Restarting your training after a COVID-19 Break

It’s been a while since March 2020.. when dojangs ‘temporarily closed.’ Only, things haven’t gone back to the way there were yet! As we enter a new year in 2021, your Sabumnim ‘사범님’ (Taekwondo Master) will be happy you’re back to training!

Here are some things to keep in mind while returning from a long hiatus:

1. Your Sabumnim will understand your decision—it must have been hard for you and your family, it must have been a difficult decision, and you must have missed training. We don’t care about what happened during the past, we only care that your Martial Arts training continues in the future.

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the next best time is now.”—Chinese Proverb

2. You’re not going to be at the same level you were when you stopped. Martial Arts is like climbing a mountain, if you stop climbing you’ll eventually start sliding down again. When you restart you may be back at base camp!

AND THAT’S OK.

What better way or reason to hone the basic skills then to be forced into a beginner’s mindset again. What better way to improve than to see the same techniques with fresh eyes! How lucky beginners are, to be able to be amazed and moved by the same techniques which become mundane to the master. They say we become “blind to our own art” as we master it, so use this opportunity to revitalize your passion for Martial Arts training.

3. Ease back into it! Our bodies are like elastic bands, we need to be warmed up before we can stretch and do what we need to do. If we haven’t been training for a while, it is imperative that we don’t rush into trying to kick our face height.. or trying to do our full splits!

No matter what the reason, no matter how long the time, it’s never a bad thing to return to martial arts training—and there’s never been a better time to focus on ourselves and train.

See you on the mats.👊