Getting to black belt hasn’t been easy. I joined the school originally to get some exercise and lose some weight. I accomplished that goal and much, much more. It wasn’t long after I joined the school that I found out that martial arts isn’t just about kicking and punching someone, it’s about bettering yourself as a human being, and helping others around you to your fullest. It took me a long time to figure that part of martial arts out though. I was ready to quit by green belt just because I had trouble sparring, and because Mrs. Davis encouraged me to push on, I’ve finally made it to black belt. I’ve learned no matter how hard the challenge, you have to meet it head on.

 I know that today my journey is just beginning as a person and a martial artist.

My journey to black belt has been full of great memories and several lessons that I will never forget.  What I have learned in Taekwondo will stay with me for the rest of my life.  I have a great respect for the instructors that have taught me everything I know.  The opportunities that have been given to me are what make me a better martial artist.     

                  I started Taekwondo to help me become more flexible and to get in better shape for basketball.  Looking back, I can see that I have gained much more than flexibility and endurance.  First, Taekwondo exposed my anger.  Sparring was when this first came out.  After talking about it with Mrs. Davis, I started looking at sparring as a game and a place to try out new techniques.  This helped a lot, but I still got angry sometimes.  So, I decided that it’s okay to get angry, but it’s how you react that shows your true nature.  When I get angry now, I channel it into pushing myself harder in everything I do.  Second, I have gained a sense of confidence in myself and what I can do.  While I have progressed in Taekwondo; I have matured.  Here is an example, two guys meet on the street; Bob knows Taekwondo while Rob doesn’t.  Then Rob starts to challenge Bob to a fight.  But Bob walks away from the fight even though he knows he can put his opponent on the floor.  It takes a big man to walk away from a fight, but it takes an even bigger man to walk away knowing that he could defeat his opponent.  I believe that this is a perfect example of the true martial artist spirit. This is the spirit of humility. 

                I couldn’t have made it this far without some incredible instructors.  Mrs. Davis taught me everything from the very beginning.  She also made me push myself harder in my forms.  Mr. Hickam and Mr. Davis gave me some great drills that I have worked on at home.  When Mr. Chafin comes in to teach or spar all I can do is sit back and say” wow”!  I dream about being as good as he is someday.  Finally, I have to thank Mr. Justice for returning to the school.  Mr. Justice taught me a lot about balance before he was injured.    I even reached a plateau where I knew all the basic techniques and sparring was getting less challenging.  When he returned, he forced me to push myself in technique and speed.  Without these instructors I wouldn’t be where I am today.  

                On top of all this, Mrs. Davis allowed me to be on the coaching team.  Even though I’ve taught at church, this was a completely knew experience to me.  I was challenged at first to keep the kids attention and make them listen to me.  But, over time and as my relationships with the kids grew this became much easier.  I have noticed that my technique has improved because of teaching.  Instructing others while focusing on every detail has made me focus on every detail of my form and technique as well.    Thank you for this opportunity.

                Reaching black belt doesn’t make me any better than I was before.  It just means I’ve reached a goal and there are more challenges ahead.  Finishing this journey is a great accomplishment.  But when I put on that black belt I begin the next.  That is what I look forward to.