Sport provides a frequent landscape for inspiration. Indeed, the quest for personal or team triumph can often engender a mindset that is formidable regardless of the context. Consequently, sporting achievements are often reflected upon as a source of inspiration. Moreover, such achievements typically have a source of motivation themselves and often present a broad scope in the net of inspiration they are able to cast over others.
A standout example of this comes from one of my closest friends, David Dennis (@davidcdennis). David has been actively involved in taekwondo for as long as I've known him. However, his involvement in the sport has been subject to hiatuses that have not only interrupted this but more seriously been caused by life threatening experiences. Nonetheless, David recently obtained his 5th Dan black belt and the title of 'Master'. Under any circumstances this is a great achievement. But against the backdrop of adversity he's faced, it's a remarkable story.
David agreed to me posting his thesis which supported his 5th Dan black belt. Unedited, here is David's journey to his inspirational feat.
– –
Coming from a rough area and poverty, it’s very easy to go off track on the path to success and justify failure with excuses. Over the years, many of my friends have been in serious trouble, arrested and imprisoned. Yet Taekwondo has aided me in avoiding this path by channelling my energy into something positive. Negative energy is wasted energy. Taekwondo instilled within me the strength and discipline to resist the traditional temptations of the street-life so many of my friends could not when we were younger. They were involved in violence and crime from a young age but everyone has a choice. Some choices are harder to make than others and some situations are worse the others. But in the end there is always a choice.
I obtained my first black belt in 1996 and it remains to this day one of the proudest moments of my life. Although I worked hard to get to this point, I realised that it was at this stage where the real work started. As a result, I knew that I had a responsibility, an obligation, to spread to word of taekwondo. Through training my mind and body, it was time to utilise the ideology of enhancing my spirit and life even more now than ever. More importantly, it was time for me to encourage and teach others to do the same through my example. I invited as many of my friends, their friends and local youths as possible to taekwondo.
To some, like myself, I can say taekwondo saved them from a negative life. You could even argue it saved their life. I certainly feel it saved mine. I am not saying taekwondo necessarily saved me from death – instead I speak more from the perspective of fulfilment, enjoyment of life and maximising my potential in the right way. For others, it removed them from negative environments and situations at least temporarily if not permanently. It showed them they had a choice, gave them a focus and encouraged them to become goal orientated. The significance of this cannot be underestimated and as Bill Copeland once said: "the trouble with not having a goal is you can spend your life running up and down a field and never score".
Taekwondo really provided me with a true reason to live. It gave me a purpose, understanding, direction and inner-strength I never had before and this was never more important than in my darkest hour.
I was at the peak of my taekwondo career around the end of 1997. I had finished in the top 4 or better for the past few National Championships, I had won many UK based tournaments, I was ranked as the number 1 fighter in my weight in the London Region Team and had just completed my first training sessions with the GB National Team. I’d also medalled in the Park Pokal in Germany, at the time one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe. I was entering 1998 with great results, confidence and in the best shape of my life.
In January 1998, it was a cold Tuesday morning and I was doing my paper round. It was meant to be one of my last ones as I had just turned 16, therefore I could now get a regular part-time job. As it would turn out, this would indeed be my last paper round. I had just passed the road I live on to make my last drop-off of papers, as a car hit the back wheel of my bike. I flew off of the bike head first into a jeep, which I hit so hard it was written-off. The driver then drove over my lower left leg forcing both my tibia and fibula bones to break through the skin on the back of my leg. I was unconscious with broken bones and serious head wounds. At this moment not only was it unclear if I would be able to do taekwondo again. But even worse, it was questionable if I would walk again let alone live.
When I awoke in hospital, my Mum and Dad were there. Soon after, the first visitor I had was my Taekwondo Instructor Master Azim. Like my parents, he was extremely upset with what had happened. This for me was just a reminder of the fact that our taekwondo community are like family.
I spent one month in hospital, then the rest of the year with my leg in a cast. I had to take my GCSEs during this time too, despite having constant headaches, using crutches and being in a cast from groin to toe. I honestly feel if it had not been for the indomitable spirit taekwondo institutionalises within all of its true practitioners, I would not have got through this period. I fortunately managed to dig deep within myself to focus as much as I could to get good exam results. I would later go on to College and eventually get my degree at University in Philosophy, a subject also influenced by taekwondo. A philosophical approach, in terms of analysing and understanding situations, as well as people, has benefitted me significantly in all aspects of life from training to work.
Whilst I was out of training for 1998, I attended training almost every session. I watched from the sidelines, crutches in hand, advising team-mates and keeping up to date with taekwondo’s constantly evolving techniques and strategies. I returned to training at the beginning of 1999. Within a month or so I competed at the National Championships to yet again place in the top 4 fighters in the UK despite being nowhere near fully fit. This type of achievement didn’t just happen within taekwondo, it happened because of taekwondo. I have given a lot of time, effort, energy, blood, sweat and tears to taekwondo over the last 21 years. However, this does not compare to what Taekwondo has given to me.
