Get a Black Belt in Taekwondo

It started as part self-defense, part a way to lose weight. The main thing I learned as that if you’re ever attacked, shout really angrily with each hit, it really shocks out the other person

When I was 18, I started looking for a way to stay active. I had struggled with weight issues as a child, but by the time I reached 18, I had lost quite a bit. I wanted to find an exercise routine that I actually enjoyed, something that would keep me engaged rather than feeling like a chore. That’s when I found Taekwondo.

Influenced a little by my brother’s experience with Aikido, I signed up for classes at a nearby Taekwondo school, and started going weekly. It was surprisingly good fun. Each lesson was a mixture of some fitness, discipline learning techniques and memorising patterns (set sequences of moves used as part of each examination).

Grading was in the form of belts and tabs. You start a white belt, and your first exam is a yellow tab, the next takes you to yellow belt. This takes you from white, to yellow, to green, to blue, to red, and finally to black.

There were many aspects to the training, physical, flexibility, but also more philosophical such as theories of power, or tenents such as courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. They all added to the idea that it was more than just a physical sport, as so many martial arts do.

Almost Reaching Black Belt

After six years of training, I reach my black belt exam. Unfortunately it came at the same time as university exams which took priority, and I found myself unable to dedicate the time needed to complete the final step. Some of the senior students had strong expectations regarding commitment, and at that point, I respectfully stopped going for a while.

Even though I didn’t get to black belt, the experience was still invaluable. Taekwondo taught me the importance of discipline and how I could do things I didn't think I could. I learned that shouting while striking increases power, and that quick, well-placed moves can be incredibly effective in self-defense. More than anything, I discovered that just like Grade 8 Piano, reaching black belt is just the beginning and true mastery comes after.

Looking Back and Moving Forward

I don’t know if I’ll return to finish what I started, but I enjoyed the time I spent in Taekwondo. It was an great way to stay fit, develop physical confidence, and learn skills that have stuck with me ever since.

Always shout when you go to hit someone (exhaling is an aspect of power), a back-first to the nose, or chop to the throat can be quite disabling, and lifting your knee and kicking someone with the bottom of your foot and can send somebody quite a distance.

Maybe one day I’ll step back into the dojang and finish that final test. But whether I do or not, I know that what I learned through those years will always stay with me.