Teamwork is a very important element of Taekwondo. It makes larger tasks less work for one person, and is a very important virtue that is used throughout your life. Let’s see an example of teamwork.
On April 22nd , 2016, Black Belt Dominic had to take his 1st of two 2nd Degree black belt tests. This test was very challenging, not only physically, but also mentally and socially. To pass, you had to have skill and teamwork.
When Black Belt Dominic got to his taekwondo school; a smaller room divided in two by a couple of landing mats; he didn’t know this. Once he sat down on the bleachers that were towards the back of the room, his master told him what the test would be like. “For this test, you will be in a group of three,” he said, “to complete a technique, all three members of the group must do it correctly and in sync.” This was a surprise to Black Belt Dominic, as the students had never been tested this way at his school.
To start, they had to take a written test, but everyone finished quickly. Once everyone in a group had finished, the group could practice their techniques together behind the landing mats. When the group thought they were ready, they got in line to be tested. If they were in sync and correct, they went on the next technique. There were 4 techniques; hand technique, 2 poomses, and one step sparring.
Black belt Dominic’s group completed the hand technique within their first two tries, but the other three groups were also finishing it, and one had already started practicing for their poomse.Dominic’s group started struggling when they got to their second technique. They all thought they knew the poomse, so they ended up getting tested without much practice. They failed their first couple tries because of mistakes, so they worked as a team to make sure everyone knew the poomse. Everyone would help each other, and eventually, everyone knew the poomse. Once everyone had learned the moves, they practiced a few times as a team to make sure they had it correct. They tried again, but were out of sync, so they developed a counting system: one step every second. After practicing a few more times, they tried again. “You may move on to the next poomse,” Black Belt Dominic’s Master said. The 3 boys walked back behind the mats quietly, but congratulated each other once there. “We were all great!” Black Belt Dominic said, answered by accent from his teammates. Though the celebration didn’t last for long, there was still work to be done. They used the same strategy again for their second poomse, and it worked very well. They reminded each other of the moves and practiced multiple times to make sure they knew it and to get in sync. They only had to be tested a few times to pass.
Finally, they had to do nun chucks.One thing that confused them, though was how to stay in sync. They asked their master if they could talk to one another while being tested, and said that he didn’t see why not. Since they were positioned in a triangle formation, they decided the person in front would count up to 36 slowly. The three boys would follow that count, performing the corresponding nun chuck technique. After devising this plan, they were tested. They failed a few times, but still felt they could do it so they kept trying. After tweaking their strategy a few more times, they passed.
That is one example of teamwork, but there are many other ways you might use teamwork in your daily life. Practicing kicking with a partner or helping someone with their poomse are a few example related to taekwondo. But you also use teamwork in school, like when doing a project, or in any sport you play, since each player has their part. You can even use teamwork playing a video game, like helping each other defeat the boss or complete a puzzle. That is why teamwork is such an important virtue in taekwondo and your life.