I graded to black belt 1st poom in September 2021. In these three years, I have learned that black belt is not only a title, but a symbol of the many hours of hard work and dedication spent on learning and developing my skills. I didn’t realize this as a colour belt, but even as a black belt, there are many other things to learn, to help me become a better person.
2021 was still a lockdown period with COVID still on the loose, so quite a lot of the classes that year were on Zoom. We ended up having to stay in quarantine for around 2 years, which meant that my first black belt grading was also online. It was a tough period, and I was glad to be finally able to train in person with my peers, even if we were outside.
2022 was filled with learning new techniques, which I enjoyed. I competed in more poomsae and sparring competitions, winning some and losing some. I competed in my first National Championships in Bendigo. It was my first ever interstate competition, and also my first contested sparring match. Although I was a bit upset when I lost, it motivated me to train harder and try and get a gold medal next time.
2023 was an eventful year, with many challenges, like my first level grading. I remember taking one glance at the thick wooden boards, and thought, ‘Are we breaking them, or are they for other people to break?’ In the end, I successfully passed my level 1 grading. The opening of the new, full-time training hall in Mulgrave was another exciting event, as we didn’t have to train on wooden floors anymore. In addition to the new venue was new equipment, with three kicking bags.
Out of all the excitement was Nationals in October. I won all my fights, and even though I didn’t win in poomsae, I was still proud of myself.
2024 was a great year, and as my first year as a cadet, I was quite nervous about going into my first fight at the KPNP open, but honestly, I should’ve been more worried about the heat instead. As well as competing, Master Brian also taught us more advanced self-defense, like how to get out of a headlock.
In August, we went to Malaysia to compete, and I was stunned when we walked in, and I saw everyone just casually doing the splits to warm up. This competition gave me some international experience and made me realize that although we might think we are good, there is always someone better out there.
I would like to thank my parents, for supporting me along the way, helping me practice at home and encouraging me at competitions. I would also like to thank the Masters for always being there for me, teaching me to not only be better at sparring and poomsae, but to also be a better person.
