Why make a Taekwondo Blog?🤔

I started my journey later than most, when I was 15 years old.

Many Taekwondo practitioners start when they are kids, and it is easier for them to work on their flexibility and maintain it in the long run.

I however, had a splits that resembled the corner of a square!

My master asked me to show him my splits on my first class, to which I replied..

“I am sir!”

Enough said!

Things have changed over time..

Except the flexibility!

Learning Taekwondo was a great opportunity for me.

Up until that point, I had spent my life playing team sports. I like working with people, but I always found that either the team let me down; or alternatively I would let the team down.

I liked the concept of training in martial arts because it was an individual endeavour. I felt like I could take my time with techniques without holding others back.

I am the type of person who needs to practice something many, many times; I need to feel the technique in order to master it.

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Starting later in life had it’s perks, I never experienced the ‘kiddy’ version of Taekwondo. I never saw Taekwondo as a game or a ‘fun activity.’

I saw Taekwondo as a Martial Art; as self defence; as a way of life.

I had no idea what this would mean for me, and my way of life at the time.

I trained twice a week at my local dojang, and progressed through the ranks. I would say I was no more than an average Taekwondoin. My athleticism was good, but my character and indomitable spirit was better. I was able to push myself beyond my limits, and was always one of the last in the training session to give up.

Sadly at 4th Geup (Brown belt at my dojang) I started studying Engineering at university, and decided to stop training Taekwondo to focus on my studies.

I returned 4 years later and continued my training. I finally reached the rank of il dan (1st degree black belt) in 2010. I was 21 Years old.

During my training as a red belt, the master saw something in me. He asked me to help teach some of the younger classes part time. I agreed.

Did he know my first job was tutoring?

Did he know later I would become a district barista trainer at Starbucks?

It seemed like teaching is my destiny.

That mentoring was my raison-d’être!

However at this point, I don’t think that’s what he was thinking…

So I joined this S.W.A.T. program and learned what I could.

Super

Winning

Attitude

Team!

I wore a colourful uniform and started assisting classes with the master.

It wasn’t until I became a 1st Dan Blackbelt that the master made me a Bu Sabumnim (사범님).

An Assistant Instructor!

I would work part time, a few days a week teaching classes with (and sometimes without!) him. I loved every second of it.

My training was going well too.

Once I became a blackbelt, I realized how naïve we are when we think Blackbelt is the end of the journey. Once I achieved First Dan, I found my basic techniques started getting more crisp and more refined.

As I reached second and third Dan, I found the same things… in fact like a snot-nosed teenager looking back on when they were a kid and thinking they knew everything… or an adult looking back on their snot-nosed teenage self and supposing the same thing…

I always seemed to improve the longer I trained!

Once I hit third Dan, a position opened up in one of our branch dojangs. The Head Instructor there had moved on to open up his own dojang.

What an opportunity!

I loved the master, but not having him looking over my shoulder all the time was going to be an amazing experience!

I jumped at the opportunity (he practically chose to send me on his own…).

The rest is history.

I’ve been running that dojang since 2015 and our numbers keep growing! I have an amazing Leadership team helping me out, and we accomplish great things on the mats every day.

I originally joined Taekwondo because I thought it was cool. I watched the movies and drank the koolaid thinking martial arts is something interesting.

Now it’s my life.

I train, my wife trains, my parents train, and my kids are now training!

Taekwondo is my passion, my career, my purpose, and something I share with those I love.

I’m glad I joined Taekwondo back in the day.

This all leads to the present day.

During the pandemic of COVID-19, I was exposed to online training and online teaching.

I had to become not only an instructor… but an ‘influencer’ of sorts.

I had to have a social media presence for my fellow practitioners.

I had to have a YouTube presence for my fellow practitioners…

Throughout all this online experience, I realized something:

Inside my dojang, I can reach only those students present.

Maybe 500 maximum (if it ever grows that big… would I want it that big??😵‍💫)

Online is a different story, the videos and blog posts I create can be seen by people all over the world, and viewed countless times on demand as practitioners need them.

This was a turning point in my career as a Taekwondoin.

That is why I am sharing all my Taekwondo knowledge on this blog, and social media, and everywhere I can!

The impact I can have on other people live’s is so much greater online.

I hope I can help you too!👍

Train hard, and see you on the mats.👊