From my heart

At times I place posts from other people, posts that show that Taekwondo is not just about kicking and punching, but Taekwondo is about changing people, about changing lives.  Here is one such post, the life story of Debro van Wyngaard. She wrote this as part of her Black Belt assignment. She is practicing Taekwondo at  TTA Pretoria . Debro is married with two children (a boy of 11 years and a girl of 5 years).  For the past 17 years she has been working as a social worker, working with children in alternative care (specifically children in children’s homes).  She has been doing Taekwondo since 2009 and started to introduce Taekwondo to the children of Jakaranda Children’s home in June 2012.  The Journey of the Bonsai My journey as bonsai started in the wide expanse of rural South Africa, there where time seem to stand still and one's soul is set free. Never in my wildest dreams did I think, that I, a humble fig tree, w...

It is never too old to start. I came across this  Video  the other day on a Facebook Group. I know it seem illogical but Martial Arts (Taekwondo) can be for every age. You do not have to take part in sparring or forms, but the complex movements of the Martial Arts stimulates the brain and rejuvenates the person. Have a look and enjoy. Video

Well, there you have it, I have started doing Taekwondo, at 53! I suppose it is about time. With my wife and son doing it, I did not realy have a choice to get involved.  I was thoroughly challenged when I posted photos of myself running the Comrades maraton back in 1993. But it was also a warning from my body to stop being a couch potato and get fit.  For the first time in my life I am doing a sport that involves coordination. I played tennis at school but 75% of the time I missed the ball. I tried rugby once or twice at school, but the notion that I have to run after an egg shaped ball that most of the time I cant even catch, did not appeal to me at all. I resigned myself to the fact that I have no ball sence and left it at that. However, after I started working I kept fit, being in the military did not really gave me a choice and I enjoyed it, I especially enjoyed running, because it tested my endurance and stamina. I enjoyed it so much that I started running marathon...

Well, they trained, they cried, they shouted, they travelled 40 hours via Hong Kong to the USA, arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas, and they conquered!   The full ATA SA Team at the ATA Headquarters in  Little Rock Arkansas ATA SA performed exceedingly well for a small federation (ATA SA compares to some clubs in member total, so I heard).   There were about 20,000 participants and supporters from about 26 countries, and South Africa brought back 17 medals! It was a difficult road to the Worlds 2015 for all. There were financial concerns (attending members had to fund themselves, and I must say, it brought out entrepreneurial  skills in some), Visas had to be obtained, vehicles rented, rooms booked in hotels and inns, and then of course the administration issues had to be dealt with by ATA SA administrators, oh yes, in between it all, they had to train as well. But in the end they arrived in Little Rock, acclimatised, (the team ...

I did a post some time ago about Taekwondo achievement, something that someone achieved against the odds. I believe that we need more of those stories, the kind of stories that brings hope and inspiration. Being involved as a supporter and spectator of Taekwondo brought me into contact with some of the  students and supporters of ATA South Africa.  On Easter Sunday I had the privilege to attend the  prize giving ceremony of the ATA SA Masters Camp.  Two of the presentations stood out to me that day,  the one was the Masters Award to CJ for his contribution to Taekwondo and the other was the  Grand Master Crystal presented to Anecke Viljoen, from the Traditional Taekwondo Academy. This post will be about CJ Engelbrecht from Iblackbelt Academy. Like I said before, not everyone are equal in sport, some excel as a result of natural talent,  some buy into it (unfortunately true in today's world, especially high profi...

Recently, (the past year) I started cooking more and more, not only the basic home food, but some complicated dishes as well. And I enjoy it, I find it relaxing. When I am busy preparing something, I do not have time to thing about anything else. Cooking sort of became a necessity because my wife got provincial colours in Taekwondo and is preparing to attend the World Championships. She would take the meat out of the fridge in the afternoon, or start the dish and quite often I would prepare what I like or finish off the dish, ready when they return from their training session in the evening. But my cooking did not start off by accident. I spent two years in Mozambique as an expat where I had to cook for myself, and there I learnt the usefulness of a slow-cooker. Then in June 2014 I experienced a episode of burn-out. Big Time! Burn-out occurs when you are under prolonged stress and is characterised by total exhaustion, (physical, emotional and mental). You tend to loose interest ...

I had an interesting conversation last Saturday morning with someone that crossed my path. During our chat, it turned out that he is an undertaker, and he is a deeply spiritual person. He told me that every time he conducts a funeral he is reminded of his destination as a human (body).  He does not know where he is on the road, but he (all of us) are getting closer. When old people die, we sort of know that they have reached the end of their road, we are shocked and mourn them, but we expect it. When someone young dies, it comes as a shock, especially when they are about 20 years younger than you. It is more of a shock when you have worked with the person and have seen him every day. When it is a person from the office, you realize that his chair will fore-ever be empty, he will not be there to joke around. Seeing him, huddled over his laptop churning out reports for management and clients, no more. When it is a car-accident, it is sort of acceptable, it happens, there ar...