ESSAY I
"How can somebody break a brick with a flick of his arm? Will I ever have that ability? The power behind every punch is enough to throw a man to the ground." A five year old me, was thinking all such questions in his mind when he walked into his first Tae Kwon Do class. It was all about becoming a man. Surely power, strength, agility and concentration would help me become one. But, little did I know that these years would bring out my innate attributes of sweat, blood and hard work.
I trained for twelve long years. Gradually with each passing year, I began surpassing my own skills, acquired the previous year. Pursuing a strenuous extracurricular activity alongside a demanding academics made the task doubly challenging. At times I would be too exhausted to even sleep. It was then that my dreams of myself standing at the pinnacle, becoming a master of the art that lent strength to my aching muscles, to undergo the same strenuous regime the next day. I progressed from the white to the red belt and subsequently the much coveted black belt. I trained in two formats of the art-GTF (full form) andWTF(full form), which then afforded me the opportunity to join the prestigiousKiyaKhan School of Martial Arts.
Every year the Katas became more complicated. Yet, with regular practice and increased concentration I was able to master them. At the Kiya Khan School of Martial Arts, alongside my own practice I also trained my juniors, which bolstered my confidence in my abilities. The fact that the younger boys looked up to me as their idol gave me the impetus to outperform my own self.
Then came the big day on the 19th of Dec'09, when I was to appear for a test which would give me my 1st Dan Black Belt. This is a significant achievement as it would grade me as a qualified instructor of Tae Kwon Do. That night, I lay tossing in bed too anxious to sleep.What if something went wrong? Finally, when the day broke, I tried to convince myself that I had prepared myself well. My twelve years of penitence had lent me courage to face the test with confidence. I mustered all my wits about me and set out to conquer the arena.
I had six rounds to clear in all and three brick breaking techniques. I faced the first 3 sparring opponents with ease. Thereafter I started to feel the exhaustion as I had not slept well the last night. Dehydration and exhaustion started to take their toll on my body. At times all became dizzy. Yet my aspiration to see myself attain the 1st Dan Black Belt, kept me at the test. Although fatigued I managed to overpower the 4th and the 5th opponents. It was then time to break the bricks. Breaking the first two successfully, I attempted the third with confidence. Suddenly, I experienced excruciating pain. As the pain subsided, all I could feel then was numbness. Worse, I could not even feel my hand from the wrist to my fingertips. Memories of 2006 flooded back when I had broken my hand in a similar manner. Neither did I give up then, neither would I do that now. I was standing at the crossroads. I did not want to wait for another year to appear for my 1st Dan Black Belt. So I decided to push on!
Nursing my hand, I mustered all my resolve. But, much to my horror, when I saw that I was to face a 4th Dan qualified opponent, I stood paralyzed for a second. This tournament would decide my fate and yet destiny deemed that I fight this man, much more qualified than myself, today. His aggression and ability lent him an upper hand in the bout. I stood badly beaten but not discouraged, in the first round. Only two and a half minutes were left and I was 3 points down. The next round started. Even before I could move, he punched me in the face. I felt blood trickle down my nose into my mouth. All my senses awakened. I could not let anybody take away the glory of this day from me! Packing all my energy in a single 'flying reverse back kick' I knocked him out.
I had done it! I received the precious 1st Dan Black Belt!
The most significant lesson learnt that day was that a black belt was not about tying a colored cloth round my waist, which is outside but it was akin to receiving a black belt on the inside. It represents the 12 years of sweat, diligence, and hard work put into to 'my Tae Kwon Do' and life training.
Tae Kwon Do has taught me to believe in myself and to never give up even when the odds are stacked against me. Extending similar lessons to academics, I motivated myself to complete the 'Particle Physics Thesis Paper' which won me first prize in the district wide science project. This feat also kept me charged for the yearlong 'Salt Analysis' project, which I completed successfully.
Having realized my potential to thrive in a demanding, diverse and pressurized environment, I started looking for opportunities in academics and extracurricular, rather than waiting for them to come by. Consequently, I found an opportunity to undertake a 2 year internship in Engineering Physics at L & T. This has lent me deeper insights into Mechanics and Hydrostatics. Since my school never had a physics and a green club, I started them. I toiled alone, but soon students came and joined. I conducted experiments ranging from optics to electricity and magnetism, taught them how to do it and instilled a passion for science in them.
Tae Kwon Do has redefined my character, personality and state of health. Synergizing my strengths now comes naturally to me. It has prepared me to perform my best even when I am under pressure. This will surely enable me to cope with a rigorous undergraduate program at Harvard.
Thus, Tae Kwon Do has made me a better and stronger person, in every aspect of life.
Fun story, a good essay that shows off your strengths and your obvious love of tae kwon do, but your account of your tae-kwon do experiences is rather long, shorten the story and to give it a faster, more exciting pace. The account of training with the juniors for example, may not be necessary.
"it was all about becoming a man"-not sure what to think of this sentence.
Your last paragraph with your achievements in Engineering and Physics is really, good, I would expand more on the fact that you started the physics and green club, and what you did, its impressive!
The last sentence is a little awkward, is it necessary?
You seem like you will be a strong candidate! Good luck! Or better yet, good essay!
I guess the long list of your achievements might work against you, but still it's up to you whether you keep it or not. At the same time, you might want to write how TKD inspired you to do those initiatives you took in school more clearly. Overall, your essay is fantastic!
