Testimonials - Mu Han Martial Arts

“Tae Kwon Do” - “Kick, Punch, The Art”

“I have always wanted to learn Tae Kwon Do.”  That’s what I said every Saturday morning when I went to soccer in fall of 2005.  We drove by the studio every Saturday morning to go to Dodgeville Field and I saw all of the students doing drills or sparring and I wanted to be a part of it too.
 

All of the teams in the soccer league had six players.  Since there were 5 players on the field during games, everyone rotated positions and got a chance to rest.  If I had left the team to start Tae Kwon Do then, it wouldn’t have been fair for the rest of the players on my team because everyone would have had to play the entire game without a rest.  I finished the soccer season with my team. 

At the end of the season the league had an awards ceremony and a raffle.  I got picked to choose a prize.  Among all the prizes available I saw the gift certificate for 30 days of Tae Kwon Do at Mu Han Martial Arts!  I felt as if this was a reward because I did finish the soccer season and got picked to choose a prize out of all of the kids that played soccer that fall. 

We went to enroll in the class and met Master Oh.  On the first day I went to class I was nervous and excited.  I was introduced to the class and the first thing I learned was “To be the Best Black Belt, Sir!” At first I had a hard time understanding Master Oh so I wasn’t so sure I could go on.  I was confused and didn’t know anyone.  I gave it another chance and I really started to like it so I went on.  My first couple of classes were extremely difficult.  The drills that we did were tiring.  I really liked the exercises and moves I was learning.  I never knew that I had to learn a poom-se to and do it on test day.  It was challenging to remember the poom-se at first but I looked around at the other students to follow along as we practiced.  As I learned the names of all the kicks and punches, I understood more about Tae Kwon Do.  I started to make friends who helped me understand the stances, offenses, defenses, and my poom-ses.

My first test for my white belt was complicated and took hard concentration.  I was nervous at first but I calmed down and all of the practice we did in class came back to me.  Everything fell into place.  When I saw that I had to break a board I didn’t think I could do it but I was surprised when I broke it on my first try.  That test gave me a lot of courage and I knew I could go on.  As I learned the names of the moves it got easier for me to know what I was supposed to do.

Testing for the next several belts became easier and easier because I understood what the moves were supposed to mean.  It was hard work, but it was starting to get easier because I was getting physically fit.  The instructors were very patient with us while teaching us what we needed to do.   
 
After earning my dark green belt I was requested to join the elite sparring team and the demo team.  I didn’t know which one to join though.  So I went to both of the practices to see which one I wanted to do.  I tried the elite sparring.  That was a very tough class.  I had many bruises, but they went away.  Then I tried the demo class.  They welcomed me and then we got right to work.  That was very difficult to do too because they were doing moves I had never seen before, but I made it through.  After I went to both classes to see which one I wanted to do I met with Master Oh to talk to him about which one I wanted to do.  I was amazed when Master Oh said he wanted me on both teams!  I never expected he would ask me to be on both teams.  I didn’t know what to say, but made up my mind to meet the challenge and be on both teams.  We practiced hard to get ready to go to competitions.  I still had to go to class to learn my poom-ses and test for the higher belts, too.     

When I went to my first competition I was so anxious.  There were so many more competitors from several other Tae Kwon Do schools.  They were all dressed in different uniforms and doing their warm up exercises.  It was pretty noisy in that gym!  When it was our turn to perform I was excited about doing the drills.  We had worked so hard and Master Oh has made a very impressive drill for us to perform.  Both the junior and senior groups did an outstanding job and we felt very proud after we were done. 

Once it was time to spar my first opponent was a black belt.  That made me even more nervous than I already was.  He was hard to spar because he was taller than me but it was a good chance to use the moves I had worked so hard to learn.  I won a second place medal in that round. 

Later on in other competitions I sparred against many other opponents and won many medals.  I felt more confident every time I competed.  The members of the drill team and the elite sparring team work very well with each other.  Everyone is ready to help you if you need it and I will help someone if they need it too.

It has been a lot of fun to go to the different competitions to see all of the other Tae Kwon Do schools there.  They all do their exercises in a different way, have different colored uniforms and do many different drills.  I think we all learn from each other.  When we spar, we have to change into white uniforms, so we all look alike then.    

Once I became a Bo Dan the exercises and practices got much tougher.  The instructors expected more out of me and the other Bo Dans.  They wanted us to be even more focused and do better than we were used to doing in the lower classes. 

We had to refresh our memories of all the poom-ses, offenses and defenses we had learned since I started.  They expected us to be mentally and physically fit.  We have been told to be confident and do our best and remain focused during the test.  I am nervous but very confident because we have all worked very hand.  Master Oh and the instructors have shown us how to move perfectly.  We need to take out time and concentrate throughout the test.       

Tae Kwon Do has had a huge impact on my life.  I always try and do my best in school, at home and where ever I go. 

Tae Kwon Do has improved my life at school by teaching me to focus and have the discipline and concentration to do good on tests and regular school work and be helpful to my classmates and younger children.  I show respect to my teachers and appreciate them.
 
At home I stay on track and pay attention to what surrounds me.  I am a big help at home doing chores and watch over my little brother.   Among friends I help keep them from getting into trouble.  We have fun but when we have to do our school work we settle down and concentrate on what we are supposed to do.  We all work to stay on track.  This year I have joined the band and am learning to play saxophone, sang a song in the talent show last week in front of hundreds of parents and other students and have an A average in all of my subjects!  It has been hard doing all of this and come to Tae Kwon Do to train to get ready for my black belt test 4 nights a week.
   
To make the lessons I have learned in Tae Kwon Do a part of my daily life I do everything I can to do my best and practice my hardest.  I feel this has made my life so much better.  I would never have known what my potential is if I didn’t come to Mu Han Martial Arts.  Master Oh and Master Cho and all of the instructors have taught me these important lessons.  They took the time to give us all so much.  I hope I can continue to do my best by going to the black belt classes to learn more and help lower belt students “To Be The Best Black Belt” at Mu Han Martial Arts.

To thank Master Oh, Master Cho and all of the Instructors at Mu Han Martial Arts, I wanted to present this as my way of showing how much I appreciate all they have done for me.  I got this idea when I went to a black belt test for a good friend of our family.  He was testing for his black belt and had to write an essay about his experiences in Tae Kwon Do.  When he presented it to his Master, he said it was harder to put into words how he felt because it means so much to him than learning all of the poom-ses.  When he said that, I thought to myself that was the way I felt, too. 

I feel that I am very lucky to have chosen that gift certificate at the soccer awards ceremony in 2005 and been able to be a good student at Mu Han Martial Arts and learned Tae Kwon Do. 

Jocelyn Reyome
November 1, 2008
Mu Han Martial Arts
Attleboro, MA