I began my Taekwondo journey when I was four years old. To me, learning the martial art began as a means for self-defense and gaining self-confidence, but over time, it’s helped me become a more patient, understanding person. Now, understanding the culture and rich history behind Taekwondo, along with its complexities and techniques, have become of important value to me. When I first began to earn Taekwondo, I was introduced to the pillars of shaping one’s self, including traits like honesty, discipline, and more. Learning these skills early on was essential to shaping who I am today, as the art provided a basis to build. What I truly enjoy about Taekwondo is its versatility as well. When learning self-defense and traditional forms, a variety of scenarios become clear, and understanding the flow of movements has helped me gain more stamina and focus. Overall, training with my instructor has provided me with an essential plethora of life-lessons to help me understand and be aware of different situations.

My respect and interest for martial arts has begun to grow, and I’ve started to research the history and applications of traditional martial arts in the past. In particular, Tessenjutsu, or the Japanese martial art of the war fan, and Kyudo, the Japanese martial art of the longbow, caught my eye. In the future, I would definitely love to travel to Japan to learn these, along with exploring other traditional arts there, such as learning to play the Shamisen.