Whether it is taekwondo, karate, or jiu-jitsu, each martial art has its own unique aspects, practices, and disciplines, and each practitioner has their own way of understanding and demonstrating how they interpret their art, freshman Brandon Le, jiu-jitsu grey-black belt, said.
Taekwondo creates a bond between one’s mental and physical capacities, encouraging the practitioners to train not just their body but also their minds, junior Jeslyn Jinson, taekwondo second degree black belt, said.
“The way [you] train makes you mentally strong, especially if you come across any obstacles,” Jinson said. “I tend to break down and give up, but instead, but my instructors help guide [me] through obstacles and [teach me how to] face them without crumbling down.”
Taekwondo is a strength based martial art made up of kicks, freshman Simon Kane, taekwondo black belt, said. The lead instructor is called a Master, and the training facility is called a djang, Kane said. There are multiple belt levels and every three to four months you test to reach a new belt, or you continue this process until you reach black belt, Kane said.
Kane has been practicing taekwondo for five years at Akyi Martial Arts on Team Haechi, a competitive taekwondo team, Kane said. He takes inspiration from Team USA members Sunghyun Eric Gun and teammate Evie Ro, Kane said. As teammates, Ro has helped Kane improve his own taekwondo skills when practicing on Team Haechi with her.
“[Ro is] incredible and she’s been doing [taekwondo] for a long time, so I definitely look up to her,” Kane said. “She made Team USA this past year, and it’s cool to train with her.”
For Le, jiu-jitsu is a valuable way of learning self defense. Jiu-jitsu is fighting on the ground using joint manipulation to the maximum degree of motion and chokeholds on the neck. It is taught by a professor at a dojo, Le explained. The belt colors signify how long one has been practicing for, and a new stripe is given each month, Le added.
Le practiced taekwondo before making the difficult switch to jiu-jitsu. The two have different disciplines; taekwondo focuses more on long-range skills, whereas jiu-jitsu is grappling, Le said.
“My favorite form of jiu-jitsu is sparring with others because everything can be countered,” Le said. “For taekwondo, my favorite part [was] the general practice.”
Karate is based on powerful strikes and blocks, where the lead instructor is called a Sensei and the training facility is called a dojo, junior Zaynab Saudye, karate first degree black belt, said. Belts are used to signify rank and experience, and while there are eight different belt colors, there are 10 degrees of black belts, the highest belt ranking, and to get to the next degree of black belt one must hold their current belt degree for the number of years that matches their belt degree, Saudye said.
Despite being a fun way to spend time with friends, karate can pose challenges, Saudye said. During regular practice, athletes practice warm ups, techniques, and forms using a mat. The requirement of certain equipment, such as a mat, can make it hard to practice karate at home, Saudye said.
“I try to [practice] aspects that don’t need a mat, [such as] conditioning or watching back my videos and seeing where I went wrong,” Saudye said.
One taekwondo skill Kane has been working on improving is his flexibility, which is vital for martial artists. Kane has been working hard to improve his kicks by using a stretch machine to increase leg flexibility, doing cross-training such as swimming, and staying consistent by stretching every day.
“People do these forms called a kicking vertical, which is [when you] kick 180 degrees,” Kane said. “That has been a challenge for me, but it’s also something that [I have improved] over the years.”
Taekwondo is important to Kane because it has taught him important lessons and skills, such as to never give up no matter the challenge, throughout his years as a practitioner of this martial art, Kane said.
“Taekwondo has taught me patience, discipline, perseverance, and has given me physical and mental strength,” Kane said.