Analogies: Set 6

Sparring versus Playing Poker

Training in Taekwondo may be compared to playing poker. In poker, you use all your skills to play the best game you can, using the cards you are dealt. You may improve your hand somewhat by exchanging some of your cards, but you must play with the cards you are dealt. Your fellow players must also play with the cards they are dealt. Sometimes, no matter how well you play your cards, your fellow players win. Sometimes they win because they are players that are more skilled; sometimes they win because they were dealt better cards.

In Taekwondo training, you use all your skills to train the best you can, using the cards life has dealt you. Sometimes, no matter how hard you train, some of your fellow students do better than you. This may be because they are training harder than you or it may be because life has dealt them better cards, i.e. they are naturally taller, stronger, faster, more flexible, etc. You may improve your hand by an extra training effort, but sometimes life just deals you a bad hand, such as disability, illness, injury, etc.

Taekwondo belt promotions are awarded on how well you perform the required techniques and how much you have improved since the last promotion, with consideration to the hand life has dealt you. Taekwondo promotions are not just based on how well you play the game, but also, on how well you play considering the hand life dealt you.le:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.