Adrenaline coursing through her veins, Chloe Lee (11) stands with one cloth-wrapped hand, facing three concrete bricks. The slabs stared back at her, the final obstacle between her and the ultimate achievement: a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo. With a sharp twist, she struck the blocks. Before they hit the ground, she knew she had accomplished her goal. 

Chloe started training in first grade at her mother’s request, who viewed the sport as a way for Chloe to both come out of her shell and connect with her Korean culture. Taekwondo originated in Korea and evolved primarily in the 1940s and 1950s, when it blended traditional Korean martial arts like taekkyeon with foreign influences, like karate. After practicing for nearly a decade and assuming an assistant teacher position at her studio, Chloe attributes her leadership skills to her invaluable experiences in the sport. 

“Being an assistant teacher in my studio helped me to be as clear as possible when explaining something [and] having the leadership to teach a group of younger kids,” Chloe said. “If some of them don’t really pay attention, I would have to have that authority [and] initiative to get them to pay attention and teach them. That’s a crucial skill to have in my daily life.”

Arjun Gurjar (11) has also studied a variety of martial arts for many years. Martial arts first sparked Arjun’s interest when he watched the famed martial artist Bruce Lee in movies as a child. Now, he holds a third-degree black belt in karate, a centuries-old Okinawan sport, and he simultaneously trains in taekwondo and kickboxing, which combines aspects of karate with contemporary Western boxing. Similarly to Chloe, Arjun has become an instructor in his expertise and highlights teaching as one of his favorite parts of martial arts. 

“It’s been rewarding to go from being a student to a teacher,” Arjun said. “I really enjoyed that process — that was one of the best things that’s happened to me doing martial arts. I wanted to give back, because the teachers [at my studio] dedicated [so much] to us.”

Although Arjun has achieved high levels in the sport, he continues to train hard and learn new techniques. He noted the value of the sport’s sense of community despite its seemingly solo nature. 

“[Martial arts is] not so much a team sport, but you still need to have certain aspects of a team sport, like the sense of community,” Arjun said. “During practice, as you get to know each other more, you bond with your teammates.”

Anika Pallapothu (10), who trained in taekwondo for 12 years and has a fourth-degree black belt, describes how the taekwondo community enforces tenets of self-discipline. She recalls learning these ideals each day in training from a young age. 

“Taekwondo has taught me to be disciplined, dedicated and confident in all I do,” Anika said. “[The community] instills [those] basic beliefs [of discipline] from when we’re a white belt all the way to our black belt testings. [Those] concepts and rules have stayed with me throughout my life, [and] have helped me outside of taekwondo as well.” 

To be successful in martial arts of any kind requires hard work and discipline, from late nights spent studying forms and memorizing terms to summoning the mental fortitude to break board after board under pressure. Despite its rigorous nature, Anika explains that with enough dedication, martial arts can become an enriching hobby. 

“Taekwondo may seem intimidating at the beginning,” Anika said. “If you get enough practice,  and you devote enough time to learning and training different skills, it’ll become very easy and fun to do on a day-to-day basis.”