A Master's lesson from a Grandmaster

During a recent black belt test I created a once in a lifetime gathering of the most influential, special, and  meaningful Taekwondo instructors in my life.  Grandmaster Moo Yong Lee.  My first Taekwondo Master.  A man that embodies what Taekwondo is.  Grandmaster Chun Jae Park.  My college roomate.  World Champion.  A man that brought me to a whole new level of Taekwondo and continues to search for the deeper meanings of Taekwondo.  Grandmaster Jin Won Kim.  A junior to GM Lee, an "uncle" to me, someone that has always been there supporting me, developing me over the years.

During their visit to Atlanta, I picked them up at the hotel, and posed this question to them. "What do I do when I feel myself getting frustrated with my students"?  GM Lee, the senior of the three took the lead.

I had a student many years ago, "Robby", when I first open United.  Terrible.  Never wanted to listen.  Fooled around.  Never tried his best.  But I kept teaching him.  Kept reinforcing the positive things that he was doing.  Many years later, his mother came back to visit me.  Robby had graduated the US Naval Academy.  She wanted to tell me how much an influence Taekwondo had had on him, and how grateful she was".

Grandmaster Park added to my lesson during the test when addressing the students.  "What is the most important technique or element in Taekwondo", he asked.  "Horseback riding stance...Snap, power, front stance, focus, hip-jog, ki-hop" the students answered.  He patiently waited and then said, "The ability to bend is the most important thing in Taekwondo".  Think about it.  We bend (chamber) our leg to kick in order to create dynamic tension.  We bend our knees in order to create strong, stable stances.  But more importantly, beyond the physical, we must bend our minds, hearts and attitudes.  Be more flexible, more understanding, more forgiving, more patient, more accepting.  This is the true power and goal of Taekwondo.

A Master, teacher or instructor of any discipline must balance two visions of a student.  The first is the vision and reality of the present.  What that student is doing right now.  Stance, balance, position of hands and feet. Memorization of terms, concepts and movements. This is the daily grind of martial art training.  The second is the vision of the future potential of the student.  What can they become?  A common saying is, "A Black Belt is just a white belt that never gave up".  It is the job of a teacher to not only deal with the daily reality of the student in front of them, but to look deeper and see the future black belt, pilot, business owner, salesman, preacher, doctor that is in front of them.

I am extremely lucky to have Grandmasters in my life that I can turn to for advice and guidance.  My Masters never gave up on me.  My job, is to never give up on my students.

Until next time, keep training hard...and learn to bend!