My name is Rishi Sankar and I am 11 years old. Taekwondo was a very fun aspect of my life. I have gone really far in this martial art. It started when I was finishing a class that was right next to Tiger Jung’s Martial arts. I was walking out door when I saw it. People were inside doing really cool fights, and that’s when I knew I wanted to join.
When I first started the class it was actually very hard for me to learn because everything was so new and I had never done anything like it. But my amazing teacher Master Jung is the reason I was able to pick up in a snap. He taught me new kicks and how to do them correctly. It was only a few weeks in and I was already having fun. Not only was this fun but it was actually helping me stay physically active and in shape. After having a few classes I was able to run faster, have more stamina, and all in all be stronger inside. We also started to learn how to do our forms correctly.
The forms are the things that you have to do correctly and pass in order to get the next belt. Along with the form you need to master a type of kick or punch and perform it correctly to move on. I was able to pass white and moved up to some of the harder forms. My family was helping me get my yellow belt(which is the next belt). I was able to pass that too. Eventually after almost a year I reached the red belt. It was starting to get a lot more harder but I didn’t give up. Finally I made it to the poom belt. This was the second to last belt from black. But this was a challenge. In order to make it to black I had to perform every form correctly and perform the tornado kick and the spinning hook kick. Sadly I wasn’t able to take the fist black belt test that came out because I wasn’t ready. But that didn’t stop me. I kept training. And with help from Master Jung, I am finally ready to take the test. The forms that I have to do are actually comprised of orange, orange senior, green, green senior, blue, blue senior, red, red senior, and the poom belt with Koryo.
This training is also helping me in school. Every monday I am asked to run a mile under 12 minutes. The kicking that I do is making my hamstrings stronger so I can run faster. Also we have to do a non – stop workout on Thursdays in which the exercises are comprised of using both your hands and legs. Doing Sparring on Wednesdays and Thursdays are helping me a lot with this workout. And even when I am outside the training still helps me a lot. Like for example when I am riding my bike outside, I can ride faster. Also Taekwondo is helping me practice remembering things because when I take the black belt test I am going to have to remember the forms. It took me a long time to memorize each form and do it correctly. But I did it. Taekwondo is helping in extracurricular activities like soccer, baseball, and tennis. Soccer is one of my main sports and things like front snap kick, and tornado kicks, are helping me.
Aside from forms sparring is one of my favorite things about Taekwondo. I get paired up with another opponent and fight them. Master Jung teaches us new technics so we can win when we’re sparring. One of our most common technic’s is sliding back and then kicking. Sparring allows me to be let loose and show the other person everything I’ve got. Mostly at the end of a sparring class I am really tired, but that means that I have worked hard. I also took Taekwondo to learn how to defend myself in a time of need. Sparring is good practice for this because it simulates a real fight. When we fight however we don’t REALLY injure each other. But sometimes it can hurt. And if you do get hurt you can just get back up in a few minutes. I like when I get to do sparring with Master Jung. He teaches me a lot of good technics. Although I get to do sparring with him it’s still hard to actually win a match with him. Nevertheless I am still working to get up to his level and beyond. Master Jung has also gotten a lot of medals from Taekwondo championships. Likewise I want to get some medals too. Sparring days are moreover a good workout and it strengthens my whole body. Master Jung has inspired me on how he does sparring and I want to stand at a top place in sparring since I find it so fun.
Taekwondo has helped me improve a lot and has in a good way drastically changed my life. It is fun and it teaches respect and discipline. After I pass my test and get the black belt I plan to keep learning Taekwondo as much as possible so I can accomplish the goals that I wish to fulfill. I will try my very best and put in a lot of effort so I can do things that I thought I could never do. This part of my life is going to make my future better for me since I have grown so much in Taekwondo, and I hope that won’t change.