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Five years ago a challenge was set,
A martial art for me to master,
So I went off with my son, to Sutton TKD
To find out if it was what we were after.
We went in the room and were met with great smiles,
We learnt how to kiap, chagi and punch,
We were encouraged and helped at every step,
By an enthusiastic and friendly bunch.
My body learnt to do things it had not done before,
To kick, to punch to see
That if ‘push came to shove’ and there was no way out,
I could fight someone bigger than me!
I also worked out the art of learning a pattern,
To coordinate my body and my brain,
But also enjoyed being with my new friends
And having fun when we met to train.
Years went by and we got better and better,
We practiced, we trained and we fought,
We created a language of sounds for the power of a move,
But it was those gradings after which we all sought.
The belt colours changed, year upon year,
From white, yellow, green, blue to red,
But then came closer the darkest of all,
And the test we were all to dread.
So the last was black, the ultimate aim,
The hardest of gradings to do,
So we recited Korean, did patterns all day
And dreaded that turn in Chung moo!
But then the support and the training all came together,
Even the questions turned out to be fine,
I’d done it, I’d passed, I had achieved my aim
And the black belt was actually mine.
Ruth Horton-smith 1st degree black belt |
