My Experience in Yonsei’s International Student Taekwondo Classes

I have always wanted to learn martial arts, so when I came to Yonsei I was so excited when I discovered that I could take Taekwondo while studying abroad in South Korea. My home university, Purdue, has a Taekwondo club, but I wanted to focus more on how to do the forms, striking techniques, and defense techniques properly. So, I ended up joining the International student taekwondo classes a few weeks into the semester and it was the best decision I could have made. 

My First Day of Class

When I first started Taekwondo classes, I was nervous. I didn’t have much experience with martial arts and structured classes, so I was unsure what I would be walking into. But, Grandmaster Kim was very nice and I had emailed him asking about how I could join. He told me when the classes were and told me that I could show up for the next class with the class and uniform fees. Then, when I walked in on the first day I was given a uniform and white belt which felt like a huge starting point in martial arts.

Class Structure

Each class follows the same structure. First is the warm up which is about 15 minutes long. This includes several different exercises. Second, we find a partner and focus on stretching. Throughout practice and stretching focus is placed  on counting, being in time with everyone else, and using power for each movement. Third, we work on practicing different techniques whether that be punches, kicks, or blocks. Sometimes we aim at a target while our partner holds it and other times we will practice performing different kicks and punches with the correct form while being in time with each other. Fourth, we have a five-minute water break and then we move into form practice. Forms are different for each color belt. They focus on different patterns of movements that you should be able to do at each belt level in order to move to the next level. Then, the class ends with either belt testing or final stretches with our partner.

Flexibility 

There was one thing that almost stopped me from joining the Taekwondo classes: My Korean class ending at 4:50pm and Taekwondo started at 5:10pm. But, this is not something that needs to stop you. I was able to make it to class each time and there were also several other people in the same situation. 

It's ideal to attend every class, but missing one does not affect your ability to participate in the next one. The class gets split up into 2 groups: lower belts and higher belts. This ensures that anyone can join the classes at any point in the semester.

Outside Activities

Throughout the semester, Grandmaster Kim has hosted 2 different activities. The first activity was a weekend hike up a mountain on campus and then lunch afterwards. The meeting point was at 9am in front of the class building and was followed by a few hours of hiking and then lunch at 12pm at the bottom of the mountain. The second activity was held on Halloween and was a bike ride along the Han River. These are great ways to connect with other people in the Taekwondo classes.

In addition to the outside social activities, there was also a competition that any yellow belt could participate in.

My Experience

Overall, I was able to learn lots of different striking techniques, forms, and defense techniques. Classes were held every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting at 5:10pm and ending between 6:10 and 6:30pm. One of the things that I liked was the focus on dedication and showing up consistently. Grandmaster Kim would track the official day that we started classes and our attendance for each week. In order to take the belt test we needed to have 1 month of training between each belt test. This ensured that everyone had the appropriate amount of training and could also lead the forms by the time they took the test. I think this was an accurate measure of our abilities and pushed me to attend all the classes that I could in order to advance as far as possible before my semester at Yonsei ended. I am so thankful for this amazing experience and I would recommend joining the classes to anyone interested in learning taekwondo. If you don't want to attend for the whole semester or year, you can earn your yellow belt in as little as a month.

Class Fees

Below are the general fees that were required during the semester. The uniform fee is optional, but everyone in my classes ended up wearing the uniform.

Uniform Fee (1 time fee)(optional): 30,000 Won

Monthly Class Fee: 50,000 Won

Testing Fee (New Belt): 20,000 Won