Temporary Black Belt
Martial Arts America
What Tae Kwon Do Means To Me
Family
The first word that comes to mind when I think about what Tae Kwon Do means to me is family. I initially started Tae Kwon Do with my eldest son Ethan on August 8, 2011 when he wanted to be involved in a sports activity. Knowing I would be the person to take Ethan to and from class, I did not want to just sit there on the sidelines watching and waiting for him to finish class so I decided to j oin. I had just lost 95+ pounds and I thought doing Tae Kwon Do would be a great way to help me keep the weight off while having bonding time with my son. It does, but I also got many more positive changes in my life and relationships with my family out of Tae Kwon Do. I could quickly see how Ethan and I helped each other and supported each other to progress
through the various belt levels and learn techniques. It is an awesome bonding time for us both and it helped me grow my relationship with my son that not every father chooses to do and in an activity that was benefiting us both verses just sitting around and playing video games or him playing other sports on his own while I watched.
I learned later the true meaning and strength of family; that this word becomes much more then just being about your immediate family but one of a bigger Tae Kwon Do family. The values and benefits we got from attending and being with Black Belts made it easy for me to encourage my wife Tricia and youngest son Eric to join a year later. I knew if we all attended together our family would grow stronger and bond closer together. I am thankful for my entire Martial Arts America family and the friends I have made through Tae Kwon Do.
Helping others in my extending Tae Kwon Do family through classes, activities, events, and the MACC Foundation to meet their goals has been a good experience for me and I hope I can continue strengthening these bonds while educating others to the true meaning of family and the benefits of strong families in today ’s society.
Values
The tenets of Tae Kwon Do are not just seven words, but core values to strengthen like muscles and to live your life by. Over the first few sessions, I remember Mr. Bassett’s tenaciousness in making sure I did my best, did all the moves correctly, and practiced courtesy; I struggled with his personality and attention to detail at first, but later learned I would be thankful for these traits in him as my instructor as my tenant of perseverance developed. Through Tae Kwon Do, I have been learning to have more courtesy, self-control, and perseverance in my life while stressing less about the little things and taking daily challenges in stride. Some of the bigger lessons and
challenges came as I moved through the Brown Belt levels and attended Brown and Black Belt classes. I could start to see that getting through the trials and challenges in Tae Kwon Do meant I could get through lots of other things in my life.
Learning the various protocols of Tae Kwon Do stressed my perseverance from time to time, but I learned just how much my integrity and indomitable spirit meant to me. I realized my favorite tenet was becoming indomitable spirit because each day you challenge and strengthen your mind, body, and spirit through Tae Kwon Do but it is your core values and qualities you have deep down that makes you who you are and can give your life meaning. You should foster and build on your good values and stick to them when opportunities and challenges in life present themselves, this is a key to success. If you don’t stick to being the best person you can be and just flip flop , then you ’re not living up to your potential and not being honest and truthful to yourself and others. As I began to understand this I really started to use Tae Kwon Do values and tenets in other areas and interests in my life like my career, woodworking hobby, working out at the gym, parenting, etc. to help further improve myself and be a better person. I have started to take on additional opportunities at work and learning new things like playing acoustic guitar that I would never have done had it not been for Tae Kwon Do.
I still remember my White Belt test and hearing Grand Master Wells speak for the first time at the Black Belt Demo, he was recovering from hip surgery and talked about how so many people start Tae Kwon Do but very few make it to Black Belt. I decided that day I wanted to be one of those people that made it as I sat there listening to him; I think this was the first moment that Tae Kwon Do values took their initial hold on me. During my Tae Kwon Do experiences I have heard many sayings from various Black Belts that I think help support and promote strong values and tenets in me, here are some of my favorites I will never forget.
• White Belt is the only belt you buy, we earn the rest of them.
• If you could buy a black belt at Wal-Mart would you want to or would you want to earn it and have it mean something?
• Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.
• Be teachable and give 110% each and every time; like everything else you do you get what you put into it.
• Do not “try” to break a board, do break it.
• Don’t pull a sword to swat a mosquito.
