Ralph Delli-Bergoli - June 2008
Taekwondo is the Traditional Korean martial art dating as far back as 50 BC. It was sometimes known as Teak Kyon. The word Taekwondo literally means the art of Fist and Foot fighting. It is a regular skill taught in the Korean military with strict obedience and attention. Even today Taekwondo is a normal part of Korean life for many Adults and children, and taught regularly in Korea at all schools. Taekwondo became an Olympic event in 2000 the Sydney games with Lauren Burns, a past student of Master No, winning a gold medal for Australia.
The Taekwondo Belts
The White Belt
The begnning, the birth, the seed is planted, a symbol of pure and clean, searching for knowledge of the art, the beginning of the journey that will be a challenge for mind and body. I remember for me as a white belt watching the Reds and Blacks at training, oh my god, how am I going to do what they do?
The Yellow Belt
The sunlight is shining on the seed, giving it a beginning of a new life with the seed sprouting. This seed begins to grow into a plant. At this level I remember learning my first pattern the basic pattern to turn, block and punch was indeed a big challenge.
The Blue Belt
The blue sky, the plant growing taller and continues to grow towards it. The Light feeds the plant as it grows. I was fed more detailed information and my knowledge and mind was growing and developing at a fast rate.
The Red Belt
The fire, the sun, the plant continues to grow with the energy of the sun. My knowledge, skill, physical ability and pattern techniques have all come a long way over many years.
The Black Belt
The darkness beyond the Sun, the end but the beginning of a new journey to seek new knowledge, and fine tune what we have learnt. I will help others to learn and develop, teach them what I have learnt, planting new seeds that will sprout and grow and start a never ending cycle. What I have learnt over the years has been from three of the best skilled and committed instructors in Australia, Master Brendan, Master Sam and Grandmaster No, each of them unique and different in their teachings.
With the guidance and knowledge from these three Martial Artists, I could not have had a better understanding and teaching of the art, but not just for myself, more importantly for my 10 year old son Michael, who I have shared and developed this entire journey with.
This I believe has planted a little seed and created a good foundation for him, and a strong bond between us that he will remember for his entire, sometimes difficult life ahead. This is the reason I began Taekwondo, to share the experience, and knowledge with my boy.