Taekwondo Teaches Courage by Karla Grove

Courage is an integral part of what we teach at Franklin Family Taekwondo. It is such a valuable skill in life. It takes courage for a child to learn to advocate for themselves, to voice their own opinions and feelings. It takes courage to survive your first job interview or apply to a college. It takes courage to stand up to a bully, and it takes courage to walk away. 

We had a young boy once who was afraid to kick and punch toward another person. He was 5 years old when he started training. For a whole year, we could not get him to engage in sparring. We kept trying and kept encouraging him. He had his sparring gear on and his partner would kick and punch in his direction. But this little boy would just stand there. Until one day.

I will never forget the day when he broke through that shell. He found the courage within him to throw one punch. He was so excited about that one punch. Within just a few minutes he was engaged in his first ever sparring match. The smile on his face was priceless. He turned to his mom and yelled across the school,
“I'm doing it Mom!” With tears on her face, she hugged my neck and thanked me. This little guy and his new found courage went on to become an awesome black belt. 

Yes, it takes courage to break a board. It also takes courage to stand in front of someone who is trying to kick and punch you. But you may not have thought about the courage it takes to trust your own skills and to kick and punch back. The development of these skills has an extremely positive effect. As a student’s skills build, they realize that they no longer have anything to prove to others. This is one of the most effective ways to stop bullying, both for the perpetrator and the victim. When you have nothing to prove, simply walking away is much easier to do. 

We offer daytime classes for Homeschooled students. To learn more about Taekwondo lessons, check out Franklin Family Taekwondo online, visit them at 1113 Murfreesboro Rd. Ste. 101, Franklin, TN 37064, or call 615-538-8360.