By: Olivia O’Neill, II Dan
One of the most common questions I have been asked throughout grade school whenever meeting someone new has been, “Do you play any sports?” At first, from around first to fourth grade, my answer was always an enthusiastic “Yes!” However, my answer gradually changed to become a questionable “Maybe?” or “I don’t know.” It is not that my love for TaeKwon-Do was diminishing and I was contemplating giving it up, quite the opposite in fact. I was (and still am) getting older, and with each year that passes my knowledge and appreciation for TaeKwon-Do, and martial arts as a whole, has only increased. But along with growing up and greater levels of learning comes more in-depth thinking and reflection. Through talks we have had at Omaha Blue Waves, my own experiences, and especially through the connections I have made, I began to ponder that word. Sport. It didn’t seem to sit quite right anymore; it didn’t seem to envelop everything that TaeKwon-Do had gifted me. While words and definitions, as well as their use and impact, have the ability to mean different things to different people, my journey and my experiences have shaped how I view an art versus a sport.
In order to solidify what a sport meant to me and discover why I was hesitant in using it to describe my experience with TaeKwon-Do, I first began thinking on how I defined and interpreted sport. Some of the first words that jumped to my mind were: competitive, teamwork, athlete, practice. These were all words that could be used to describe martial arts, but the word competition was one that snagged my attention; this was the word that my mind continuously circled back to. Yes, martial arts has competitions, tournaments, just as sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball, etc. – even having a place in the Olympic Games. Yet while I participated in numerous tournaments for TaeKwon-Do, it was never the same as other sporting events that I have been to. In other events that are considered sports, there is of course teamwork and comradery involved, yet there is always an ultimate goal to win. The opposing team is seen, in the moment, as competition that should be beaten. At the end of the game everyone shakes hands, says “good game,” but then goes on their way.
While this could absolutely apply to martial arts for some people, that was not the impression I got when attending tournaments. From the beginning, people were of course there to compete to the best of their ability, but it was not a team vs. team atmosphere. Everyone was at ease with each other, and people from all different schools in different parts of the country interacted. There were only a couple rules that we were given before the start of every tournament, and winning was not one of them. The requirements were simply to do your best, have fun, learn something new, and make a new friend. There are some people that I have been competing with since the age of five or six, and it is great to be able to see them every year. Instead of a rigorous sense of rivalry, the atmosphere is one of being able to interact with each other as friends even when competing, both on and off the mat. For instance, there have been multiple times when I have been sparring at a tournament and we congratulate each other on well-earned points, or we laugh at a joke a judge has made.
Away from tournaments and competing, the atmosphere when training at Omaha Blue Waves goes beyond a sense of competition. We do not spend every class preparing to compete at tournaments and gain a first-place trophy – just the opposite. Throughout my time at Omaha Blue Waves, I have learned (and continue to learn) not just ways to defend myself or how to throw the fastest kick or the strongest punch, but how to build character. Through courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit I have grown as not only a martial artist, but as a person. To me, that is the difference between art and sport. An art is something that teaches you lifelong skills and values; it teaches us how to treat others with respect and civility. It is a path where the learning is continuous; it pays no matter whether people are young or old, black belts or white belts, or instructors or students (even though instructors never stop being students themselves). Practicing an art is like being on a perpetual journey, for although some paths may end that simply leads to new branches of learning, of understanding. It is not about winning, or being the best out of a group. Arts encourage personal growth and learning; mistakes are part of the process, and the main objective is to acknowledge and learn from those mistakes.
Everyone leads and forms their own paths in life, through everything they do. Both sports and arts encourage teamwork, hard work, practice, and other important qualities. Throughout the years, I have greatly contemplated the beginning question, “Do you play a sport?” Although my answer was once a resounding yes, I have since realized that through TaeKwon-Do and martial arts, I am on a lifetime journey where I will never cease to learn new things or grow as a person. The lessons it has taught me, the values of character I strive my best to hold close to my heart, the friendships I have formed, and the family I have gained will be a part of me forever. So now my answer is: I do not play a sport, I practice an art.
Want to learn more? Contact Omaha Blue Waves Martial Arts at (402) 215-6003.
