Essay
Nathaniel Sizemore
The Hardest Thing

Mask use policy effective October 27, 2020

Face masks (covering the mouth and nose) will be required at all times and for all participants and spectators in any indoor Trillium Taekwon-Do class or event beginning Tuesday, October 27, 2020.

As an instructor, it is my responsibility to ensure that our training is conducted as safely as possible. Normally, this includes basic gear such as mouth guards and sparring equipment, as well as teaching how to perform techniques with precision, accuracy, and control. Given the public health risks posed by COVID-19, we must now include the use of face masks to this list of safety measures, or we cannot hold class.

This is not a decision I make lightly or in haste. I have reviewed guidelines and consulted with many sources, including multiple public health organizations, local and international medical professionals, state and local government, and other martial arts instructors. Using masks will allow us to train indoors while not exposing ourselves — or our community — to unnecessary risks.

Classes resuming 2020-06-09

Students,

After much consideration (including reviewing guidelines from DHHR and the Governor’s Office, consulting with the Parks and Rec staff, and speaking to a  physician friend of mine), Trillium TKD will be resuming classes on Tuesday, June 9th at 4:00 PM. A few things will be different, however:

  1. School is out, so we’ll be in summer uniforms: T-shirt, dobak pants, and belt.

  2. We’ll both meeting and training outside, meeting up at the trees beside the MES football field. Please remember to wear sunscreen, and bring a water bottle to rehydrate *after* class.

  3. We will be practicing physical distancing of at least 8 feet at all times, and will not be engaging in any in-close or contact exercises. (You may wish to review your patterns, if any of them are rusty . . .)

If anyone has questions or concerns, please contact me. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again this week.

Body weight workouts

Classes continue to be canceled due to the measures we are all taking to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, that doesn’t mean that we should stop training! Just because we can’t get to the gym doesn’t mean we can’t still build strength and endurance. While weight training is useful, effective, and fun, body weight exercises are emphasized much more in Taekwon-Do classes. Since there is no equipment to purchase, maintain, or share, the only barrier to entry is one’s desire to improve. Plus, body weight exercises can be done almost anywhere — in the dojang, in a hotel room, out in the woods on a camping trip, or when you’re staying at home and practicing social distancing.

Below is the basic set of exercises I do when I’m not able to get into the gym. This routine takes about half an hour, and provides a good mix of upper body, lower body, and core work.

  1. Jumping Jacks (50)

  2. Stretching (10 minutes)

  3. Burpees (10)

  4. Squats (15)

  5. Push-ups (20)

  6. Lunges (10)

  7. Crunches (40)

  8. Flat leg raises (15)

  9. Bench dip (15)

  10. Mountain climbers (20)

  11. Plank (until failure)

  12. Standing calf raises (20)

  13. Superman (5)

There are many other possibilities, of course. Lifehacker put together some at-home strength workouts, and several people have recommended a YouTube tutorial from Athlean-X on home workouts. You may also want to look at the Seven Minute workout — there are many Web sites, applications, and other resources about this approach, and I’ve used some myself when traveling. (If you have specific questions, please contact me or leave a comment.)

Keep working out consistently, even when your circumstances change or your expected routines are interrupted. Keep training with integrity and perseverance.

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Classes Canceled Until April 2020 Due to COVID-19

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Gov. Justice has closed the West Virginia public school system to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As a result, Trillium Taekwon-Do will also be cancelling classes. We hope to resume in April 2020. My detailed thoughts are below. If you have any questions, please email info@trilliumtkd.com. Stay well, and keep training!

Taekwon-Do is often focused on the individual. We come together in the dojang to do push-ups and kicking drills and patterns together, but the benefit is for the individual. Even when we are working with a partner, it's for the benefit of each student, not as a team. Taekwon-Do competitions are focused on individual competitors, as well. While you may have teammates cheering you on or a coach on the sidelines giving guidance, only one person is in the sparring ring -- only one person has an opponent trying to punch or kick them. Only one person is being judged on the quality of their patterns, or the number of boards they can break. During testing, only one person in front of the test board being graded; only one person's effort and skill determines whether they advance in rank.

Of course, like many things in the martial arts, there is another, seemingly paradoxical side. As much as Taekwon-Do is focused on improving students as individuals, we are also tasked with being part of the community. This emphasis on community is embedded throughout our art. Courtesy, the first of the tenets, can by definition only be practiced when interacting with others. Most patterns in Taekwon-Do are named for individuals or groups that were deeply involved in bettering their society -- educators, scholars, and patriots from Korean history. The student oath requires all of us to follow those examples and "build a more peaceful world" -- a goal that is perhaps as far as you can be from focusing on a single person.