The importance of taekwondo in building character, confidence and morals cannot be underestimated. The tenets of taekwondo are very much the foundation for evolution of spirit and progression in life. However, like many things it is not just the words or their meaning that carry an inherent value. Rather it is our interpretation of them and how we exemplify their essence – Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control and Indomitable Spirit.
There is no short-cut on the path to true enlightenment. We must be the change we wish to see in the world. Taekwondo is about never giving up. If something is worth doing, it will never be easy, but it will always be worth it. We are only confined by the walls we build ourselves. Too often we place limits on our potential and become prisoners of our own minds. Taekwondo removes the handcuffs, pushes the boundaries and sets us free. The biggest mistake in life we can make is to continually be afraid we will make one. Through Taekwondo and the way I live due to taekwondo’s ideology, I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say “because of you I didn’t give up.” Let us not forget, a black belt is a white belt who never quit. This mentally transcends martial-arts and is applicable to all aspects of life.
Four years ago I would have to draw upon all of the aforementioned to fight yet another battle. I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, a rare hereditary chest condition that affects the lungs. It is a fairly new disease that causes an inflammation of the lungs, limiting the percentage of oxygen within the lungs, which in turn affects the brain, heart and the entire body. Although it is not contagious, it is possible to die from this condition – people certainly have before. It is carried in recessive genes and can create significant breathing problems should they become active. For 3 years I fought this condition, on very strong medication, with dozens of hospital visits. It was difficult to find energy to train, control my weight and maintain my fitness.
Through exhibiting and exemplifying the tenets of taekwondo I managed to reach a full recovery around a year ago. It took everything I had to recover, to re-motivate myself to train as much and as diligently as I had previously. After hours of gym work, circuit work, personal trainers, dietary and nutrition overhauls, as well as blood, sweat and tears in the taekwondo training hall, I can confidently say today, that I am back to full fitness. I have come down from over 100 kilograms to as low as 80 kilograms in weight this year.
I know this challenge and many others will present themselves in the future, but I have never felt more prepared due to the strength and knowledge I have gained through taekwondo. This is why I want to further my taekwondo education and knowledge by grading for my 5th Dan black belt. I want to show my Instructor, my club, my students, my family, my friends and everyone else that they can still achieve their goals and dreams against the odds. I want to show them it’s not important to be the best, although we can all aim to be. Rather, it’s more important to be the best WE can be. It is important to be better today than we were yesterday as tomorrow waits for no one. We are here to make the most of today in the hope to be the difference tomorrow. Taekwondo has given me reason, purpose, power, courage and direction I would never have had otherwise and it is time I gave back.
A standout example of this comes from one of my closest friends, David Dennis (@davidcdennis). David has been actively involved in taekwondo for as long as I've known him. However, his involvement in the sport has been subject to hiatuses that have not only interrupted this but more seriously been caused by life threatening experiences. Nonetheless, David recently obtained his 5th Dan black belt and the title of 'Master'. Under any circumstances this is a great achievement. But against the backdrop of adversity he's faced, it's a remarkable story.
David agreed to me posting his thesis which supported his 5th Dan black belt. Unedited, here is David's journey to his inspirational feat.
– –
Coming from a rough area and poverty, it’s very easy to go off track on the path to success and justify failure with excuses. Over the years, many of my friends have been in serious trouble, arrested and imprisoned. Yet Taekwondo has aided me in avoiding this path by channelling my energy into something positive. Negative energy is wasted energy. Taekwondo instilled within me the strength and discipline to resist the traditional temptations of the street-life so many of my friends could not when we were younger. They were involved in violence and crime from a young age but everyone has a choice. Some choices are harder to make than others and some situations are worse the others. But in the end there is always a choice.
I obtained my first black belt in 1996 and it remains to this day one of the proudest moments of my life. Although I worked hard to get to this point, I realised that it was at this stage where the real work started. As a result, I knew that I had a responsibility, an obligation, to spread to word of taekwondo. Through training my mind and body, it was time to utilise the ideology of enhancing my spirit and life even more now than ever. More importantly, it was time for me to encourage and teach others to do the same through my example. I invited as many of my friends, their friends and local youths as possible to taekwondo.
To some, like myself, I can say taekwondo saved them from a negative life. You could even argue it saved their life. I certainly feel it saved mine. I am not saying taekwondo necessarily saved me from death – instead I speak more from the perspective of fulfilment, enjoyment of life and maximising my potential in the right way. For others, it removed them from negative environments and situations at least temporarily if not permanently. It showed them they had a choice, gave them a focus and encouraged them to become goal orientated. The significance of this cannot be underestimated and as Bill Copeland once said: "the trouble with not having a goal is you can spend your life running up and down a field and never score".
Taekwondo really provided me with a true reason to live. It gave me a purpose, understanding, direction and inner-strength I never had before and this was never more important than in my darkest hour.
