Monday, April 16, 2007

Updates

I've been slacking a lot, but here's the stats:
Pushups: 11,235
Situps: 12,396
Miles: 173.25
Form: 40
Sparring: 99
Acts of kindness: 240

Last week, we had a writer-in-residence visit our english class and have us do some opinion writing. So here's a piece that I threw off in about 10 minutes - its about the misconceptions that people have of martial arts (it's still in its raw form - I haven't had time to edit it):

I hate the misconceptions of martial arts that the media has given to people. Whenever I say that I take Taekwondo, the first response of most people is, “Dude, so you could kick my ass, right?” Martial Arts are not about beating people to a bloody pulp – they’re about discipline, self-control, the power of the mind over the body, and not fighting unless it is absolutely necessary. I have thankfully never been in a situation where I had to defend myself – I learn Taekwondo so I don’t have to use it. There are, of course, benefits to the physical aspect of martial arts. A toned body, muscle control, flexibility, strength, etc. But those are things that you could get through any sport. What sets martial arts apart is the focus on developing the mind – strategizing while you are sparring, thinking of different functions for a certain technique, learning which self-defense moves are appropriate for each situation. People don’t see that in Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee – all they see are the flying kicks and amazing speed of their attacks, which are, I admit, “cool”, but there is so much more to it than that. I may not be able to do a backflip or throw someone across a room, but I am a better person because of martial arts and that is the real goal in the end.

One of our teenagers, Hamp, tested for his black belt tonight. I was his partner for one-steps, self-defense, and sparring, so I got quite a workout as well. He did really well and I especially enjoyed his "What TKD has done for me" essay. Congrats, Hamp!

It seems I get injured every time I spar nowadays. I have a bruise on the joint of my elbow that is slowly disappearing, a large buise on the joint of my knee that has a new color everyday, and tonight I received a large, painful lump at the base of my thigh (right near my knee) that will most likely be a briuise by tomorrow and will hinder my ability to walk. Oh goody. I wouldn't trade it for the world, though. It's my life, and pain comes with life.

2 comments:

Sarah Beth Jones said...

I love that you list "acts of kindness" on your stats - I don't know anything about martial arts (that I didn't learn in your opinion piece) but I know that being kind makes the world a nicer place!

Pain may be a part of life, but working through it is the really important part - well done!!

taekwondomom said...

Hello TKDRocker--
It's been a while since I've gotten to anyone's blog but my own. Nice to read yours today. And I agree with your points about martial arts--it's not just about being able to kick someone's butt. I like the self-confidence, focus, and strength I've gotten from training.

Could you remind me again about that black belt challenge you're doing? I might recommend it to Justin, who needs a workout challenge.