Yellow Belt Promotion Essay
Before doing karate, I didn’t exercise a lot. I also didn’t have many
extra curricular activities or commitments outside of band. Karate has given
me a way to stay healthy, learn important skills, and make new friends. I have
enjoyed working on and learning techniques and seeing my improvement, as
well as getting out of my comfort zone. For the most part, I have enjoyed
karate, but it can sometimes lead me to be a bit harsh on myself. Despite this,
I have seen karate as an activity that has had a positive effect on me over the
past two or so months.
When I first started doing karate, I wasn’t very physically active. I
would go on a walk occasionally, but I didn’t exercise enough to keep myself
very healthy and to reduce stress. However, when my friend got me interested
in karate while talking about it at church, I decided I would give it a try. I
wasn’t doing much at the time that was physically or mentally challenging, so
I figured I would give it a try; I am very glad that I did. Over the past two
months, I have had the urge to improve my karate techniques and excited to
learn new ones. By having the desire to get better at karate, I have been able
to learn more about setting goals and working hard to improve.
Due to the nature of karate, I have been able to learn new techniques,
see improvement in myself, and get out of my comfort zone. From my first
class to my most recent class, I have learned so much about kicking,
punching, breathing, standing, and many other things. I have also gained
more knowledge and experience related to working hard and seeing the
results of that hard work show up days and weeks later. I have also been able
to get out of my comfort zone by having to yell, punch, kick, and exercise in
front of people, which has given me a lot more confidence. However, I have
also seen that I can become very critical of myself, which is both good and
bad. On one hand, it helps me to grow and be a better human. On the other
hand, it can lead to increased worry about whether or not I did something
perfectly. But, I know that this worry will go away in time as I continually
remember that getting better comes with time and a lot of effort.
All of this has culminated in me developing goals that I want to achieve
in karate. Before the end of the year, I want to have progressed to being an
orange belt at the least. I can achieve this goal by attending one to two classes
each week to ensure that I get enough practice and learning. I know that if I
make it one of my priorities that I will be able to do it.
Overall, karate has helped me to be more healthy by challenging me
physically and mentally. I am very excited to test for my yellow belt and to
continue working hard to progress.