Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Essay
(June 3, 2000)

Life Enhancements

When I started Tae Kwon Do, I did not expect to change. Maybe become more physically fit and to meet new people but not to think differently or act differently around people. I was wrong.

After all this time, I understand the reason for bowing as a sign of respect. I have learned how to show respect to people whether they be black belts or not; I show respect to people that I probably wouldn’t before starting Tae Kwon Do. I try my hardest to act kind and considerate to everyone because they appreciate it, I feel good about myself and so would they. Respect is a big issue for me now, because people who I see that don’t respect others really bother me. It is not right to disrespect someone. Tae Kwon Do has taught me to respect all people because everyone is important and deserves respect.

Another thing that I have learned through Tae Kwon Do is to concentrate. Before training, I used to have problems concentrating on schoolwork and I was constantly getting sidetracked with other things that I thought was more important and more interesting than studying or doing schoolwork. Tae Kwon Do taught me to concentrate I believe from the practicing and training. I have noticed that now I can block out certain things out of my head and concentrate on one task at a time. During colour belt tests, the only thing that I was thinking about was my pattern, my breaking, my sparring and nothing else mattered. I have been able to bring this skill to other areas of my life, mainly schoolwork where now I can concentrate on just one subject at a time and not think about other things.

It is obvious that physically Tae Kwon Do has affected my life in making me more physically fit as now I can keep up better with the classes that we have. I do not get tired as quickly during classes and feel better and more energetic at the end of classes than when I first started here three years ago. Being more physically active I consider this a big step for me because I have always had this problem and I feel that I have finally found a way to change this about myself; to conquer the inactiveness that used to be a part of my life. Tae Kwon Do has affected me in more ways than I could ever count.

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