Dear Golden Eagle students,
We had such an awesome 2019! I am very excited about 2020.
Regardless of who we are, everyone’s life is full of ups and downs. I guess the question is not about how we can escape from troubles, instead it’s how we are going to face each challenge.
One of the most important principles of Martial Arts fighting is not only about how strong our muscles have developed; instead, how much one can control themselves during stressful situations. You cannot control your opponent’s actions, but you can control each of your reactions and learn how to activate mastered techniques to be applied during battles. At the same time be able to relax before or after each movement so recover, increase speed & combine techniques smoothly,
Most importantly, during stressful actions, i.e., performing against aggressive opponents, a skilled martial artist with confidence is about accepting the event with a more relaxed attitude, so not only can one detect the opponent’s movements, but can also think about the next move against their opponent’s actions. Unskilled martial artists without confidence allow stress to affect all systems of the body, including muscles, respiratory, cardiovascular, etc. Anger gives us the same result; this can cause an injury and stop your effort to distribute oxygen-rich blood to your body, this creates a Chi blockage (Asia viewed “기” “Chi”=“Qi” as both an essential energy unit that can be obtained from food, but is also a gas or pressure that promotes movement in the body) and can collapse in a short period.
The more tense you are, the more your respiratory vision gets blurred, and your moves slowdown.
I think this principle is not only for Martial artists, but can also be applied to all of us in our daily life journey.
We are facing one step before the new year in 2020, and during the new year no matter what we face, we should:
- Never stop and Keep going: We should be relaxed, think, and keep moving forward.
- Don’t be afraid to fail: Each experience- good or bad makes you grow, get alone with challenges and failures, things will become easier.
- Yes, I Can attitude: Life is not only about successful results but about how well you can bounce back.
- Enjoy the ride: Don’t take each challenge too seriously. Otherwise, you cannot win, all we can do is our best, let God the rest. (and enjoy the process).
- Be patience: Transformation is process; consistency is essential for maturity.
Many years ago, my master told me, “You cannot control all that happens to you in this life, but you can control how to react to it how you respond to them.”
When I was younger, I didn’t practice this principle, but throughout life’s journey, I learned and discovered that life can be very unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, no matter, whatever happens, I will be content with what I have and be grateful about everything God provided me.
Taekwondo Poomsae “Junbi” (Ready stand with two fists in front) should take 5 second of movement, during this Junbi” performance the student should perform: 1 second through 3 second is “inhale positive energy” and the rest from 4 second to 5 second is to exhale all the negative energies from your body.
Remember, even during your stretch, one can bend down more when we are exhaling. So during the journey of upcoming 2020, lets inhale first, but when each challenges show up in our steps, lets respond it with exhale!
Most importantly, life is NOT only about you but about what you can do for OTHERS.
Happy New Year!
Master Um