Taekwon-Do is a tool for improving us as individuals. Training pushes us to make ourselves stronger and faster. It requires us to develop self-control, to deepen our awareness of both ourselves and the world around us. But if students of Taekwon-Do think and act only for ourselves, we are squandering these tools.

Opportunities to be of service come in many forms. In the spring of 2020, the best way we can serve our community is to practice social distancing and limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

"Introduction to Taekwon-Do" class on March 17, 2020

Are you interested in joining our Taekwon-Do class, but not sure where to begin? Do you have questions about how the class is taught, or what martial arts are all about? On March 17th, we’ll be hosting an introductory class to answer all of these questions. You’ll see the types of things we do in a typical class, including: physical conditioning, patterns, sparring, breaking, meditation, and grappling. You’ll also learn why we do all of these things. If you come wearing workout clothing, you’ll be able to participate as well!

There is no charge for this (or any other) class, and you don’t need to bring anything other than questions and a desire to learn. See you on March 17th!

New reference material on Web site

Several new students have asked excellent questions the terminology, etiquette, and customs that we observe in a Taekwon-Do class. I’ve added some pages to the Web site in order to provide some answers. I will continue to expand this reference material in the coming weeks, as well. In the meantime, if you have more questions, feel free to ask before or after class, or contact info@trilliumtkd.com.

Standing

Have you ever been urged to "Stand up for your beliefs?" Or perhaps you've told someone to "Stand tall." We describe cowards as people "spineless", and admire those that we see as "upright". References to posture are sprinkled throughout language. We stand up, stand firm, stand out. We take stands, sometimes making last stands.

The positions of our bodies makes a huge difference on every other aspect of what we do. Athletes, including martial artists, are keenly aware of how good posture and stance impacts balance and performance. A football player that is centered is harder to tackle compared to one that is off balance, for example. But it's not just athletes that consider posture essential. One of the first things a music student learns when starting to sing or play an instrument is how to stand or sit correctly. Companies pay ergonomics experts large fees to teach their employees how best to sit or stand when doing their work, and often pay for desks or chairs to facilitate good posture.

The way we stand also communicates intent and attitude to those around us. Think of two people: one with hunched shoulders and a bowed head, and another standing upright with their head held high. Which one seems more timid? Which seems more confident? By observing posture, others can gauge how alert we are, how engaged, or how relaxed.

And just as other people can make inferences based how you sit or stand, you can also use it as a reminder to yourself. So as you go through your day, be conscious of your posture -- what it does for your balance and health, what it tells others, and what it communicates to yourself.

The Hardest Thing

What's the hardest thing to do in Taekwon-Do? The answer depends on who you ask. For some, it's getting the hang of the sine-wave motion. For others, perhaps it is overcoming nervousness about breaking, sparring -- or doing them in competition. Third dan students would probably uniformly say, "Juche".

All of these can be difficult, for one reason or another, but they are all things that can be studied and improved in the dojang. Diligent practice will make your punches and kicks better; all you need to do is keep at it. Patterns that seem difficult at first do gradually improve as you become comfortable with the new motions, the new techniques. Once a tournament is over, you realize it wasn't as scary or intimidating as it first appeared.

Perhaps the most difficult thing in Taekwon-Do isn't any complicated pattern or super-athletic flying combo kick. The most difficult thing is simply walking in the door.

Once you're actually in class, with other students, peer pressure starts to take hold; humans are social creatures, after all. There will be an instructor, giving you encouragement, things to focus on, information to learn; all you have to do is pay attention. Even if you're just going through the motions, chances are you'll start to have fun, you'll start to get the rush of endorphins from exercise, you'll start to enjoy even the difficult aspects of the art. But that can only happen when you're in class; when you've decided to get off the couch and drag yourself to another workout, even if you don't feel like it. Wanting to improve is necessary, but not sufficient; you have to take that first step. But if you do, everything else will follow.

Like most lessons from the dojang, this idea carries outside of class, as well. Ending a bad habit, or looking for a new job, or moving to a new place, or asking out that guy or girl you're interested in . . . wishing, wanting, and hoping isn't enough. Deciding isn't even enough. You have to walk in the door.