Indiana Martial Arts
Martial Arts Indiana
Martinsville Martial Arts
Martinsville Karate
Martinsville Indiana
Taekwondo Tae kwon do

Black Belt Paper Excerpts - Jenny Dill

I see in my experience with younger children that have the chance to practice the martial arts a special respect for parents, elders, and one another. Each class there is something said that makes the students question their actions and take into account respect and obedience. This is not always the case. I take the class at Martinsville and compare it to regular classrooms and find that often times respect is left out of the curriculum. The students have never questioned their actions like they do at Martinsville. Sometimes those that do not practice the martial arts do not understand the respect that occurs. It is a great learning opportunity and so many changes have been seen due to this curriculum…..

….Standing tall is similar to honor. When a person is honorable they often have a look of confidence that is maintained inside. Standing tall in Tae Kwon Do is know that I can past the next challenge that is offered to me. It is not being nervous in front of Grandmaster when doing forms. Although it is hard sometimes not to be nervous, it is working through the nervousness and coming out on top. A good example of this is a small child at Martinsville. He was very nervous about his test and all of the upper ranking belts were trying to calm him down. We told him that as soon as he heard his name that he needed to say "Yes, sir" loud and clear. This little boy stood up when his name was called and loudly repeated the phrase. With this confidence at first call of his name he was able to walk out onto the floor and go through his forms, one-steps and breaking. He is now used as an example for those that are leery of saying yes, sir loud and clear. As I think about this small child and the obstacle he overcame, I think about my first belt test and how nervous I was. I had never met any of the people that I was belt testing with and it as a new experience, but I decided to maintain confidence and strive to succeed.

….As a child I was able to grasp things quite quickly. Math was my favorite subject because I was very quick and could pick up any idea easily. When I reached college and Tae Kwon Do I realized that I could not grasp other ideas quite as quickly as math. I realized that the idea of seven times down and eight times up was true. The latest test of my patience was a reverse kick with three boards. I was able to do it on a board holder, but I wanted people to hold because I was getting ready for my test. After seven attempts at the boards I was able to break the middle board and nothing else. By this time I was getting angry, but I knew that I could do it, it was going to take another try or two. So I walked down to the room with the boards and along my way I realized that my heel was becoming bruised, but I knew that I needed to make it through these boards. So I grabbed another board and walked up the stairs. With the confidence brewing I took another try at the boards. This, the eighth try, I was able to break the boards without a problem. I had been trying for almost a half an hour to break the boards and I was able to break them. If it was not for patience I would have been angry toward the boards and anger makes it harder to focus on what I am doing. Patience allowed me to focus and break the boards.

These are the virtues that I believe have stemmed from Tae Kwon Do. Although I have had so many ups and downs I still practice and I believe it is because of the virtues that I have gained from practicing. I practice to become better; I strive for that excellence and building of character. I want to better myself as much as I can. It looks as though I will only have the privilege of working with specific people for one more semester then my life moves on past DePauw and the school that I have grown so fond to know. I love Tae Kwon Do and the practice that it takes. It makes me work harder in the classes that I am in and the classes that I teach...

…..I really cannot find the words to say why I am still practicing the art. All of my friends believe that I enjoy being beat up, but there is more there. There are personal goals that I have set for myself, an art that I value, and friends. I guess I stick with it because I love doing it. My goals are to become relaxed and learn that life should not be as stressful as it once was, I want to learn the value of the martial arts, and, although one of the lesser goals, I want to stay physically fit. Once I step into the do-jang I do not feel the pressures of my classes, teaching or projects; they all fade into the background. I feel free to express myself through my forms and sparring. It is a release that I can find nowhere else in my life at this time. It is hard to explain how I feel. Occasionally there are pressures to get ready for a test and to become more powerful in a form, but with practice and a little time it all works out.

Another reason to stay with Tae Kwon Do is the friendships that I have made. I have seen people in our club come and go, but those that stick with it are great friends and we enjoy our time with each other. We have become close with the many van trips to Grandmaster Choi's school and Master Crecelius' school. Keeping our club alive is what we do best. This group of individuals may not have met, but we did because of one common idea, we all enjoy the martial arts. There may be a difference in reasons why we joined, but we all come together two or three times a week to critique, have fun, and work hard. Not only have I made friends, but I have learned some things about life in my three years of practicing Tae Kwon Do.

Life lessons are hard to come by, but I have learned about enthusiasm, winning is not everything, and to relax and have fun. …. What I have learned about myself is that I can teach, be patient, and become more confident. My teaching stems from Gentry Martial Arts Martinsville. I began to attend class as a purple or brown belt. At this time there was not a beginner class because it was the beginning of a new idea for Martinsville. I remember going through all of the basics with the students and realizing that I was teaching. I had already been teaching in other classes at the university due to my major. However, with ease and confidence I was going over basic movements with six to eight year olds that had never been exposed to this type of movement. I began to see what my schooling and classes had taught me. I saw that different age groups could learn a certain movement with such ease while others became disheartened and discouraged because they could not mentally remember the movement. Through Martinsville, I have seen the face of discouragement in students' eyes that I have never seen before. On the other hand, I have seen great triumph and obstacles overcome that I thought would never be defeated. For example, there were two five year olds that seemed like they were moo goops forever. They just could not get the turns down in their forms. I, along with other higher-ranking students, worked and worked with these two. I knew from experience that it was taking longer for these two because they were five years old, their attention span was no longer than my arm, and mentally it would be hard for them to piece together the forms. However, after long and hard work one of them tested for her white belt. She passed. After that she would not take her white belt off for anything. If it were not for it being in the summer, she would have worn that belt to school. For a full week she wore the belt with her street clothes. She had such a glisten in her eyes that made you want to jump for join when she received her belt. The other student, seeing the great success of the girl, worked harder and received his white belt only a week later. As a teacher, this was a moment that I had been waiting for all summer. I guess this I learned that I could teach anyone just about anything.

Not only did I learn that I could teach, but I found patience. I was always taught that patience was virtue, but I had very little when I was growing up. Helping at Martinsville and learning the art myself gave me an understanding of patience. While practicing in club and on my own I realized that it would take a lot of patience from me to work through the harder movements in the forms and sparring. In the beginning ranks of Tae Kwon Do the movements are not as complex as in later belt ranks. I did not really hit bumps until green belt forms. I was told to step up my power and that these forms were very different from my previous forms. They were considered a bridge to other complex forms that I would later encounter. This was a transition period. I had never attempted anything quite like this and the movements took some time for me to learn and understand, but with patience and practice I was able to work through the rough spots.

I also see patience as an importance when working with the students at Martinsville. I have had some trying times, but I have learned that I can push through those times with patience. Not only is patience personal, but it also shows the students that it is necessary when practicing this art. When a person looses patience the students see it, then they become frustrated and it makes their time and effort become meaningless to them. Students are supposed to have fun while learning this or it is not worth it to them to continue. I have worked on this and I believe that patience is something that I hold dear and will take with me wherever I end up after college.

Finally, I come to confidence. I have learned confidence in many ways while practicing Tae Kwon Do. Whether it is in class, at testing, or during tournaments I have become more confident with myself. I was talking with a friend and he said that doing forms in front of a Grandmaster or a Master is like performing on a stage; he is your audience. I find this true, but I was never one to be on stage. Practicing Tae Kwon Do put me on that stage and it boosts my confidence tremendously. I can now get up in front of a class and teach a lesson or give a speech. I know that my nervousness will probably never go away, but with confidence I know I can go out and do anything that I want to do.

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Last modified: September 10, 2006