I thought I would post this image to give myself something to talk about. Prior to going to Korea to teach English I began taking taekwondo classes. I thought it was a beautiful art form and a great way to stay active. When I took classes at Dal I thought it was interesting and became good friends with all those involved. a class consisted of some kicking, punching drills followed by some running. Well... it was all well and good until I got to Korea. When I started taking classes in Korean I was shocked by the enthusiasm for the sport. I did realize that taekwondo is the national sport in Korea but had no idea how seriously it was taken. For example... when I attended my first class I was the only foreigner and the only one that spoke English. During the sparring portion of the class I was summoned into the center of the mat and given sparring gear. I on the gear and was matched with a kid of about nineteen years of age. We started sparring and out of no where he kicked me in the face causing me to bleed profusely... in other words I was ill prepared and looked like a wimp. Anyway, if you go to Korea do not step into a sparring match with rusty skills.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Another one
I thought I would post this image to give myself something to talk about. Prior to going to Korea to teach English I began taking taekwondo classes. I thought it was a beautiful art form and a great way to stay active. When I took classes at Dal I thought it was interesting and became good friends with all those involved. a class consisted of some kicking, punching drills followed by some running. Well... it was all well and good until I got to Korea. When I started taking classes in Korean I was shocked by the enthusiasm for the sport. I did realize that taekwondo is the national sport in Korea but had no idea how seriously it was taken. For example... when I attended my first class I was the only foreigner and the only one that spoke English. During the sparring portion of the class I was summoned into the center of the mat and given sparring gear. I on the gear and was matched with a kid of about nineteen years of age. We started sparring and out of no where he kicked me in the face causing me to bleed profusely... in other words I was ill prepared and looked like a wimp. Anyway, if you go to Korea do not step into a sparring match with rusty skills.
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2 comments:
I really enjoy the picture you posted. Thanks for the advice on taekwondo in Korea, haha I've never tried it but definitey wouldn't over there after your story....very entertaining by the way!
hahaha! wow, thats funny/terrible all in one. Ridiculous. I find asians who live in asia take some things very seriously. If it has anything to do with their country, and their national pride, they sure have uption in their gumption. ahaha.
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