How and when did it all start?

It all started in my teens. I wanted to enroll into a martial arts academy to learn how to fight. And Taekwondo was, at the time, the most popular form of self-defense. I attained my first black belt back in 1990 after three and a half years of training. Alas, everything was lost due to me moving several times during my youth. My certificates, uniform, belt…the only thing that remained was the top of my Dobok (uniform in Korean). This was discovered by my sister while spring cleaning last year.

After moving to H.K. because I joined CX, I still had this passion to want to continue training but never got around doing it. Moving away to a foreign country, having so much to discover, and living a new life made me put this thought away for a while.

What inspired me to continue/What are the challenges?

Getting married and raising a family soon became my top priority. As my son was attending kindergarten, Taekwondo was part of his extracurricular activity and he was keen on learning. Of course I agreed to it. He was more than curious, so my wife brought to his attention that I used to practice Taekwondo when I was younger. We explained it was a Korean art of self-defense, that it taught discipline, self-control and respect. He happily started training and got interested in it. After training for two years, he asked me, if I would want to train with him since I used to do it. I was already in my early 40’s. I started to wonder if my old bones could still do it. Went online to search for adult Taekwondo classes which I can attend and better yet…if there were parent/child Taekwondo classes. Of course it was challenging to find a training center near our home or a suitable master to train with. I ended up asking my son’s Taekwondo Master if he would accept adult students. He was kind enough to say yes, and I was ecstatic. I can finally realize my dream of attaining a 2nd degree black belt.

But…with my certificates lost, and 25 years between my last training session, I was eager to try as best as I can to make up for lost time. In my over-enthusiastic approach to training, I over-stretched my hamstrings and caused a slight tear in my muscle fibers, delaying my progress by a few months. And the first month of training, made me realize that all the extra training that I put into the gym isn’t the most helpful, as I soon realized that the muscles used for kicking is different from the muscles that we usually use when we train in the gym. I ended up walking with a slight limp due to tighter than normal muscles in my legs.

I had to rethink my training plan and keep reminding myself that my training will have to coincide with my physical condition as well as my age. But I kept persisting till I was able to get up to speed. It was not easy. I came home week after week of Taekwondo training with sore muscles and a very bruised self-esteem. My son was my biggest inspiration, he was what kept me going, I wanted him to be able to look back when he grows older and remember that his old man did this for him. Till the day finally came. I was able to sit for my black belt once again, recertification…but this time, at the ripe old age of 4x. Not going to tell you guys my age…LOL

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And…I passed!!! Thank you Master Chu for taking me in and letting me have this opportunity to train with you. With that, I am now officially a black belt, certified in Hong Kong. My son was super excited and words could not explain how happy I was too. So we now continue training as a father and son team under the guidance of Master Chu and things chugged along just fine…till one day Master Chu asked if I was interested in taking a course to be a Taekwondo instructor. Of course I said YES!!! But before that happens, I would have to sit for a referee’s course before I qualify to sit for a course to be an instructor.

What has been my most exciting and memorable moments?

The most memorable moments was when I passed my referee course, and after which my instructor course. It involved a lot of studying, practical sessions and physical endurance tests. It wasn’t easy, but I made it and also made new friends along the way.

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Excited, scared and anxious can be used to describe the feeling that I had when I had to referee for the first time. A big competition, with a lot of competitors, spectators and senior people in the Taekwondo world. Never in my mind would I imagine that I will be able to referee a match in my entire life. But here I was…dressed in a blue referee Dobok. Standing in the middle of the arena, center referee…lots of eyes on me, and the fighters. But we all made it, of course. Happy, tired and a dry hoarse voice after the competition.

Being a Taekwondo instructor

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After certification as an instructor, a new door opened before me. I was asked by Master Chu to assist him. In the words of my son “I am so happy that my papa is teaching us today”. My little girl grew up watching her brother train. And one day, she asked if she can join us as well. Can you imagine how I feel? This has got to be the best feeling in the world! My children, both of them training together. And I am there watching them progress along the way.

What is Next?

I sat down one day, asking myself, what kind of challenges did I face as an adult wanting to venture into the world of Taekwondo? What if fate didn’t lead me to where I am today? Where can I find a place to train with like-minded people? So one fine day, with the permission of Master Chu, I started to recruit our fellow cabin crew. Adults, who were curious about martial arts but was too shy to try. The common perception here in Hong Kong is that, Taekwondo is a sport for children. But of course we all know that it is not true. You can start at any age and at any level of physical fitness. It really is never too late. And I am truly blessed to be able to come across a few of my colleagues who trusted me enough to train together with me. So here is the start of another journey. Being a coach in my own right.

The group started small. And it still is small, but it was rewarding. We have a lot of fun training and the camaraderie that we built because of CX and strengthening further through Taekwondo is awesome!

We trained, we sweat, we felt tired and sore after training. But we pushed on. We also had a lot of fun during training. We cheered each other on and we motivated each other. We trained during Covid and we persisted.

The Adventure Continues

So here I am today, still coaching. Adult classes as well as classes for children. It is rewarding, challenging and it also motivates me to better myself. It is a lifelong learning experience. Because, you really never stop learning. So my advice for those who want to pick something up or learn something new, I would say…go for it…it really is NEVER TOO LATE! It is so rewarding just to see my children and my colleagues share my love and my passion for this form of martial art.

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For any crew members who is interested in joining us. Contact me on Instagram: @intl_taekwondo_F4