, it would be filled with critique. It was ironic, but the first year of my attempt to improve my self-confidence and self defense abilities were filled with hopelessness. I wouldn't have made it if my instructors and fellow learners weren't so supportive and patient with my shortcomings. Despite my failed attempts, over months and months of attending lessons, my abilities strangely started to take on a new form. The form of accuracy started to blossom. I started to see that a little patience goes a long way. Trust me. I nearly lost it countless times. Now, in spite of nearly quitting for good, I am still keeping at it. Also, I feel a hundred times more confident socially too. Now I sense that I have inherited that empowering feeling characters in the movie Network realized, when they got on their rooftops and screamed, 'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it no more!' Watch out world, cause I am doing the same.

Currently, I am a red belt. I am not amazing, but I am almost a brown belt , and with a little more effort, I'll be a black belt in a few months. I now have the mysterious ability to kick a round house, ( if I stretch for 15 minutes,) and my hands are finally able to manage a brief contact with my toes. I am also a hundred times more confident. So Bay Area residents take note, because in a few months I'll even know a side kick. I must take a moment realize that I consider myself quite lucky to come here as a foreigner to experience this. Not everyone has the fortunate breaks I get. It's a very interesting cultural experience too. I study with foreigners and Koreans. I have a foreign teacher, and a Korean teacher who is able to put me through hell in a record time of 45 minutes; you've never seen stretching until you've come here.

If you are curious about learning more, then just come to Korea. You wouldn't have to walk more than a hundred meters. taekwondo dojans are everywhere. The price is a steal too. A month will typically cost you between sixty and one hundred dollars. I don't even want to think what pseudo grandmasters are asking for back in Northern California. So if you do decide to settle here for a while, don't tell me there is nothing to do. I am warning you. I'll just put on my headphones, because there is always a taekwondo school and if they welcome me, they will welcome anybody.