We are proud of our accomplishments, and certain events leave lasting effects on one’s heart, soul, and mind. When I was 4 years old, I joined Karate, a Japanese martial art. I was really short, just about 4 feet, however I was considered pretty well by my peers and teachers. I was able to quickly learn the techniques and do them precisely and with vigor. As a result, I participated and won many tournaments in both local and national level at youth divisions. However, there was one tournament that was at the national qualifier level. Shortly before this event I had reached black belt level. The organization for this tournament were such that everyone ages 18 and under in the rank of black belt were put together in one group. At that time I was 10 years old, just about 80 …show more content…
Weapons and katas are the events designed for demonstration of people skills measuring the precision of the moves but sparring is fighting against opponent, measures the tackling and attacking skills against opponent. In the tournament, the events were in the order katas, weapons and sparring. In weapons and katas, I surprised myself. I was placed first in the group. I did not expect even to be qualified for the round considering my age and physique, but my grueling amounts of practice that I had done before, and my dedication to Karate, that I still continue, really paid off. That was a proud moment for me, my parents and my coach. At the same time, nothing could have prepared me for the pain I was about to experience in the Sparring round. In the Sparring round, my first few fights were manageable as I used my small stature and my skills to weave around a lot of my opponent’s attacks. But by the 7th fight I was gasping for air. It was at this fight that I had totally exhausted myself and within seconds the referees called my opponent the victor, seeing that I had not even an inkling of a chance to