I was at the peak of my taekwondo career around the end of 1997. I had finished in the top 4 or better for the past few National Championships, I had won many UK based tournaments, I was ranked as the number 1 fighter in my weight in the London Region Team and had just completed my first training sessions with the GB National Team. I’d also medalled in the Park Pokal in Germany, at the time one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe. I was entering 1998 with great results, confidence and in the best shape of my life.
In January 1998, it was a cold Tuesday morning and I was doing my paper round. It was meant to be one of my last ones as I had just turned 16, therefore I could now get a regular part-time job. As it would turn out, this would indeed be my last paper round. I had just passed the road I live on to make my last drop-off of papers, as a car hit the back wheel of my bike. I flew off of the bike head first into a jeep, which I hit so hard it was written-off. The driver then drove over my lower left leg forcing both my tibia and fibula bones to break through the skin on the back of my leg. I was unconscious with broken bones and serious head wounds. At this moment not only was it unclear if I would be able to do taekwondo again. But even worse, it was questionable if I would walk again let alone live.
When I awoke in hospital, my Mum and Dad were there. Soon after, the first visitor I had was my Taekwondo Instructor Master Azim. Like my parents, he was extremely upset with what had happened. This for me was just a reminder of the fact that our taekwondo community are like family.
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I spent one month in hospital, then the rest of the year with my leg in a cast. I had to take my GCSEs during this time too, despite having constant headaches, using crutches and being in a cast from groin to toe. I honestly feel if it had not been for the indomitable spirit taekwondo institutionalises within all of its true practitioners, I would not have got through this period. I fortunately managed to dig deep within myself to focus as much as I could to get good exam results. I would later go on to College and eventually get my degree at University in Philosophy, a subject also influenced by taekwondo. A philosophical approach, in terms of analysing and understanding situations, as well as people, has benefitted me significantly in all aspects of life from training to work.
Whilst I was out of training for 1998, I attended training almost every session. I watched from the sidelines, crutches in hand, advising team-mates and keeping up to date with taekwondo’s constantly evolving techniques and strategies. I returned to training at the beginning of 1999. Within a month or so I competed at the National Championships to yet again place in the top 4 fighters in the UK despite being nowhere near fully fit. This type of achievement didn’t just happen within taekwondo, it happened because of taekwondo. I have given a lot of time, effort, energy, blood, sweat and tears to taekwondo over the last 21 years. However, this does not compare to what Taekwondo has given to me.
The importance of taekwondo in building character, confidence and morals cannot be underestimated. The tenets of taekwondo are very much the foundation for evolution of spirit and progression in life. However, like many things it is not just the words or their meaning that carry an inherent value. Rather it is our interpretation of them and how we exemplify their essence – Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control and Indomitable Spirit.
There is no short-cut on the path to true enlightenment. We must be the change we wish to see in the world. Taekwondo is about never giving up. If something is worth doing, it will never be easy, but it will always be worth it. We are only confined by the walls we build ourselves. Too often we place limits on our potential and become prisoners of our own minds. Taekwondo removes the handcuffs, pushes the boundaries and sets us free. The biggest mistake in life we can make is to continually be afraid we will make one. Through Taekwondo and the way I live due to taekwondo’s ideology, I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say “because of you I didn’t give up.” Let us not forget, a black belt is a white belt who never quit. This mentally transcends martial-arts and is applicable to all aspects of life.
Four years ago I would have to draw upon all of the aforementioned to fight yet another battle. I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, a rare hereditary chest condition that affects the lungs. It is a fairly new disease that causes an inflammation of the lungs, limiting the percentage of oxygen within the lungs, which in turn affects the brain, heart and the entire body. Although it is not contagious, it is possible to die from this condition – people certainly have before. It is carried in recessive genes and can create significant breathing problems should they become active. For 3 years I fought this condition, on very strong medication, with dozens of hospital visits. It was difficult to find energy to train, control my weight and maintain my fitness.
Through exhibiting and exemplifying the tenets of taekwondo I managed to reach a full recovery around a year ago. It took everything I had to recover, to re-motivate myself to train as much and as diligently as I had previously. After hours of gym work, circuit work, personal trainers, dietary and nutrition overhauls, as well as blood, sweat and tears in the taekwondo training hall, I can confidently say today, that I am back to full fitness. I have come down from over 100 kilograms to as low as 80 kilograms in weight this year.
I know this challenge and many others will present themselves in the future, but I have never felt more prepared due to the strength and knowledge I have gained through taekwondo. This is why I want to further my taekwondo education and knowledge by grading for my 5th Dan black belt. I want to show my Instructor, my club, my students, my family, my friends and everyone else that they can still achieve their goals and dreams against the odds. I want to show them it’s not important to be the best, although we can all aim to be. Rather, it’s more important to be the best WE can be. It is important to be better today than we were yesterday as tomorrow waits for no one. We are here to make the most of today in the hope to be the difference tomorrow. Taekwondo has given me reason, purpose, power, courage and direction I would never have had otherwise and it is time I gave back.
