Welcome

Well, hello and welcome to our new look website, I hope you like it. At the moment it feels very similar to the old site but I will be developing it over the next couple of months as I understand the tools more, so don't forget to check back regularly.

This week has been somewhat stressful with all the last minute issues and preparations ready for the 13th World Championships in Lison next week. Organising the team wear with very short deadlines, resolving some accommodation issues, last minute tweaks to competitors and just yesterday recieving the Technical Advisory Committee update. I guess that latter one will mean some midnight oil will need to be burned.

I am just as excited and nervous about next week as all the competitors. Those who know me will tell you that whilst in my head I'm still 21 years old my joints don't quite work the same anymore. This leads to a lot of frustration. However, it does remind me of the difficulties new and junior students encounter when learning new skills and how disheartening it can be when those skills don't appear in the timelines we expect of ourselves. It reminds me that as an Instructor I must remain patient and guide each individual along their own path to personal success. After all we are built differently which is why Tang Soo Do practice is unique in that our main competitor is the one we see in the mirror.

It also reminds me that despite everything we are all still students, something Choong Jae Nim stressed to me the last time I practised with him. And like our students we sometimes think we know what our teachers are telling us without thinking long and hard about their message. I believe this in turn leads to an exagaerated assessment of our martial ability and our character. I have heard Choong Jae Nim speak many times about the need for us to develop as better human beings. Character traits such as Humility, Empathy, Perserverence and Respect are essential if we are to even start that journey.

Why am I mentioning this? It is the prospect of seeing my fellow Instructors (brothers & sisters) which brings this foremost to my mind as they demonstrate many of these traits and more, each time I am with them. It is a testament to our Choong Jae Nim that so many diverse individuals can be voluntarily brought together in such a way. However, we none of us are perfect and our journey continues.