I Didn’t Choose Tae Kwon-Do. It Chose Me.
Why did I learn Tae Kwon-Do? In many ways, it wasn’t up to me. I actually started out in Karate. I mainly studied Isshin-Ryū, which I spent a lot of time on and loved. Isshin-Ryū teaches practical stuff; street-usable things. But, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on [...]Read more
The Belts and the Remarkable People Who Wear Them
Tabula rasa is the notion that humans are born a blank slate, and all knowledge comes from experience or perception. The White Belt symbolizes this. Purity. Innocence. The Yellow belt symbolizes the sun. A source of light and warmth, and new beginnings. The Green belt [...]Read more
What Music and Martial Arts Have in Common
Preparing for a Tae Kwon-Do tournament is different than, say, preparing to play with The Four Tops. Yep. Those Four Tops. In music, I prepare based on the situation. If I am going to be backing up the Four Tops – which I have – I need to make sure I’m [...]Read more
What Tournaments Teach Us About Ourselves
The first time I ever fought in a tournament, I was out of the ring as fast as I got in. I have no idea what happened. There was no explanation. And I sure as heck didn’t win anything. It was the most fun I ever had. Back then, that was the story. I didn’t […]Read more
There Are Always Bullies: We Can Help
There are always jerks. No matter how old you are, what you do, or where you are in your life, that one thing remains true. They exist just as much at work when you’re an adult as they do in school when you’re a kid. There are just some people out there who feel the […]Read more
My Signature Move: The Jump Spinning Back Kick
Grand Master Park almost never talked about other fighters. That’s why I was very surprised when he told me about this one fighter he had seen, whose abilities he admired. That fighter’s name? Mike. He was a world champion fighter. He was also one of the sweetest, [...]Read more