As a newly single mom, my world was upside down and a mess. My kids and I, after leaving a bad…read moresituation, moved in with my parents to get us back into a financially and emotionally better situation. Living with my parents, the dojo gave us a place to go to regroup and heal together as a stronger family unit than we were before. I believe choosing martial arts was a great choice because it helps us to learn how to defend ourselves and be healthy at the same time. Our family joining the United States TaeKwonDo Academy changed every part of my life for the better.
After some research, I decided to enroll my son, Chad, in classes with the United States Taekwondo Academy to aid in his management of adhd. After several months of watching on the sidelines, my daughter and I excitedly joined Chad in the Black Belt Club and immediately began improving many aspects of our lives in the process. Chad has done better in school, and has had a great attitude. My daughter, Phoebe is much more sure of herself and emotionally maturing appropriately.
During classes, the instructors will often discuss things that don't involve exercise, but rather a way of pushing us to be better in our lives: at home, work, socializing, etc. and apply the principles that we're supposed to be focused on for that belt rank. For example, in the Red Belt, a student should focus on flexibility. This doesn't only mean in their ability to stretch physically, but also to be flexible in their everyday life and working with others. My current belt, Deputy Black Belt concept is Contribution. This means to freely give of one's time and energy with no thought of reward. As a single mother, I believe I do these things for my children, but probably not for myself as much as I should. Joining the USTA made me more sure of myself and made me able to allocate my time wisely; understanding the difference between being taken advantage vs. contributing. This is something I've tried to improve upon ever since I was a Yellow Belt, and was focused on Goal Setting and Commitment.
Part of what we learn at the USTA is to defend yourself. Each belt has 2 ways of defending against a specific attack. This is very beneficial, as it helps you build muscle memory as a way of readying yourself, were you to ever experience the need to defend oneself. I also found this as a huge benefit for our family because we did experience some abuse in my first marriage, which is the father of my children. Joining a martial art helps the kids to know what to do in order to protect themselves if ever the need presented itself.
Did I mention the health benefits? Before joining the USTA, I weighed 246 lbs with a height of 5'1, and was pre-diabetic. With the supervision of my doctor, I have lost 50 lbs through exercising at the dojo and trying to eat healthier. I'm not where I want to be yet with my weight, but I know that it's a process that I need to work through in the right way and trust my body to help me make the right decisions. I'm the kind of person who works harder when I'm with others, so going to the dojo and working out with others pushes me to improve. My kids hold me to a higher standard than they used to, because they are learning the same principles that I am about taking care of our bodies. They have pushed me to where I am now, and I owe everything to Chad and Phoebe for staying with me and continuing to work hard with me. We push each other to do better, and I hope that us being students of martial arts will continue to improve us in this same way.
One of the other important lessons I've learned from the USTA is about respect. The first day I walked into the dojo, I was treated with the utmost respect and was expected the same in return. As I went more and more, I observed the students, instructors, masters and Grand Master use the words ma'am and sir in their responses to questions or discussion of any kind. Respect, I have learned, is something to give freely and expect in return as well. This concept has been a tremendous lesson for me to really mull over and understand. My children walked all over me when I was still a white belt, and Grand Master Alshareef gave me the courage and determination to become a leader of my children, and not their buddy for them to push around. He taught me how to respect myself and expect the same of others, especially my children. Over the years, I have learned many valuable lessons from the United States TaeKwonDo Academy, and I hope to learn more as I continue to pursue my goals.
