In a burst of effort, senior Michelle Chow throws her foot up and the months of strenuous hard work training for this tournament pays off as the foot makes contact with her opponent’s helmet, sending it flying off into the sidelines. The scoreboard blinks, adding three points under her name, putting her in the lead, and Chow advances to the taekwondo national semifinals.
Two years later, Chow has stopped competing, but the numerous lessons that she has learned from taekwondo have not left her. All martial arts focus more on principles and values rather than the actual combat.
Chow says, “It teaches you certain values of respect — the idea that you’re always bowing to your teachers, your masters and your sparring partners before and after. The sport does its best to promote good sportsmanship but also … how to persist through adversity and how to maintain a disciplined work ethic.” Senior Angel Solano explains, “Martial arts is more than just throwing a punch or a kick. It’s about discipline, about taking the time to really try and perfect yourself.”
Although all martial arts are different, they often overlap, allowing for the creation of individual styles. Junior Raymond Duong says, “You want to be open minded and take techniques from different styles and put it all into yourself, so that it benefits you the most … A style gives you an idea of what a person has learned or what they may do, but each individual will take what they learned and alter it to however they feel they will use it.”
Chow has noticed unique styles in many of her opponents as well. She says, “Martial arts is a chess game. You’ll kind of figure out [your opponent’s] moves. They’ll have some strategy and whether you know who they are or whether you know about their [technique] is huge in how you present yourself in a fight.” This blending of martial arts makes it distinct from other sports — they are separate forms, but aren’t segregated.
Different martial arts are more suitable for different kinds of people. Sophomore Caitlyn Acha, a junior world champion of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, explains, “Jiu-jitsu is … made for the smaller person to be able to defend themselves against a bigger opponent.” Unlike other martial arts, jiu-jitsu is similar to wrestling, mainly involving on-the-floor grappling, allowing strategy and technique to shine.
Duong, on the other hand, practices wing chun, a Chinese close combat martial art that emphasizes speed over strength. He says, “Wing chun is fast-handed and involved in sensitivity, where you get close and deliver a flurry of attacks.”
Another martial art, muay thai, relies more on physical stature. Solano is a student of muay thai, and his height and build is indicative. The sport is heavily reliant on strength, with an added pivot behind a strike for added power. Solano describes a training method called “Iron Fist,” which requires punching sand and wood and letting your hands heal over and over, so they become harder and numb to pain.
Because it is a contact sport, martial arts are often misconceived as being violent. Sophomore Juliet Bost explains, “A lot of times, people who do martial arts, especially MMA and boxing and a lot of the televised sports, seem like super violent people, but martial artists aren’t usually that violent. I’m sure there are a couple people in the batch, but in general, we aren’t very violent people.”
Instead, martial arts teaches positive principles that can be applied to everyday life. Acha often has to juggle homework with her martial arts practice, significantly increasing her time management skills. She is able to train from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. everyday and help teach children’s martial arts classes, while maintaining homework from six classes.
Martial arts also teaches the essential skill of self-control. Solano says, “You have control and you understand what you can do. Some other people, when they get mad, you better bet they’re going to do something.”
Martial arts encompass a multitude of different practices, but all are connected by principle and personalization. Unlike other contact sports, anyone has the potential to become a great martial artist through discipline, effort, and commitment.