• Like Palgwe there is no shade of gray; good, evil, which one are you and you better pick a side.
• You are who you hang out with, want to be successfully hang out with successful people.
Want to be a Black Belt you should hang out with and do what Black Belts do.
• Lead by example.
• You really don’t start learning Tae Kwon Do till you become a Black Belt.
• There is a difference between having a black belt and being a Black Belt.
I am thankful for all the values Black Belts and Tae Kwon Do has taught me. I plan as a Black Belt to also be an example of the values and tenets of Tae Kwon Do, to help others understand the importance of them in their lives and how to use them positively like I am learning to use them in my life. It is a domino effect, the more people understand the benefits of Tae Kwon Do, the values it teaches, and pass it on, the better society as a whole can become.
Change
Another word that comes to mind when I think of what Tae Kwon Do means to me is change. All the positive changes that has taken place over the last two plus years in the various aspects of my life and person has been truly amazing and not something I would have ever thought I would have gained when I initially started Tae Kwon Do.
I remember one of my first nights as a White Belt working with Mrs. Bassett to learn the basic moves for class and her comments that to make Black Belt it would take over two years. I thought wow that is a long time, but looking back it has gone by very fast and I would not trade up the journey with all the experiences, challenges, education, and changes along the way for a shortcut. I am thankful for what Tae Kwon Do at Martial Arts America has done for me and as my progression continues, I look forward to further positive changes, developing others, and furthering myself through continued practice and education.
Linage
Having Tae Kwon Do linage back to Grand Master Jung (and General Choi who promoted him to 9th dan) through Grand Master Wells, Master Sledge, Master Garrett, Master Dudak, Master Brewton, and Mr. Bassett means a lot to me and knowing I am becoming part of this linage is very special. Thanks to all the Martial Arts America Black Belts who put time and efforts to instruct and keep Tae Kwon Do going. I would like to help further the linage and help foster others in Tae Kwon Do; helping others is part of what being a Black Belt is all about.
Appreciation
Last, but never least, Tae Kwon Do means appreciation to me; being thankful for all the people who have helped me along the way because without them and all the Martial Arts America Black Belts none of my successes and development would have been possible.
I would like to first thank Mr. Bassett for being my instructor and also his family (Mrs. and Miss Bassett) for helping him and me out at our Dojang. Thanks to Grand Master Wells and Mrs. Master Wells for running Martial Arts America, giving me a place to train and test, and preparing me for Black Belt testing through various classes and practice. Grand Master Jung needs thanks for starting it all by bringing and fostering Tae Kwon Do in Iowa. I would also like to thank Mr. Brewer for being my Saturday morning instructor and thank the Saturday morning
Black Belt group (Mr. Tressel, Mr. Hass, Mr. Ragan, Mr. Runyan, Mr. Rognes, Mr. Tankersy, Mr. Hermann, Ms. Cain, Mrs. Cain, Ms. Hendershott, Mr. Ostrander, Ms. Ledet, Mrs. James, Ms. Tanner and all the others I have meet throughout sessions on Saturday morning) for all the help to develop me, encourage me to be my best, and feel like part of the Tae Kwon Do family.
Mrs. Burrell and Mrs. Bucklan I thank for the makeup classes in Altoona when our Dojang was closed and Master Cross for my extra Friday 4:30 classes. All the Black Belts in our Dojang I thank that assisted me like Mr. Kendrick, Mr. Fulton, Mr. Winons, Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael, and also I thank all the other Black Belts that specifically helped me along the way like Master Sledge, Master Aves, Master Garrett, Mr. Kleinwort, Mr. Garrettt, Mr. Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Dobson, Mrs. Lindberg, Mr. and Mrs. Butler and everyone else not mentioned. I also need to thank my family and fellow Martial Arts America students who encouraged and helped each other to continue in Tae Kwon Do and strive to be our very best. Last but never least, I thank my son Ethan. Had it not been for him wanting to do Tae Kwon Do in the first place, my journey may never have started. In the end the best thing I can do to repay each and everyone is to continue to do my best and to help others like I have been helped in Tae Kwon Do and life.
