Kickin’ it

Northview's martial artists discuss their passion for their sports

Senior Minwoo Kim participates in a Taekwondo tournament.

Photo courtesy of Minwoo Kim

Disha Kumar, Staff Writer, and Manasa Premanand, Features Editor

Minwoo Kim

Ever since the seventh grade, senior Minwoo Kim has dedicated himself towards learning Taekwondo. After years of diligent practice and training, he is now a second-degree black belt and has participated in many Taekwondo tournaments. However, Kim’s journey in the martial arts world has not been an easy one. 

Kim’s interest in Taekwondo began when he decided to join a sport, much like his peers. To Kim, sports such as football and basketball were uninteresting—the only sport that piqued his interest was Taekwondo. 

“I was introduced to this studio, and I wanted to try [out taekwondo],” Kim said. “I felt like it really fit me, and it was fun so I became passionate pretty quickly about it.”

As time went on and Kim gradually began advancing levels in Taekwondo, his practices became much more tiring and time-consuming, and they often came into conflict with other activities in his day-to-day life. Navigating these obstacles while maintaining a healthy balance between his schoolwork and Taekwondo was a struggle Kim often faced.

“In order to maintain balance for my schedule, I would usually have to create my own schedule, and I wasn't used to that,” Kim said. “You can learn a lot from it and [I’ve found] it's a really good way to relieve stress.” 

Kim found that treating Taekwondo practice as a hobby rather than an arduous task helped him engage more in practice at home while also staying focused on schoolwork. Once he changed his mindset about practice, Kim’s passion for Taekwondo grew rapidly.

Through learning Taekwondo, Kim was able to gain valuable insight. Being able to practice alongside his talented and supportive peers and instructors allowed him to create strong friendships with those around him, and through his diligent training, he was able to learn self-control and discipline. 

“I think it taught me a lot [about] pushing myself especially when you're doing something that you really like,” Kim said. “[I learned to] just keep going until the end because it really is worth it seeing how disciplining yourself and just pushing yourself through the pain and the training will be worth it.”

Kim’s message towards any prospective Taekwondo players at Northview who feel daunted by the sport is this: although Taekwondo may not seem to be the most interesting sport at first glance, it teaches you valuable lessons that you can benefit greatly from and has unique aspects that make the sport all the more enjoyable. 

“Taekwondo has three parts [to it]. You have a lot of options so if you're not the most feisty person, then you can do form or you can do a demo, but you can also learn how to do flying kicks and [other] really cool stuff,” Kim said. “—It's cool that you can have options within a sport, and I think that’s a really interesting [feature] of it.”

Kennith Lee wins seventh place at the Georgia High School Fencing League tournament.

Photo courtesy of Northview Fencing

Kennith Lee

Having played soccer and basketball in middle school, junior Kennith Lee sought a new sport to try in high school. After exploring various extracurricular activities, the idea of fighting with a sword appealed to him, so he decided to join the Northview fencing team. 

“It was a click right off the bat,” Lee said. “It develops your mental and physical skills, and, as many people call it, it is like physical chess. You’re not just fighting with swords and seeing who is the strongest and fastest—you are also trying to strategize.”

Lee works closely with his peers, both inside and outside of school, to practice and prepare for upcoming competitions. His favorite experience has been the high school league team tournament, where, in collaboration with three other people, he took home the third-place title. 

“The entire concept of fencing’s individual work becoming a team sport and representing Northview through that way is just so fun,” Lee said. “I developed chemistry and more of a sense of teamwork, especially in the school club.” 

Separately from the Northview team, Lee has competed in the Junior Olympics. It took place in Columbus, Ohio, and Lee observed that the national fencing environment is vastly different from that of the state. He felt that it is much more competitive, and while Lee did not advance too far, the overall experience served as a learning opportunity for him. 

“The venue itself was just so cool and you learn a bunch from these great fencers who are nationally ranked,” Lee said. “Just watching it was a great experience for me.” 

Aira Dani

Okinawan Karate is a Japanese martial art that has been around for over 1000 years. This form of Karate was originally a method of rebelling against the Japanese government and it was often practiced in disguise. Its kata, or series of moves, and rich history were passed down for centuries, eventually finding their way to sophomore Aira Dani. 

“What I like most about Okinawan Karate is its aspect of self-defense because I think that is important, especially being a girl in our current society,” Dani said. “You should be able to defend yourself.” 

Rather than fighting, Okinawan Karate focuses on avoiding dangerous situations and protecting oneself. Dani specifically practices Shorin-Ryu, a subset of the martial art that incorporates self-defense kata. Dani’s favorite kata is Chinto, as it encompasses the different elements of Shorin-Ryu.

“I learned Karate for self-defense,” Dani said. “It is a very graceful movement, but it actually has a lot of power and is meant for when there are multiple people attacking you at once.” 

Aware of the importance of learning self-defense methods, Dani is a sensei herself and teaches Okinawan Karate to younger kids. Although the pandemic has affected the traditional practice setting, Dani and her peers have found ways to safely come together. 

“We would all just wear masks, socially distance ourselves, and practice all of these individual things that do not require you to touch or work with another person,” Dani said. 

This is now Dani’s 11th year practicing the art and her favorite experience was the test she took to earn her brown belt. Nearly five hours long, it is the longest Okinawan Karate test in the process of getting a black belt because it includes all of the previous kata. However, all of the time and effort Dani has put into practice have helped her grow as a person by teaching her valuable life lessons. 

“[Okinawan Karate] has actually become a really, really big part of my life, and I use many of its lessons every day like the responsibility I learned from doing Karate and managing my time having to go to class,” Dani said. “11 years of experience paid off really well.”