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Title [Martial Arts Globe] Let’s Brag about Our Favorite Martial Art!
(C) LEE So LEE So
Have you ever spoken to other people about
the martial arts you train? At a time when there are so many popular sports-related
entertainment shows, such as Athletic Fat from Today(오늘부터 운동뚱),
Sporty Sisters(노는 언니)
and Girls Who Hit Goals(골때리는 그녀들),
it’s becoming easier to talk about exercising and sports in everyday life. I also
sometimes talk about Kumdo[ycho1] , the martial art that I
am currently practicing. Most people who are close to me know that I train Kumdo,
whether they’re my friends from the neighborhood or followers on Instagram. Talking to a couple of friends about my experience of training a martial art was fun, but I’ve also shared my story of Kumdo practice with multiple people online, namely in a video call meeting through Zoom. It was an event for sharing experiences with working women, where I was invited to speak about my training.
(The writer in the middle is nervous as she begins her presentation. Two hosts of the show is sitting in front of her.)
Before the presentation, I became anxious.
How am I supposed to talk about Kumdo to an audience who knows nothing about
the art? Will anyone be interested in my experience of training a fairly unknown
martial art, compared to trending sports like yoga or Pilates? The hosts who
invited me to this experience-sharing event assured me by saying, “Exercising
consistently and maintaining good health are important topics for everyone, so I
think that it would be meaningful for you to share your own experiences as a
long-term Kumdo practitioner.” Trusting these words, I started Zoom on my
computer screen. The rectangular shape of my computer screen
looked exactly like the shape of a white-lined Kumdo match court. Soon, my match—I mean, my presentation—began.
An Event Completed by Sharing and
Giving
“I normally introduce myself as a writer
and martial art practitioner, but please just think of me as a neighborhood sister
that you might bump into at any community sports center.” At first, I kept looking back and forth
between the presentation materials and the script that I had prepared, until later
when I was able to naturally communicate without reading the script. 40 minutes
of my mind going blank out of nervousness, but despite my initial fears, I was
able to mention some messages I wanted deliver. Perhaps I wanted others to understand
the positive experiences that I earned from practicing my favorite martial art.
“It’s a positive cycle where a sense of
physical wellbeing influences the mind, and the mind then influences the body
in return. I’d like all of you to experience this process as well.” “I don’t think this bodily accomplishment simply
represents the process of becoming physically healthy. I believe that it is also
practice for accumulating my own knowledge that cannot be taken away by anyone
else, because something that I learn using my body cannot be stolen from me.”
(The author thinks “What?” as she feels a prick of conscience.)
When I said the words “my own knowledge,” the
past years of training, injuries, grading tests and competitions flashed through
my mind like a kaleidoscope. I felt a throb in my heart. There were times when I
was injured during training, and times when I cried from anxiety ahead of a
competition. At grading tests, I scaled the fortress of my own nervousness by
focusing my mind. So many trials and errors that I no longer thought about on a
daily basis, but nonetheless remained as traces somewhere within myself. I was proud
to share these stories from my past experiences with others.
Words Shared with Me After the Presentation
My presentation was followed by a Q&A
session. Some people asked questions about the presentation itself, while others
shared their own stories about the sports into which they had poured their
passion for a long time. The format where I spoke first then others replied
with their questions reminded me of sparring at a gym. Sparring is only
possible when an opponent is right in front of my eyes. In much the same way, stories
cannot be told without listeners either. The event was made whole when my words
were recognized by the people listening to me, which allowed me to realize the preciousness
of such an occasion. Later, I saw that the Zoom meeting also
included real-time online chat messages, which I did not realize at the time
since I was looking at my presentation screen. I was surprised by the diverse reactions
in the chat log.
(The author reading comments on the Chat log.)
“It must be amazing to be in a state with
no idle thoughts during training!” “The part I found memorable was when you
talked about realizing that sparring is a way to converse without saying
anything.” “Look at the definition of your muscles on
your arm! That’s so cool!”
While I was giving my presentation, my arm
was briefly shown on the screen through the laptop camera, which must have
highlighted my forearm muscles. When I read this comment whilst on my way home,
I couldn’t help but quietly grab my tummy. I was so pleased to share my experiences
and feelings from practicing Kumdo, as well as my personal growth that came as
a result. My worries about “who on earth would be interested in my story?” instead
gave way to the belief that “the more I talk about it, the more important and
meaningful it becomes.” As you might have realized after listening to my
endless expression of love for Kumdo over the 90-minute presentation, obsessing
over my favorite martial art is sometimes difficult but always joyful
experience. Whether in our everyday life or at the gym, I think we owe it to ourselves to try our best in our very own match court where we train our body and mind. ※Ideas expressed in this writing are the author's own. |