Thankful for Taekwondo

I am grateful for the people in my class last Tuesday night who did not snicker at my super lame back kick. I'm still learning, still learning.

I am also grateful that I FINALLY LEARNED MY FORM for this rank. Man. I am grateful to my instructors for patiently helping me learn the darn thing.

I am grateful for the fact that I can do plank for longer than I could a year ago. Same with buddha. I am also grateful that I have been doing this for long enough now that I can look back and see that I have progressed, that I have grown past what I thought I could do.

I am grateful for the expertise and kindness of those who run our great studio. We are blessed to have such dedicated instructors.

Also, I am grateful that if some creep grabs my arm, I know six different ways of escaping.

I could go on, but I'll stop here, and ask this: what makes you grateful for taekwondo?

-Emily M.

Congratulations, New Black Belts!

If you stop by the studio this week, take a minute to look at the black belt table. Beyond Sports Taekwondo is honoring our newest black belts: James Holley, Andrew Bailey, Mercedes Riggs, Rachel Andres, Tae-Min Yoo, and Haley Pennock. I looked through their scrapbooks today, and I'm impressed. All of them have achieved a goal that commands respect: they are younger than I am, and still I look up to them (and can I say, I love that about taekwondo: seniority is not based on age, but on expertise).

When I first started taking my son here, I looked at the black belts as people who had achieved something nigh-impossible. Now, having taken classes for over a year, I realize that it's not impossible. I remember that James was a blue belt when I first started; after Belt Jump Camp, I'll be a blue belt too. Achieving black belt is something I'm starting to realize I could maybe do, too.

But I think for me, it will be like college was: I thought that when I graduated from college, I would really know something. Turns out that the most important thing I learned was how to learn. I suspect that if and when I become a black belt, the most important thing it will bring me is the confidence that not only have I learned the tae kwon do curriculum to that point, but that me and my body are capable of learning new things for the rest of my life.

So, congratulations to our new black belts! I am always grateful for your patience as you teach me and the other colored belts new things. All of us look up to you--we know you've worked hard to get to where you are.

And this is a shout out to any black belt at our studio: comment and tell us your philosophy of being a black belt. What has achieving that goal meant for you?

Belt Jump Camp

Top Five Reasons why I'm asking for Belt Jump Camp for Christmas:

1-It's a sweet deal, essentially three months' worth of instruction for the price of one.

2-Three hours a day of taekwondo instruction is a great way to jump start my traditional New Years diet.

3-Speaking of three hours a day, I like the idea of having enough time to really develop my technique. It always seems like we end class and there's so much more to do. Three hours a day should cure that.

4-If enough people sign up, it's going to be help from 7 to 10 in the morning (a possible session later on as well), which means I can work out in the morning and still play with my kids in the day.

5-I could actually be a blue belt by January! Whoda thunk?

--Emily M.

Scary Loud Kiyaps

There is something very satisfying about drenching yourself in sweat while kicking on a giant blue bag. And also yelling, really really loud. It's a great stress reliever.

You would think that my feeble little kicks and yelps would not be so satisfying as that. Okay, they don't feel weak to me; I'm giving it all I've got. Usually. But watch Master Sorenson or our amazing instructor Kat have a go at a kicking bag. They boing back and forth, thudding and turning with every kick. So much power.

Still, in spite of my comparatively weak-legged kicks, I enjoy kicking. I like practicing one kick long enough to feel that I've really made some improvement on it. I also like (can I confess this here, to the internet and all the world) being able to do harmless violence. Very liberating. Occasionally I even produce a scary-loud kiyap.

--Emily M.

Sweet Mystery of Life

So, what’s the deal with high fructose corn syrup? After reading this column by Orson Scott Card, who refuses to buy products that contain HFCS, I decided to read some labels at the grocery store. To my great disgruntlement, my kids’ favorite brand of yogurt is laden with said corn syrup. So is my favorite brand of raisin bran.

I have warm fuzzy feelings toward raisin bran. It’s what made my last major diet succeed (forty pounds lost after baby #2): a nice filling bowl of raisin bran every morning. It’s fast, it’s filling, it’s fiber. Apparently it is fructose as well. I thought I was eating healthy, but noooo. Same with the yogurt. I feel grumpy and disillusioned. Why can’t yogurt and raisin bran be health foods, since they are clearly marketed as such? Where else is that HFCS lurking? Do I really have to read every stinkin’ label to find out where the corn syrup lurks, waiting to sabotage my diet?

Apparently so. In the mean time, I am going to have cracked wheat for breakfast tomorrow. Cracked wheat: the new (old) raisin bran, complete without high fructose corn syrup!

--Emily M.

New Schedule

Hello again everyone!

I know I haven't posted in such a long time; you would be surprised how much work is involved on the administrative side of a Martial Arts school. Although tough, I am so excited to help serve our students and their families in any way I can.

Here is the new schedule, including both the Blue and Black studios. We have at least 4 options to attend classes for everyone except the adult male. With future growth, we have the space and capacity to add to our schedule.

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who is involved with our studio. From the parents to the students, we could not do this without you guys. I also want to give a special thanks to Emily, who shares such a personal part of her life when she contributes to this blog. I hope everyone feels inspired by her postings.

Thanks Everyone!

-Beyond Sports-

Defend Yourself!

My LDS mission companion and I walked the deserted streets of Cuenca, Ecuador one Sunday afternoon. We were whining about our rotten day, and I said "What else could go wrong?"

Not thirty seconds later, I felt an arm wrap around my neck. My first thought showed my naivete: "Who in Cuenca knows me well enough to hug me from behind?"

Then a hand started grabbing for my pocket. "Money, money," he said, in heavily accented English. His buddy was searching my companion as well.

I was paralyzed. She was not--she yelled "HELP! HELP" People emerged from their homes, and our attackers fled. And we were shaken.

I'm still shaken, thinking about it. That incident is one reason I take tae kwon do. I'll be honest with you: right now I can only defend myself from an attacker who grabs my arm just the right way. If someone came at me from behind, like the mugger on my mission, I would not know exactly how to get rid of them.

But I am learning. And I am learning in the safe environment of the Womens' Self-defense class, where I can practice through the awkward state until my blocks and punches feel more natural. I have learned how to twist and lock an attacker's hand, how to escape an attacker's grip, how to do a knife hand strike to an attacker's groin. After a year of this class, I feel much more confident. I feel like I have the right and the responsibility to defend myself.

Even here in Utah, where I think I'm safe, there are creepy weird people to watch out for. I hope I never have to use the things I've learned. But I am going to keep learning them anyway. It makes me feel strong to know that I am gaining the tools to handle attackers well.

Next time (not that I wish for a next time), I'll be the one yelling.

--Emily M.