Persistence

"Keep your nose to the grindstone", "Keep on digging", these are some sayings that everyone is familiar with. Tae kwon do is not a sprint, but a marathon; don't think you have to improve every time you step on the mat to take class. Just approach each class with a positive attitude, and push yourself to work hard from bow in to bow out and only good things can happen.

The higher the rank, the longer the valleys get between the peaks. The higher the rank, the more challenging the techniques become. The higher the rank, the more intricate the forms are. From the start of training, one must develop the habit of persistence so that when faced with stiffer challenges, a student won't become overwhelmed. He or she can just take it one class at a time.

These words are not made to discourage, but to encourage. No matter how daunting the task may seem, someone else has done it before; this person might not have been more flexible, or faster, or stronger. The one quality this student had (which is actually more important than the aforementioned physical skills) was persistence.

Written by Mr. Surage