"Becoming a Black Belt is not an end, but just a beginning." A question I usually get when someone learns that I am a Black Belt in Taekwondo is, "How many boards can you break?" Actually the art of Taekwondo is much more than breaking boards. It is a way of life, my way of life. Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that that has shows ways of enhancing my spirit and life through training my body and mind. Taking a closer look at the meaning of the word "Tae" "Kwon" "Do." It is composed of three parts as shown in the English spelling, though it is one word in Korean. "Tae" means "foot," "leg," or "to step on"; "Kwon" means "fist," or "fight"; and "Do" means the "way" or "discipline." If we put these three parts together, we can see two important concepts behind "Tae Kwon Do". First, Taekwondo is the right way of using Tae and Kwon 'fists and feet,' or all the parts of the body that are represented by fists and feet. Second, it is a way to control or calm down fights and keep the peace. This concept comes from the meaning of Tae Kwon 'to put fists under control' or 'to step on fists'. Thus Taekwondo means "the right way of using all parts of the body to stop fights and help to build a better and more peaceful world." My journey began when my grandfather signed me up for classes. I didn't want to go, but Grandfather said, "someday Trey you will have to defend yourself, your family, your friends, or even your country. It is best to start early learning the necessary skils." I still didn't want to go, I was only six years old. But after my first class I wanted to go more. I really enjoyed it. |
 |  My journey covers the many steps that I was required to complete in order to become a Black Belt. I went through the process of learning proper fighting form, sparring, a varity of kicks, and how to punch.
I also learned how to block kicks and punches aimed at me though "blocking drills".
My DoJang is located in Florence Alabama. My Master is Trent Graham, who began his journey in Taekwondo on july 17 1989 and by December 2003 he started his own Dojang. Presently he is a black belt 7th degree level 4.
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At my very first class Master Graham taught me how to kick.
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 THE UNIFORM |
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 Examples of some belt colors The Taekwondo uniform is called a Dobok, jacket, pants, belt and for beginners is completely white except for the pants that are black.
Each color in the Taekwondo Belts represents not just the advancement of the practitioner in the ways of Taekwondo but also it reflects the relation between mind, nature and body.
In addition to the uniform we use protective gear when sparring in practise and in competitions and one of the reasons is that no matter how much you try, there will always be the risk of injuring yourself or your partner during a match, so by regulation the use of protective gear is a must.
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Can I Break a Board? It's Nov. 18 2018, I am a brown belt and with my hand I need to break a 1 inch thick, pine board to pass testing and become a red belt. Later on breaking a board with both hand and foot would be required to move up in rank. When I had first heard that I had to break a board I got really scared and nervous. I didn't think I could do it and get my next belt. When that time finally came, I knew I had to do it.
Now I would have multiple choices of hand techniques to choose from: hammer fist, palm heel, and though it is not a "hand" I could also choose using my elbow. When it was my turn I went up and I gave them my board. There is a certain way to hold the board for different hand techniques and for the hammer fist the board is held so it is slightly facing the ceiling. This is because the hammer fist goes downward. 
I did it! I broke the board on my first try! Boy, was I relieved. Eventually to become a higher level I will have to break two boards at the same time. I had helped hold multipule boards for someone's testing in the past.
Board Breaking Hand / Foot
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SPARRING |
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Once you have successfully earned your yellow belt you are allowed to spar. This is because before that you are not experienced enough yet in properly using kicks and punches. There are two types of sparring. First is "practice sparring" where you practice with your classmates focusing on certain kicks and punches or hand techniques. In this type of sparring you do not go hard on your opponent, however you can still get hurt. The other type of sparring is for use in tournaments where you go harder as you attempt to score points. This could lead to hurting an opponent. |
Because of possible injury protection is needed. There is sparring gear for that protection which is made out of foam. This equiptment consists of protection for the head, shins, hand, feet and elbows. A mouthguard is also necessary. At the first wearing of my gear I needed to be instructed as to how to put it on properly.
 Like all new things it would take me awhile to do this correctly and quickly. At first having the gear on felt "strange" but it didn't seem to affect my speed or movements. As I grew larger I needed to buy larger gear. Also when I became a Black Belt I was allowed to wear black colored gear.
In sparring you always need to consider your feet, hands, your eyes, and the distance between you and your opponent.
Your stance can have your right foot foward and your left foot back or the reverse of that.
Hands should be held high enough to protect the face or to use for blocking lower punches and kicks.
 Personally my favorite kick to keep my competion away from me is the side kick because I can deliver it quickly and powerfully. My other favorite kick is an offensive kick to the head. Presently I am working on using kicks and punches in combinations. |
FORMS
The Korean terms hyeong, poomsae and teul are all used to refer to Taekwondo forms or "patterns."
Our teacher demonstrates the proper order of movements, and how to have precision with kicks and punches. At first I did not think I could memorize the forms, because some forms are quite long and complicated. However by repeated practice I was able to memorize forms. In our Dojo, these "patterns" are mainly used as a form of interval training that is useful in developing "mushin", proper kinetics and mental and physical fortitude. Mushin in Japanese and Wuxin in Chinese, "no mind", is a mental state. Zen and Daoist meditators attempt to reach this state, as well as artists and trained martial artists. They also practice this mental state during everyday activities.
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| There are many different tournaments and they may have many different agendas. However, basically in competitions there are forms which are evaluated by a panel of judges who base the score on many factors including energy, precision, speed, and control. Sparring also occurs and there are judges and referees that oversee and control the action and scoring.
 Additionally there can be weapons competition, and "flag sparring" and a variety of other competitive offerings.
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| I have had the opportunity, at times, to assisting the instructors while they teach. I really love doing this and soon I hope to be assisting more and even learning all that I can about "how to teach" taekwondo. |
FRIENDS
Along the way of my journey I have met and made many friends and will continue make
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