| I am going to share what I've learned about | | | | Our goal was to get a black belt. We went to |
| Taekwondo after 8 years of training. I started | | | | training every Monday, the only days we didn't go |
| learning Taekwondo when i was 12 years old, and | | | | was when it was closed on public holidays, Easter, |
| I stop attending class when I was 20 because we | | | | and around Christmas for 5 - 6 weeks. Every |
| moved to the city. Thinking back when i was 12, I | | | | Monday when we finish school, we would go |
| remember walking pass a school one Monday | | | | home first to eat some food and then go to |
| night with my mum and my brother. We walked | | | | training. Some of the older students were still in |
| past a school with their lights still on, we had a | | | | their work cloths when they come, they would |
| look through the windows seeing a lot of people | | | | get change there. So how long does it take to |
| wearing white uniforms practicing some type of | | | | get a Black Belt? Everyone is different it depends |
| martial art. They were all different ages from | | | | on their determination and maybe their age |
| around 10 to 55 years old. They were all wearing | | | | because kids or older people might take longer. |
| different color belts, white, yellow, blue, red and | | | | For a beginner it will take at lease 3.5 to 4 years |
| black. After a few minutes of staring inside the | | | | to get a Black Belt. It took me just over 5 years |
| window, we continued walk home. | | | | to get my Black Belt at 17 years old. |
| We continued to talk about it that week, and we | | | | Taekwondo is not just about learning how to fight |
| decided to join. At that time it seems so cool to | | | | and do self defense. I have learned leadership, |
| learn to fight and do all those cool moves. We | | | | teaching, team work, respect, discipline, health, |
| didn't know what kind of martial art it was, but | | | | fitness and learn not to give up when it gets hard. |
| we still wanted to join. The following Monday me | | | | It can take a long time to learn, sometimes we |
| and my brother went back earlier before the | | | | don't even know we are learning it, because when |
| class started and filled up a form and joined. We | | | | we are training we don't think about it, we just do |
| started that day just wearing our normal cloths, | | | | the training, learn the moves and patterns. I didn't |
| the instructor said it will take 2 -3 weeks for our | | | | think about it until I had to write the speech for |
| uniforms to come. The class had about 30 to 40 | | | | my Black Belt gradings. I have been learning |
| students, we can choose to attend every | | | | Taekwondo for 8 years, I have seen many |
| Monday, Thursday or both days, we attended | | | | people come and go. There are many people who |
| every Monday night from 6:30 to 8:30. We were | | | | give up before they reach Black Belt. People who |
| very shy on the first few weeks, we didn't know | | | | give up before Black Belt might not learn the |
| anything about Taekwondo. We started out | | | | valuable lessons Taekwondo has to offer. Finding |
| learning the basics stands, kicks and punches. | | | | a good teacher is important, I was lucky to have |
| After 2 to 3 weeks we mastered the basics, we | | | | a good teacher and good students to train with. |
| started learning the patterns, the patterns were | | | | When we commit ourselves to do something we |
| hard to remember, so when everyone was doing | | | | can achieve anything, taking small steps, day by |
| the patterns we would look at the other students | | | | day, week by week and not giving up. It has |
| if we forget. The white belt starts with the basic | | | | been almost 8 years since I have stopped |
| pattern before they start learning pattern 1. The | | | | attending Taekwondo classes, but the lesson I |
| kicks were also hard because we were not | | | | have learned is going to to be with me for the |
| flexible. Our training involve a lot of stretching and | | | | rest of my life. |
| warming up, after a few months we have | | | | Remember to have fun! |
| improved. | | | | |