The Right Choice for Me

By Sally Morgan, 2nd dan

Being a CTI Taekwondo instructor, I always remind my students how special they are.  The practice of Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo is not an easy one.  I tell them that if it were, everyone would be training in Taekwondo.  When my young students come into class they see other kids their age training just like them and of course they don’t think there is anything special about it!  Then I ask them how many students in their class do martial arts; or how many in their school.  Some may answer with one or two, but most do not know anyone who trains the way they do.  This gives them a new perspective on just how elite their training is.

When people watch movies that show martial artists punching, kicking and leaping through the air, they want to be like them.  What the movies don’t show is the years of hard work and sweat that goes into it.  Martial artists are not born spinning and flying through the air effortlessly.  Though some of us may have a natural ability, practicing a technique hundreds and
even thousands of times is what makes it all look so effortless.

In order to become proficient in martial arts we must possess a passion and commitment that is beyond the average person.    We sacrifice, we endure sore muscles, aching joints and even have a fair share of bruises.  We find a way to convince our bodies to do things that we never thought possible.  We are challenged to excel in coordination, balance and strength.   Most important, we must be patient.  Nothing in martial arts happens overnight and if we are unable to accept that, we probably would never see a black-belt around our waist.

When I started learning Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, I believed like most people, that the name of what I was learning was just that; “a name.”  I have now been in for almost 10 years and have come to realize that the name and style cannot be imitated in any other martial art out there.  I was very lucky to have “just happened” to fall into Moo Sul Kwan.   Over the years, it has become an “active choice.”  I choose to stay loyal to Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo for many reasons.  And though my understanding of this art is much more prominent than it was when I was a white belt, I know I still do not understand everything and have much more to learn.