Returning to Taekwondo After 40 Years

 As I previously wrote, I was in need of major surgery - which involved removing part of my colon.   I had the surgery on 06/15/2023.  The surgery is keeping me from most exercises and stretching.  I was told up front by the surgeon that I will not be able to take Tae Kwon Do until a full month!    I went to the TKD school immediately after the surgery (it was painful to drive), and informed my instructor of the surgery and recovery that will be needed.  He was very understanding and told me he was going to pause my lessons and help me catch up when I return to be ready for the next belt test in September.  Very grateful for this support!!  Best instructors, hands down! I've been doing my best to recover and my surgeon has been quite impressed with my recovery - she stands by the one month wait before returning to TKD.   So what I have been doing is walking the first few days, and then running.  As of today, I ran 2.1 mile...

This morning I was able to take my orange belt test. I had to request this because I need to get major surgery ASAP. Very grateful to Master Nam for allowing me to test, in a private session at the last minute.

  As I've mentioned before I'm taking Tae Kwon Do (which is a Korean Martial Art) and I've been learning Korean language on the side and have been practicing on the instructors. Normally when I say a word or phrase in Korean wrong they politely tell me the correct pronunciation. So on Monday day, I tried to memorize how to say 'Excuse Me' in Korean (실례합니다 sillyehabnida). When I saw my instructor I attempted to say it, and received a puzzled look and then a laugh. It appeared that he thought I said "I love you". I thought that was so funny. He told me I should only say that to my family! Anyway, I thought you would get a kick out of that.... LOL

  Grateful for a successful belt test to yellow.  This is a picture with the Grandmaster Kang after the test.  

 Update: It's been a month but as you can see my progress has been minimal. The only real difference is getting this low was easy and not as challenging.   I  guess I'll just continue and see where I am after another month. I guess my age is slowing me down.  :( 

Can a 60 year old learn Taekwondo?  Some people would say that a 60 year old is too old to be taking such an energetic and dynamic sport such as Tae Kwon Do.  A sport which requires good amount of balance, stretch and leg strength, which older people lack. You can build muscle, balance, and flexibility at any age. It may be harder but that's the wonder of the body, it response positive when placed under the proper level of distress.  I believe in fighting aging not giving myself over to it.  I'm a runner and I do a handful of half marathons every year, and a lot of people would say I'm too old.  I say "don't tell me, what I can't do!".  I believe much of the statistics of deprecation of health are based on people listening to the experts - getting a retirement attitude in their head (I deserve to sit around on a beach somewhere).  I say, my best years are in front of me, and I will fight my lose of balance, my loss of strength, and my loss of flexibili...

  There are 12 belts from white belt to black belt.  Right now I am white belt - which was not just given to me, but instead I had to pass my first belt test.   The white belt meaning is purity, basically an empty canvas which to be written on by the teachers.   White it's humbling to be a white belt again for the third time you need to remember the Chinese Proverbs that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".   For me being a white belt is exciting not because it's a first step, but that I have the adventure of the next thousand miles!