Integrity at its Finest

By Bridget Sautel, 5th dan

To embody the quality of integrity requires upholding a consistent state of honesty, and not letting anything compromise moral and ethical values one may have. From the very start of our CTI Taekwondo training, we strive to develop a ‘black belt attitude,’ which cannot be mastered without embracing integrity. Establishing this characteristic in taekwondo will allow for the student to transfer this into their everyday life’s outside of class, resulting in a successful well-rounded lifestyle. Integrity can then be passed on to future generations, including white belts just starting class, and can become an infinite process of sharing the essence of what integrity is all about. 

As a white belt moving up through the belt colors, it becomes clear quickly that practice at home is needed for memorization of poomse and to maintain physical fitness. Taking the initiative to practice outside of class involves integrity, because it is something that you have to take upon yourself by choice. Having this much needed practice outside of class will permit the student to continue using integrity when back in class, by executing their OWN moves within the group, without copying others. This will boost the class as a whole and convince others that integrity is crucial in martial arts training. 

There are many ways that integrity is developed within a CTI class, including always keeping your fellow students safe, learning how to make mistakes and learn from them, and being honest with ourselves when a certain technique or poomse could use some improvement. All of these pieces of integrity will undoubtedly carry over into our everyday lives outside of taekwondo, into school, work, and in other social situations. At school, integrity can be used when doing homework, taking tests, and developing relationships with teachers/peers. At work, integrity can mean standing up for what’s right and doing what you should be doing even if no one is looking. In public, the student is a representative of CTI, which can mean helping people out who are in need, being cordial and empathetic to the unknown, and being honest with family, friends, and spouses.

Integrity involves finding ways to better yourself and become a self-directed learner, and is a quality that will always get you farther in the long run- even if it’s not easy! Integrity allows you to feel confident that you put all effort into what you do and believe in, and most importantly can be passed on to future generations and white belts.