Outside the Classroom: Taekwondo

by: Kelsie Alexander

Taekwondo is a Korean Martial Art that includes being flexible, doing high kicks, spinning kicks, jumping kicks, fast kicks, and head-height kicks. 

Sophomore Brooke Whiteleather has been doing Taekwondo since second grade and started because she loved Mulan. Now, she tested for her third- degree black belt in February and she is getting the opportunity to go to Korea this year. 

This summer, she and her team will be doing seminars and compete in the World Taekwondo Culture Expo in MuJu, Korea The third-degree black belt shows that she has a grasp on the involved task and that they show a great amount of experience through the years of her participation and extreme effort in Taekwondo. 

Brooke’s favorite part of Taekwondo is competing, which she began doing three years ago when she joined the club competition team. Whiteleather said she enjoys this part of the sport, because she gets to train with other people. 

The worst part of Taekwondo for Whiteleather is poomsae, which is as she explained “the equivalent to a floor routine in gymnastics but without the gymnastics.” It includes blocks, kicks, and everything in a poomsae has to be perfect and without error. 

The skills needed to go into Taekwondo includes flexibility, focus, responsibility, and communication with your teammates. Through the communication with her teammate, the whole routine and regime can go smoothly and without error; communication is key.

Through teamwork, they can do the drills together and learn the importance of communication by pushing each other during practice and support each other as teammates.

Whiteleather practices five hours every week but there are practices that you can go to everyday except Sunday. There are three mandatory classes and competition practice on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. “These practices prepare us to be better mentally and physically and prepare us for the competitions that we compete in,” explained Whiteleather.