AHHHHH. Why did I join this again?

That was my first thought when I was instructed by my taekwondo teacher, Master Mitchell, to piggyback on a student.

The room had a large, gray mat that alternated colors so it formed six squares. And many younger and older students who were colored belts, including black, were standing in a line and staring at me in silence.

Uh… I thought as they continued to stare, waiting for me to do the piggyback ride.

One might ask, why exactly did I join taekwondo?

After creating a character who was a blue belt in taekwondo (and featured in a few of my comics on Coppell Student Media) for one of the fantasy stories I write and becoming interested in taekwondo, I decided to join Dynamic Taekwondo in Irving.

I underestimated taekwondo’s supposed difficulty.

I didn’t realize the first few days would be so hard. At first, I had to take a one-day break between attending classes because it was hard to do the exercises. I had not exercised since PE in eighth grade at Coppell Middle School West.

Gallery • 9 Photos

Tanvi Ravella

The Sidekick staff designer Shrika Elma and yellow belt Pari Patel practice a one-step sparring drill. Dynamic Taekwondo gives Elma the opportunity to exercise and increase her sense of self-confidence.

But as I started attending taekwondo classes, I found the exercises a little bit easier and, according to Master Mitchell, actually got better. Learning my white belt form (taeguk il-jang, 태극 1장, in Korean) and basic sparring earned me a yellow, red and green tape on my belt; doing well and proving I have memorized taeguk il-jang will earn me a blue and black tape, and then I can take a test to get a yellow belt.

Along with getting slightly better, I also gained more confidence. Despite being a white belt and only just starting my journey, taekwondo is something that I can express myself through.

At first, I was nervous because I was the only white belt in the class and didn’t have friends. But over the past few months, I made a variety of friends across different belt ranks.

During taekwondo class, everyone — from a white belt, the lowest rank, to second-degree black belt, the highest rank — is expected to speak loud when reciting the black belt creed, which emphasizes courtesy, integrity, self-control, perseverance and indomitable spirit. I have been told a few times to speak louder.

The amount of times I have been told to speak louder has encouraged me to become more confident. Taekwondo teaches not just to gain confidence, but to participate in school more and be more extroverted. Its impact on me has been unfathomable.

And so to Master Mitchell, my friends, my classmates and taekwondo itself: kamsahamnida — thank you.

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