My Journey Thus Far

karatekid1975 · KF VIP

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

As a staff member here at KarateForums.com, I am required to write an article. When the time gets close, I come up with several ideas. I picked one and started to work on it. For various reasons, I didn't finish it.

Patrick reminded me about writing my article the day after attending a black belt convocation. Many of my old and current friends were to receive their black belts. I saw my friend Heidi (ninjanurse), who is also a staff member here receive her 2nd dan in the new (for her) school. I'm very proud of her and the rest of them. She gave a speech about her journey to black belt (and the journey to black belt in general).

She inspired me so much that I wanted to write about my journey thus far, even though I am not a black belt yet. Though my journey has not been an easy one, I do have the strength to carry on no matter what happens, as you will read in this article.

My journey started three years ago (October 2000) in NJ. I had a job that I thought was kind of scary at the time. I was doing security at night by myself. I thought that I should learn some self defense. I looked around at various schools. I tried one school out, but I knew after a month it wasn't what I was looking for. Then I found my Tang Soo Do dojang. It was a hybrid style of Tang Soo Do (it was mixed with Hapkido and some Muay Thai kickboxing). I thought it was perfect. I was hooked instantly.

My first year there was a tricky one. Within a 4 month period, I had lost my job and found out I had a mild case of cancer. My instructor let me clean the dojang to pay for tuition. I was so grateful to him. So, needless to say, despite the cancer, I kept training. Then the summer of 2001, I was attacked. I had to use my beloved art for self defense. I was so surprised that my training, even though very limited, paid off. I didn't have a scratch on me. Then a month later, I had surgery for the cancer. I recovered quickly and the cancer was taken care of. I believe between my training (staying active) and catching it early, the cancer didn't have a chance to spread. I even tested for my 5th gup blue belt two weeks after my surgery.

In December of 2001, I moved to New York. I didn't want to leave my Tang Soo Do dojang, but I had to. As soon as I got here, I started hunting for dojangs. Well actually, I began looking on the Internet in New Jersey. I found my current school's website. I checked it out, but never went back (until later). I checked a few more schools out. Finally, I picked a Tae Kwon Do dojang that was close by for convenience.

While I was training there, within a year's time, I had a bad hamstring pull and hurt both my knees (one was because I was being a show-off. I deserved it). I pulled my hamstring before in my Tang Soo Do dojang, but it healed in about two weeks of modified training. So it definitely wasn't as serious as this time. I had to take two weeks off for that (plus two months of modified training) and one week for each knee injury, plus train with a brace on. But, I was determined to keep training.

After a year's time there, I left. It wasn't for me. I'm not saying it's a bad school, it just wasn't what I was looking for. I only stayed that long because of my honey. We both trained together there. I just couldn't deal with the fact that it didn't teach much self defense (in my opinion). I took three months off from training. Within that three-month time, my Grandmom had a heart attack and needed surgery. I went home to New Jersey to see her. It took her a while to recover, because she is diabetic. But she is doing really well, now.

I went back to the school that I found the website for. I was kind of leery about joining another Tae Kwon Do dojang, to be honest. But this one definitely wasn't sport. It taught me that Tae Kwon Do is more than kicking and sparring. In it's true form, Tae Kwon Do is a very good art. This school even taught more than my Tang Soo Do dojang did. I was shocked and overwhelmed. So, even though I was able to keep my rank from the previous school, I decided to downgrade to green from blue. Once I reached blue again, I was hired by my instructor to help out.

Now that I am an instructor, my instructor wants me to advance faster. He put my experience and technique into consideration when he made this decision. I was scared, but agreed. Then I attended Heidi's convocation. After her speech and what she had to go though to receive her current rank, she inspired me to try hard and make my instructor proud with his decision.

I dedicate my future black belt to my Grandmom for being such a strong person when she got sick and to my Dad who is now sick with liver cancer.
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Laurie F

Patrick · KF Administrator

Thank you for the submission.

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Ripper · Orange Belt

Wow, this is heavy stuff! I admire your perseverence.
I hope you have more luck in the future. Great that your grandmother recovered. I hope your father will too.
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René

ramymensa · Black Belt

Great story indeed and we've got a lot to learn from it. I've decided to dedicate all my successes to my grandpa who didn't make it in the battle with cancer. Still it's an inspiration for me and a reason to keep on working.
Keep up the effort and good luck in your way

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World Shotokan Karate

italian_guy · Black Belt

Great story indeed, best wishes to you and most of all to your father.

Keep going Karatekid1975

TangSooGuy · Blue Belt

Great story, thanks for sharing. Sounds like you've already had to learn a lot of the lessons many of us don't get until much later. The journey certainly doesn't get any easier, but it does get better.

I wish all the best to you and your father.

aefibird · Black Belt

Thanks for sharing your story with us KarateKid. I'm sure you'll make an excellent black belt!
Prayers and best wishes to you and your family too.
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"Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My Cologne

Sheffield Steelers!

longarm25 · Blue Belt

Very nice article

_________________
Phil
Ryu Kyu Christian Karate Federation

"Do not be dependent on others for your improvement. Pay respect to God and Buddha
but do not reley on them." Musashi

gcav · Blue Belt

Nice.
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Train like your life depends on it....Because it does.

G95champ · Black Belt

KK75 geez you have really gone thought it.

I knew when I fight came to KF one of the first people I met was you when we talked about how to get over a hamstring injury. Little did I know you had so many other issues to overcome.

Great motovational story.

Good luck and Please let us know when you make your Black Belt.
_________________
(General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

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