1st Dan Black Belt Essay
By Vanessa Baccam
In my lifetime I never thought I would come this far. It really taught me so much to become a better person. Taekwondo has shaped me of who I am. Before, I took Taekwondo at a different school and rejoined later when I heard about Jung’s Taekwondo. I was stubborn and lazy and I still am. But I respect more people, I’m confident this year, I’ve learned to be myself again, and it opened up my mind to a lot of things.
I’m still continuing Taekwondo because even though it has taught me those things. I’ve become stronger mentally and physically. After about two years being in Taekwondo, I’ve achieved a lot from my instructors. For example, Master Phillips has taught me how to teach correctly and to keep the class moving. He even taught me how to spar and what techniques that are more effective during that time. But from what I’ve learned myself is maturity. I’ve learned my mistakes from the past and how I can prevent it from happening again. Seeing how people act and what they do to fit in with the crowd really disappoints me. I sit back listening and observing, doing nothing and trying not to interfere with them. Taekwondo has given me the chance to open up my eyes and try to start to make my goals happen.
My goals are to see if I can still keep going, showing how much dedication I have as much as Track and Field and see what more I can accomplish here. I try to go everyday to learn more and to get the energy I need afterwards without making up excuses. If I made so many excuses I wouldn’t be where I am now. A black belt has the will to keep trying and moving no matter what obstacles lies ahead of them. Even if they’re tired, they keep going until they have that satisfaction to be proud of how much they’re giving their all. My last goal is trying to earn respect from my peers whether it’s adults or children. Every time when I come to class I see that some seniors or lower belts don’t even acknowledge my siblings and I. Some respect us, but others do not even listen to what we have to say. We’re treated as little childrens and not as a mature adult. Even though they see me as a young person, mentally I’m matured and I respect anyone who is nice and treats me as equally as someone would treat like anybody else.
If I get my 1st Dan Black Belt, I wouldn’t change who I am right now. I stay true to myself and respect anyone who walks into this dojang and anywhere else. No matter who it is, I wouldn’t judge you. People who’ve said that I would never get this far has been my motivators and the energy to keep me trying. I’ve learned to ignore rude people and their comments. Before, it would bother me so much that I bottled it up too long to make my health deteriorate. But now I’ve learned to let out all that frustration, hate and anger through Taekwondo. Bringing out the bad energy has left me with a positive attitude. I think first on the situation and coming up with many solutions before acting upon it. For example, in track if you ran the 400m without practice and your meet comes up, you’ll lose the race. It feels awful to be second or last. You always practice until you know you’re good enough to actually win. Same goes with Taekwondo if you’re testing for your next belt, use your time wisely each day for class.
Try your hardest and keep pushing through. I always tell myself that and the outcomes are great. Why quit in the end if you started doing something that benefits you in the first place? Since I’ve stayed dedicated to Taekwondo for almost 3 years, it shows that if you want something you stay focus on it and achieve it. Nothing is impossible. It’s just to show how much you want it or not. When I teach in front of the class, I want the lower belts to see how much I’ve been through and teach them what I’ve learned throughout the years.
