Philosophy of Taekwondo

I have been doing Taekwondo for 3 years. Every year be more fun and better than the last. When starting out, the first five belts have a word each that is the word for that belt, and they are called the five aims to achieve. You know all five at white belt but learn each one in depth as you go from white to blue belt. Although they seem like simple things, I have noticed plenty of instances in which people have failed to achieve these five aims. White belts learn Respect. Although it seems very simple it is the most difficult for many people. Whether it be road rage or people cutting in line at a breakfast shop, people tend to be Respectful. Respect has helped my to open up and realize my faults in situations that I am wrong and make adjustments to better myself from them. Yellow belts learn Humility. In sports there are athletes that continually are being called the best and are making other players seem irrelevant. They clearly lack the humility to be a respectful person to others. Although contradictory by saying this, I do believe that in all situation I am most humble. In situations that I do succeed I will pretend as though I haven’t, as I wait for peers to succeed as well. Orange belts learn Perseverance. Many of my friends will attempt studying for tests or work hard at training during off season, but I consistently see them resting. I see these faults in myself as well and attempt to fix them. Whenever I get lazy I will tell myself “on 3 you will get up, 1, 2, 3” and for the most part I do, and get back to work. Green belts learn Self Control. This is a very important thing to develop especially when getting older. If control is lost, the you will be viewed differently and perceived as not the right person to be friends with. Obtaining self-control has allowed me with stand from anger exposure and focus on the positives in situations. Blue belts learn Honesty. Honesty is a virtue that can make or break relationships with people of close friends. It is never a good idea to lie, because once you are caught, there is no going back, it will takes years to rebuild the friendship that had be broken. Taekwondo has helped my physicality, mentally stability, and work that needs to be done. With the consistent meditation at the end of each close I am able to free my mind and lose myself from reality to focus on my breath. Taekwondo is easily one of the best things to happen to me.

– Luke William’s(17 years old) Report of black belt test