Lets talk TKD… 🥋

So it  would be a lie, if i ever  said that I  always wanted to be a black belt, to be frank  i did not even know what it was, I don’t think they showed that in Kung Fu, with David Carradine…( I loved that programme) However if there is ever concrete evidence that you should just try something new…. this is it. 

🥋It was in 2006, and i had been living in Luton for about 5 years, and up until about a year before that i still used to drive into London for work, ( and quite frankly everything else too) parking my car at my Brother’s house and taking the tube from there, when I came across a leaflet in my local paper – come and try for free it said, you will get fit, and learn to defend yourself. .. So despite him indoors having no interest,  I decided to give it a go- I had to leave work early as it started at 6:30..  

🥋There were loads of people there, no word of a lie, but it was so much fun, and I met my now life long friend Meze, there on that first day and of course made many others since then. The value that TKD has added to my life can not be measured… its like the old master card ad….. TKD Priceless for everything else there is master card…

🥋I remember being told that I could go to my first grading in that December and was like …naaa, However eventually I did, and i generally got through the grades, skipped some, ( as in waited for the next one) due either not being ready, or travels etc.. however when I got to  red belt, i think it was, my fitness and agility was really tested. I remember coming out of the grading feeling like i had gone 6 rounds with Jackie Chan.. ok i exaggerate, but you get my point.. right??? 

🥋So I took up dancing… to improve my fitness.. i figured something different would help…( that in itself is another blog post) … it was then that the idea that i could go to black belt began to creep into my consciousness,   When i got my black tag, well… Anyway, as some of you would know in the end I went 4 times before I achieved promotion to 1st Dan Black Belt.  🥋

💪🏾Perseverance.. to be honest, I could have given up, especially after the 3rd time, as I was gutted and I took to my bed when Master Lutchwyche rang and said that it was not good news. I was well and truly deflated.. But i have to say.. I did not know that I could dig my heels in so much… and up I went again, and the #april 2018 was born.. I did train very hard an when I was told that I had to have a pre-grading session, like a test to see if I could grade I thought I was going to have a melt down, as I had to do this before Master Siergiew who is very clever at TKD… and to add insult to injury, despite my best efforts I forgot pattern Joon Gun .. 🤔I was convinced that he was going to say no, I could not grade, but he said I could ….. but boy I had to work,,  I had already added boot camp into the mix… I will never forget this grading or the work that went into it,  the second pre-black belt session was gruelling.. really you would need to have been there to get what I am saying… Master Lutchwyche… and he is so smiley…who knew?😆😆😘

🥋I was so excited to have the news that i had passed, and  it took two attempts to be told, as I was too chicken to pick up the phone the first time lol…

So, the reason I am telling you this, is that sometimes you just need to go with it and try something new, you  may surprise yourself, you can pick up new skills,  meet new people, or get a lesson in determination like I did. These are all experiences that have transferable skills in them, but it all starts with the decision to try….