Blue Wave Life
Blue Wave Life
I started Tae Kwon Do in 1994.
I was 7 years old and a little unruly as a child. (Perhaps more than a little) Master Blevins was a 4th degree black belt then and I remember the first time I came to class there was a big sign that said, “Please remove your shoes”. Being the wonderfully obedient child I was, I proceeded to leave my shoes next to the sign and attempt to run to the training floor. I was cut off by a tall man with a trumpet in his hand. He held his hand out and with a soft voice said,
“Hello, my name is David Blevins. What’s your name?”
Timidly, I looked back at my mom, who had that mom look we all know. The one that is first relieved that someone else has stepped in to deal with this child’s misbehavior, and the second part that appears self-satisfied that my error in judgment has resulted in me being uncomfortable and nervous.
I put my head down and say, “Rob”, more to the floor than this tall quiet man.
I remember he had his hand on my shoulder and quietly explained this was his Tae Kwon Do school and that my shoes belonged against the wall in a row, that I needed to take off my socks as well, and that when students come to Tae Kwon Do class they should bow at the door.
I said something along the lines of, O.K or yes and was again met with a quiet correction.
He said, you may call me Sir, or Master Blevins. I said, “Yes Sir” and proceeded to take my socks off, go back to the door and bow and walk quietly to the training floor and look in the mirror at myself until my first class began.
I can’t recount to you the details of each class I ever attended or when I learned each lesson, although I can give you a pretty good time frame range.
What I can recount is that at the age of seven, there was firm rules in my parents’ home that I was already finding the limits of and challenging and that Tae Kwon Do changed and most likely saved me from a lot of poor choices later in life. I became familiar with structure, discipline, accomplishment, humility, and pride. My teacher showed me that rules served a purpose and were not limitations but building blocks. (It took me roughly 20 years to come to that conclusion and was hard learned through the course of my training and my life.)
Those rules created a desire in me to challenge myself and set goals.
How many 8 year olds can give you a six month goal? I had one. I would say to my brother, “I’m gonna be a green belt before you will!”, and we would argue for a while. Until I got my green belt first. When I got my brown belt I was probably ten and spent three years striving for my black belt. I created resiliency in myself and determined through experiences that the harder something was the more rewarding it would be in the end.
As I teach at my own club with my friends I find myself spending much more time reflecting on the manner in which my teacher taught me and how he conveyed his messages in such clear and yet indirect ways.
I always felt like I understood the rules and that I was figuring out things on my own. Looking back I can see the hints and the tools that he gave me so that the answer would be clear. I see that teaching martial art is an equal part to the art itself. I find myself enjoying watching others teach more and getting more excited when I remember the tricks that my teacher used to teach me and my peers.
As you consider your training, whether it be the absolute beginning or somewhere along the road of beginning I hope that you find your own goals both on and off the training floor. I hope you take on challenges and allow yourself to overcome. I hope you find your greatest adversary to be yourself and that you remember your frame of mind can help you overcome any obstacle.
Blue Wave Life Conclusion:
Above all, I hope you embark on the journey that has guided me through my life and I hope you become a true martial artist. I promise the rewards and the journey are worth every sore muscle, every emotional form, and every victory and failure that you have.