Not quite pom-poms and divets

I’m taking a trial month of Taekwondo — which shouldn’t surprise any of you who've been kicked in the head by me. I’ve always been interested in Martial Arts, probably from playing too much Mortal Kombat or watching too many episodes of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues as a kid. I've been pleasantly surprised to discover that Taekwondo combines two of my favorite sports: cheerleading and golf.

Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Well, for you long-time WATJ readers, you know that I often do.

Taekwondo is a lot like cheerleading for a few obvious reasons. There’s the high hicks and yelling, not to mention the arm movements and routine. In later belts, there's even a tumbling aspect (flips and such) that contributes to the “shouldn’t I be wearing a pleated skirt for this?” feeling.

Comparing Taekwondo to golf is probably more of a stretch for the rest of you. If you've ever played the links with my dad, you know that golf is “99% mental.” This means that it takes focus and concentration and strength of purpose — just like the martial arts. Golf and Taekwondo also require discipline and follow-through. You can have all the elements of a perfect swing or a perfect round-house, but your ball's not going anywhere or that board's not breaking unless you follow-through.

And, of course, Taekwondo also combines the inherent violence of both golf and cheerleading. If you’ve ever done either with my family, you know exactly what I’m talking about.