I have read several black belt papers during my taekwondo career, not to mention the three I wrote previously. (If you?re interested in reading the last two again, they are on my web site at: www.geocities.com/koryotkd99). One main point that I remember, which is common to many of them, includes the way in which taekwondo has affected our lives. This is most definitely true in my case as well. When I started taekwondo in January of 1993, I did so because I heard about the physical education 170 class from a couple of friends at work. When I started I was just one semester away from graduation, and never dreamed of getting involved past that one semester since after which I planned on leaving ISU. Fortunately for me, my studies at ISU continued with the added benefit of being able to stay active in taekwondo. There are a couple of main points I would like to make in this essay. One of which is the importance of perseverance, and the second is the profound impact that taekwondo has become in my life.

Several years ago when I was starting taekwondo in the P.E. 170 class, I remember looking up to the teaching assistants and thinking I would probably never make it to the point of being a teaching assistant. Well, finally that day came when I had the opportunity to be a T.A. for Master Pak. It was a remarkable time, it was difficult to believe that just a year or so before I was wondering if I would ever make it so far. Although I made it to this point, I remember continuing to look up the to higher ranks in the ISU dojang and seeing them up in the front right corner, wondering if I had the ability to be that good. Well, sure enough I did, and after several more years of work, (not to mention a little aging) I got to the point where that front right corner of the dojang didn?t seem so scary. Once that time came, it was time to look ahead to the next step, being the one up in front of the class being the head instructor, not as a T.A. or for doing warm-ups, but all the time. As you can guess, that time also came, about a year and a half ago when I started my own taekwondo school here in the Southeast corner of Minnesota. It has not been an easy road to where I?ve gotten, and it continues to be challenging. Running a taekwondo school is no little responsibility. You may wonder where I think the end is, well, I have learned by now that there is no end to my taekwondo studies. As I continually evolve to the next step, It is clear where to go next. Now I realize more then ever that it is extremely important for me to continue to work to reach for those ever increasing goals. As an instructor of a taekwondo, it is now my duty to teach everything I have learned, and what I am continually learning, to my students. To promote an art that has tremendously impacted my life since the day I started, so innocently, almost eight years ago. By doing so we shape the world of tomorrow through the teachings we pass on to the people we contact in our lives. By being dedicated to the lessons Master Pak has taught us, and living our lives in accordance with these valuable lessons, we all do our part in creating a brighter future for the kids of today.

So as to the common theme as to how taekwondo has influence my life, well I am not so sure at this point that taekwondo influences my life, but that my life influences my taekwondo. Taekwondo is not something that it a part of my life, but more like something that is intertwined with my life. Taekwondo is not a part of my way of life; it is my way of life. I am continually taking all the situations in my life and applying the philosophies of taekwondo to them, and as I continue my training, I continually think of the life situations to which they apply. Master Pak has always told little stories about how to carry the things we learn in taekwondo into our everyday lives to be better people. This is undoubtedly true in my case. I cannot think of any action or decision I have done or made today, this week, or even all month that is not affected by my taekwondo training. For instance, when I meet someone, whether it is a first time meeting, or someone I know, I immediately want to make a good impression. This is not for selfish reasons, but the primary consideration is the fact that I am a martial artist. Not just any martial artist either, but a Pak Family martial artist. Being such, I want to be sure I am representing the family well. At the same time I want to promote the art. Knowing that I am a representation of what taekwondo means through the way I act means I must act in a way that is becoming thereof. Therefore, I take extra care to make sure I am acting in a manner that is consistent with the philosophy behind these teachings.

Another example of how taekwondo has affected my life is when I am completing various tasks given to me. Am I completing it in a manner that shows my pride in my accomplishment? It should be no different then how we take pride in our accomplishments in taekwondo. By intertwineing our lives with our martial arts studies, we are doing more to promote the art than anything we might say. It is our actions, more so then the words we speak, which goes the furthest to promote the teachings of the art we practice. If we act in a way that is inconsistent with our philosophy, we completely undermine people?s respect and belief in our cause.

How do we live a life that shows people what we learn in taekwondo? Well, knowing the tenants of taekwondo, (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit) and most importantly living our lives by them is the most important thing we can learn from our art. By living in a manner that is consistent with these teachings, you will develop a reputation for yourself and our taekwondo family that people will come to know and respect. From our personal association with taekwondo, this reputation will then be associated with taekwondo as a sport and organization. This will thereby promote the art which we all embrace so dearly as a part of our personal identities. We are martial artists and black belts not only when we are wearing our belts, but all the time, forever.

Taking a look at how taekwondo has affected my life in the last many years, and how I know it will effect the rest of my life, it goes to show how especially important our roles as instructors are. During some of my college classes, it was brought to my attention how extensively coaches affect and are remembered by students as they go through high school. I think many of us who have participated in athletics will agree that we had a very different relationship with our coach verses our teachers. Most of the time, students who have graduated will remember their coaches and the lessons they learned from them much better, even though they spent a more limited amount of time with them then their classroom teachers. This emphasizes the importance of our roles as black belts. Many of my taekwondo students are going to be far more impacted throughout their lives from the contact they have with me a couple of times a week then with the hours they spend in their school classrooms. This great responsibility is one that absolutely cannot be taken lightly by any instructor of martial arts. The reality of this really sinks in when you have your own school and the parents of the kids regularly praise you about the changes that have occurred as a result of their child?s involvement in my program. This praise has been worth thousands of gold medals from any tournament. I would not trade it for a National tittle any day. I am sure that everyone out there who has taught classes for even a short time has realized this, but for those of you who are afraid to teach your own classes, you shouldn?t be. Nothing is a greater reward then the feeling you get when your students are doing well, not only in taekwondo, but in their lives, in their futures!

In closing, I want to thank everyone around the world who has contributed to the lessons I have learned in my martial arts training. Although many of them are here, a good many of them are not, but I am sure that they all believed in my ability to reach this point and that I would continue on. I plan on living up to all their expectations.