Tea Kwon-Do

6 Pages 1395 Words

For a brief moment, I realize where I am. Standing in front of me is a third degree black belt representing Kazakhstan, and I, a first-degree black belt with no prior sparring experience, represent Canada. I think back to the previous ten years that I dedicated to Tae Kwon-do, and I know think is something of the past. I don’t think, I do. The match begins and I become totally relaxed. I float like a butterfly around my opponent, I fake him with a punch to make him blink, and the instant his eyes are closed, I sting like a bee. The match ends a minute and a half later with me being touched only when I let him touch me, an expert strategy. As the head referee raises my arm in victory, I am not proud, but instead I’m humble and grateful. I shake hands with my opponent, and we hug. The first of my many matches is over.
Since it’s creation by General Choi Hong Hi in 1955 for use in the Korean military, for good reason, Tae Kwon-do, the way of the hand and foot, has been seen as violent. As with all sports, violence is measured in terms of contact, and since Tae Kwon-Do is a full contact sport, it is therefore considered violent. Although it is a common misconception, I do admit that accidents do occur from the occasional bloody nose or lip to the extremely rare broken rib. But for the most part, Tae Kwon-do is safe due to strict rules and excessive organization, for example the belt ranking system that makes students progress through fifteen levels before reaching black belt. Because Tae Kwon-do is seen as such a violent aggressive sport, the marketability is greatly affected, but in actuality, Tae Kwon-do encourages and creates a healthy lifestyle.
Although Tae Kwon-do is violent in many ways, it is also quite beneficial to the user. The training that a black belt like myself goes trough usually consists of a complete workout, consisting of running, push-ups, sit-ups, punching and kicking drills, ect., which works...