Why I want to be a Black Belt
By
Ken Pecoraro
Three
years ago, when I started bringing my boys to Strickland’s Taekwondo, I was
reminded of my first experience in martial arts. I was 25 years old, in the United
States Navy flight school, and the base was offering an introduction to
taekwondo. Being a Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan fan, I thought I could become one
of them, so I gave it a shot. I was hooked! After my first class, I went
straight home to demonstrate my newly perfected sliding sidekick to my
roommates. Well, my perfectly executed kick placed my little toe completely
around the door jam, breaking it in two places. So, after losing two weeks of
flight training, I hung up my barely used white belt for the next 30 years!
I walked
into my first class with Mr. Strickland partially expecting a little attitude.
Kind of a " hey, what's this fat old man trying to do now". What I
got was an encouraging "you can do it attitude". Always helpful,
always motivating. Not only from Mr. Strickland, but all instructors, seniors
and peers. For almost two years I have been learning kicks, punches, forms,
weapons, flexibility, and most of all, discipline. And then there is sparring!
Shoot, I haven't been in a fight since 6th grade. It was hard to have a name
that was so easily transmogrified into "Peckerhead" at that age, at
that time. But I digress. Simply put, sparring has become my favorite part of
class now that I am learning control. Now if I could only beat Bill Reaves in a
tournament...
So, it
started with Ki-Bon, or “The Beginning”, and from then on, it has been my goal
to earn my Black belt. Now, it may be hard to believe that I have ADD, or
“hyperactivity” as it was called in my youth, but I have the many, many
unfinished projects around the house to prove it. But this is different. Much
like joining the Corps of Cadets while at Texas A&M, Parachute School in
the Army, Flight school in the Navy, and becoming an airline pilot, this is
something I just will not quit! I think it has something to do with the tenants
of taekwondo, they all mean something – fundamental traits that are vital in
order to live a happy, successful and fulfilling life:
Courtesy, or Ye-Ui: This is self-explanatory
- treat others, as you want to be treated.
Integrity or Yom-Chi: Be honest with yourself
and others.
Perseverance or In-Nae: Never Quit, Don’t give
up.
Self
Control or Guk-Gi:
A tough one for me in the beginning, but experience is helping. It encompasses
not only controlling one’s emotions, but one’s precision and force as well.
Indomitable
Spirit or
Baekjul-bool Gool: Simply put, an unshakeable belief system that one will go to
extraordinary lengths in order to defend.
To sum it
all up, there are many reasons why I want to be a Black Belt, but it all comes
down to one word – Pride. I want to walk tall knowing that I have accomplished
something special. I want my name on my black belt and my mane on my Gi!
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