Saturday, July 14, 2007
Centre of Attention
I used to be a Tae Kwon Do student some time ago. My very first class was back in 1994 and I trained until about 2001/02. I managed to earn my black belt during that time, and took part in some tournaments. For the most part, my tournament record wasn't anything great. Some wins, more losses, but I could still hold my own against most opponents.
But there was one fight that I will always remember. I wish I could remember the date, but it eludes me. I was either a red stripe or red belt (after these levels comes black stripe and black belt) and I faced this guy that was just as tall as me but much bulkier. I had won my previous fight and was going for two in a row. We were in a high school gymnasium and not too many people were watching. As with most fights, I try to feel out my opponent first. I go for single kicks or punches and drop back to a defensive posture to see how they react.
He was about as flexible as I was, which is to say not too much. He was bigger, but I was slightly quicker. He decided not to kick too much and go mainly for punches. But he didn't take it easy on me. He punched and punched and punched some more. Unusual, as TKD students will kick a little more often as judges award more points for kicking than punching. But that's how he mixed it up.
He was throwing his fists so much and closed in on me each time that I didn't really have time to get the distance necessary to kick. So I started throwing my own haymakers. And it was non-stop.
All of a sudden, there was a buzz in the building. People who were just walking around or watching other fights started to watch ours. This wasn't a pretty fight...it was just wallop after wallop. We didn't stop. Our technique was to simply clobber. And did we ever.
After the normal amount of time passed, the judges ruled it a draw. So that mean OT. Oh man, I remember my fellow students coming into my corner to support me. Everyone was trying to give me help. People I didn't know were watching and actually cheering for me. It was unbelievable.
We fought another couple of minutes or so and continued on like before. Punch to the head, punch to the gut, ribs...at one point he hit me so hard he knocked the wind out of me and I dropped to the ground. But after a few moments I got back up. We kept it going, then it was over.
The match finished, and the judges added up the points. I won. My whole school was cheering for me. I have to admit, it was nice being the centre of attention. I had parents of some of the other kids talk to me telling me how fun it was to watch and how they were rooting for me. It was great.
After the decision was reached, I shook my opponent's hand and we gave each other a hug. I didn't feel I was all that better than him, it really could have gone either way. But for some reason, after you pound the tar out of each other and you can still stand, win or lose you earn some new found respect for that person. Probably just stupid guy stuff.
There aren't too many sports accomplishments I've achieved, and maybe a TKD fight in a high school gym isn't that a big deal, but for me it was something special.
But there was one fight that I will always remember. I wish I could remember the date, but it eludes me. I was either a red stripe or red belt (after these levels comes black stripe and black belt) and I faced this guy that was just as tall as me but much bulkier. I had won my previous fight and was going for two in a row. We were in a high school gymnasium and not too many people were watching. As with most fights, I try to feel out my opponent first. I go for single kicks or punches and drop back to a defensive posture to see how they react.
He was about as flexible as I was, which is to say not too much. He was bigger, but I was slightly quicker. He decided not to kick too much and go mainly for punches. But he didn't take it easy on me. He punched and punched and punched some more. Unusual, as TKD students will kick a little more often as judges award more points for kicking than punching. But that's how he mixed it up.
He was throwing his fists so much and closed in on me each time that I didn't really have time to get the distance necessary to kick. So I started throwing my own haymakers. And it was non-stop.
All of a sudden, there was a buzz in the building. People who were just walking around or watching other fights started to watch ours. This wasn't a pretty fight...it was just wallop after wallop. We didn't stop. Our technique was to simply clobber. And did we ever.
After the normal amount of time passed, the judges ruled it a draw. So that mean OT. Oh man, I remember my fellow students coming into my corner to support me. Everyone was trying to give me help. People I didn't know were watching and actually cheering for me. It was unbelievable.
We fought another couple of minutes or so and continued on like before. Punch to the head, punch to the gut, ribs...at one point he hit me so hard he knocked the wind out of me and I dropped to the ground. But after a few moments I got back up. We kept it going, then it was over.
The match finished, and the judges added up the points. I won. My whole school was cheering for me. I have to admit, it was nice being the centre of attention. I had parents of some of the other kids talk to me telling me how fun it was to watch and how they were rooting for me. It was great.
After the decision was reached, I shook my opponent's hand and we gave each other a hug. I didn't feel I was all that better than him, it really could have gone either way. But for some reason, after you pound the tar out of each other and you can still stand, win or lose you earn some new found respect for that person. Probably just stupid guy stuff.
There aren't too many sports accomplishments I've achieved, and maybe a TKD fight in a high school gym isn't that a big deal, but for me it was something special.
# posted by SBP : 7:02 PM
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