Ever since I binge-watched 65 episodes of Netflix’s Cobra Kai earlier this year, I’ve developed a curiosity in learning martial arts. Upon finding out that The Spoke’s very own junior and Co-Staff Development Director Vaishnavi Sriadibhatla is a black belt with over eight years of experience, I jumped at the opportunity to learn taekwondo, a form of martial arts with Korean origins.
At Chang’s School of Martial Arts in King of Prussia, where Sriadibhatla works as an instructor, I was given a white belt, the mark of a novice, beginning my journey into learning martial arts. The first task I took on was learning how to tie the belt around my waist. While it initially seemed like a simple task, memorizing the intricate loops proved to be difficult, taking a few tries.
Once I managed to tie my white belt, I then began practicing kicks, learning the forward rising and front swing kicks. I struggled keeping my balance and making sure that my feet were correctly planted before each kick. After practicing the basic kicks, Sriadibhatla showed me a more advanced kick only taught to brown belts: the tornado kick. The kick involves spinning 360 degrees on one leg before kicking with the other leg. At first I lost balance spinning around and lacked coordination before kicking, but after multiple attempts, I was finally able to do the kick in one motion, albeit much slower than Sriadibhatla’s demonstration.
I next embarked on learning to punch. While I initially thought punching mostly involved the arms, the first thing Sriadibhatla helped me correct was my stance. After ensuring my feet were correctly planted, I began punching with force at each command Sriadibhatla gave, indicating to punch with my left or right hand. Each punch required precision and focus, ensuring I was consistent throughout each set.
At the end of our time in the dojang, Sriadibhatla brought out a wooden one-inch thick board, asking me if I would be willing to try and break them. Sriadibhatla showed me the proper board breaking form, telling me to break it with the side of my hand, not the knuckles, and to make sure I didn’t stop my hand at the board. I corrected my stance, looked at the board and raised my arm in the air. My hand hit the board with force, however it struck the board too high, not breaking it. My hand stinging, I decided to try one more time. I focused my hand above the board, picturing it going through the board. On Sriadibhatla’s command I struck, my hand going through the board, breaking it in half. Ecstatic, I high-fived Sriadibhatla, impressed that I was able to break the board in two.
Despite having no taekwondo experience, I learned kicks, punches and even broke a board in just one afternoon. However, more importantly, I sharpened my focus and grew more perseverant. From my experience in the dojang, I focused on patience and asking questions, ensuring I properly mirrored the correct form for my kicks and punches. While it’s unlikely I’ll need to use my self defense skills in real life in the near future, I will carry the skills I learned in patience and determination with me everyday.
Rowan Chetty can be reached at [email protected].
