Written by John Mark Adkison
I would like to take you back into my past, all the way back to 2002, when I was but a young, feisty and awkward 12-year-old who thought it would be great to follow in the footsteps of his favorite action heroes, the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, by taking up tae kwon do.
I know, I know, the Power Rangers were all about karate and Mixed Martial Arts with their zords, but tae kwon do was cheaper at the YMCA.
My first tae kwon do lesson went a little something like this: I was in my little, loose dobok (the white uniform students wear) with my beginner’s white belt tied around my waist (which looked more like an albino Ju Go Ju bow than the uniform knot) standing in the second row of the class, self-conscious about my smelly, bare feet.
The lesson naturally started off with stretching. Except this sort of stretching was not like soccer practice, where you pull your heel up to your bottom or try to touch your toes. Rather, I ended up on my back with legs caught in a pretzel and my left arm somehow locked between my left knee and right heel. Fortunately, the 40-year-old dad next to me was in the same predicament.
Lesson One: Learn to be flexible.
The lessons were overseen by the Sensei, of course. However, if you are imagining a Mr. Miyagi, you are dead wrong. I was taught by none other than Sensei Deborah,a frumpy, middle-aged mom with a short temper and zero tolerance for kids who joined tae kwon do because they were inspired by the Power Rangers.
Lesson Two: Do not get on your Sensei’s bad side.
Most of the lesson was committed to practicing your kicks and blocking with a partner. I would always team up with my friend, Raven. Of course, being 12, I was somewhere around 4 feet 5 inches, while she was nearing 5 feet 5 inches and was all legs at this time. When we began practicing the round-house kick, I was in for a bit of surprise, to the face.
Lesson Three: Do not fight a girl who has longer legs than you. She will win.
While I still can’t even touch my toes and I only got to yellow belt, which is the belt above the white belt, I did learn a worthwhile lesson.
Lesson Four: It’s always good to get out there and try something new.
Lesson Four is the only lesson I have really abided by, but I feel like that is how every sport begins. You start out nervous, self-conscious and feeling like the least talented person on the team. But then you start training, get into the routine, and then before you know it,you have morphed into an athlete with self-confidence, skill and some sick moves.
