CK Yu Memoir — 1 Dales Life Journey

Personal Essay by Dale Yu (7-9-94)

When
your dad owns the city’s only full time martial arts school, it’s hard to avoid
life without Tae Kwon Do.  So on my fifth birthday (May 22, 1981), I suited up
in my “dobok” for my first Tae Kwon Do class.  

That day began a personal journey that has influenced
my life mentally, academically, and socially.

Because
of my unique situation of being the instructor’s son, I have had the chance to
develop close working relationships with many people associated with the
Academy, both Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do

. 

Because
I am the instructor’s son, that’s not to say that my time in Tae Kwon Do class
is always easy.

 I
have felt a lot of pressure to excel at Tae Kwon Do, for I never wanted to
embarrass my dad.  I knew he would be very disappointed in me if my forms were
sloppy, if my attitude was poor, and if my kicks were powerless.

 I guess my dad also felt some pressure, for he has
always been harder on me during practice.  I don’t think any other student has
been yelled at, criticized, and corrected by Master Yu more than I have been.

Through
this harsher treatment, I learned to be more disciplined and focused in my
habits.  Had these traits never come to me, there is no way I could have made
it through Tae Kwon Do this long.

Also,
the mental training that comes with Tae Kwon Do has helped me with my studies. 
The concentration and patience that one develops through martial arts was a
major reason for my being able to make straight A’s in high school.

The
discipline and sense of responsibility I acquired through Tae Kwon Do has
helped me reach many of my goals, like my acceptance to Stanford University. 

Had
it not been for my training, I do not know whether I would have had the
patience and stamina to reach for my dreams.

As
I later advanced in both rank and age, I soon became more involved with
teaching Tae Kwon Do.  I have always felt a sense of self-satisfaction after
helping lower ranks improve
their technique and gain confidence with their abilities.

Teaching
strengthened my sense of responsibility, for I realized that I had to be a role
model for lower ranks.

I
had to show the right attitude toward martial arts so that the next generation
of black belts could follow a proper path of learning, not a careless, irresponsible
one.

I
found teaching to be a very humbling experience, for it showed me just as many
of my faults as all of my learning experiences did.

I
would like to thank all of the Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do students who have
expressed their kind words of encouragement to me for the past 18 years. 

Especially,
I would like to thank my dad, who despite his stricter treatment of me in Tae
Kwon Do, has always shown his love and support in all that I do.

Dale Yu

personal essay

07/09/1994

4^th dan candidate