Life skills through Taekwondo
Life skills through Taekwondo 7th Dan Taekwondo essay by Michael Tan 2005 Preface For many years I wondered why the length of time in each Dan increased, as you got higher. Initially I thought it was purely to keep the Dans in perspective. Where would it end if people were allowed to grade every year or so. I always new the time in the grade gave you experience and knowledge. It is only after reflecting on this time that one realises this knowledge is something no practical grading can ever test. This is one of the reasons why we should always respect our seniors. They have a wealth of knowledge; which one should explore. This essay is about what has kept me doing Taekwondo when all around me have quit. In writing this essay I will endeavour to give an insight as to what I have learnt from Taekwondo. I shall touch on the challenges, the set backs and the future of Taekwondo for me. There is not a day that goes pass where Taekwondo has not entered my life. It has been that way for some 20 years since the opening of our own club and taking on the responsibility of instructing others. Now at the age of 40, Taekwondo has given me great pleasures for more than ¾ of my life (33 years). Taekwondo is many things to many people; it has so many mystical powers that it becomes part of your life. I was first introduced to through my father and his friends. They had started in 1971 and were blue belts by the time I started. Back then Martial Arts were just starting to boom in Australia as a [...]