Callan Hatherley - June 11
The reason I started Taekwondo was when I was in grade 2, I was being bullied by a group of kids so I asked my dad if I could do Karate to defend myself from them. I went to a Karate class; it wasn't very good, no offence. My dad said, "Ok, Callan I'm taking you to a real martial art, taekwondo and I know just the man to teach you.". I thought I've never heard of Taekwondo I wonder what it is. I arrived at the class and went in and watched for a while then Master No approached and I thought he was going to kill me or something but he said, "are you just watching". I said "yes". He said "hmmmmmmmmm how can you learn Taekwondo if you don't get up and try. You can't learn to swim without getting in water, you can't learn to ride a bike without getting on the bike.". I thought to myself "touche". So that's how I got started and I've been loving it since, especially the sparring competitions but not so much the pumse.
Since I started Taekwondo my skills in self defence have greatly improved. But not so much my splits. I have won some gold medals as well as silver and Mr No's favorite bronze. I have introduced my friends to Taekwondo and one even started.
Now into the serious stuff. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that has been practiced for hundreds of years by many people from all around the world. Taekwondo requires respect for yourself, your fellow students and your teacher. It's important to respect yourself as it boosts your confidence and lets you do your best. It's also important to respect others. As Master Sam once said to me, "you can learn from everyone even from an inexperienced white belt".
Since I started, Taekwondo has become a big part of my life and I don't even want to stop. I've now learned to believe in myself. My self confidence has greatly improved. I'm confident I can deal with any bully now although the best thing to do is just walk away from a fight.
I remember when I was a white belt and I watched Jerome fight and I thought "wow" that's fast. I want to be like him. Lately he has also taught me that it's important to share your skills and knowledge with everyone. Now that I'm a higher belt, I know I have to set a good example for whoever I'm with. Hopefully they might look up to me and think that one day, they would like to be like me.
Finally I've made lots of great friends at Taekwondo. I think it's the best.