My Date with Martial Arts!!!

Come, October 8,1995!!! It was a beginning of a new chapter in my life and an exciting one at that…Probably, i would say i was tested physically for the first time in my life!!! It was time to show my brawn and boy ,i did wonderfully well!!! It was the first INTER-SCHOOL TAE-KWON DO competition organised by the Indian Martial Arts Association  at St.Joseph’s High School, Residency road,Bangalore..

I still vividly remember the  sunday   morning of October the  8th, 1995.. i got up lousily from bed and half heartedly got ready for the competition!!! There was absolutely   no preparation from my side.. my coach had trained  me  so  well, that i did not bother to prepare!! I knew that my Kick into the opponents forehead was my greatest trump card and i had to use  it wisely!!!

I reached St.Josephs school at 8 in the morning with my father !! My match was scheduled at 12 against opponent who was a  yellow  belter!!! I was a beginner at that time  and i had earned a white belt !!! In the meanwhile, i was watching   the  other matches being played and picked up a few stunts from them!!! My turn came and i stepped into the arena and so did my opponent!!! The refereee blew the whistle and the match was underway!!! It was a close match tho, he was kicking right into my ribcage and i had fallen twice for that kick!! but then i got up and punched him in his abdomen  which made him bend and i delivered an elbow punch which felled him!!! i must say he was a tough opponent because he kept coming back at me.. i never gave up and this was when i decided to use my trump card–The Forehead kick!! I came  running and delivered that kick right into  his forehead  from which he never recovered!! Time up and the bell rang.. the referee lifted my hand and  man didnt i win in an emphatic way!!! It was an important win for me because i snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!!! I didnt even have breakfast that day!!! I was advised to take egg-beaten milk which i didnt!!! My father fed me with a plate of idlis after the match!!

Opponent in the air!!!

 The next match was at 2.30. This was a relatively easier match i should i say because i won the match comfortably!! The opponent wasnt that tough unlike the previous one.. so my punches were sufficient to put me in a great position .. i gave one final blow  and he went down like a pack of cards!!! i won it easily!!! I was into the semi-finals and  my joy knew no bounds!!! My father was a happy man and he had more  belief  in me than i had in myself!! He was ecstatic when i got through to the semi-finals!!!

The semi -final match was scheduled at 6 in the evening!!!! And this was the toughest of all the the three matches which i eventually lost!!! The opponent was so powerful that his kicks and blows were hurting me.. all i could do was block, block and only block his punches!!! He delivered one  kick into my ribcage and i went down..i knew i had to do something extavagant to beat this guy!!..i knew he was vulnerable to my kicks because he did not know what to do when i actually kicked him!!   But then he came up with a shot of his own which felled me!!! I never got up from that blow and he was declared winner!!! The jury told me that i played a very good match and i lost it by a whisker!!!The reason for that was my defence was not great !!!! But overall i was satisfied  with  my performance and i was awarded the bronze medal under the white belt category!!! It was the most satisfying day of my life!! I couldn’t have dreamt of anything bigger than this. My parents were too happy for me !!!

My version of Super kick!!!

And  the  rest is history!!! I was bed ridden for two months after the tournament  because of a para    typhoid attack. Chucked school and stayed at home !!!My mother told me “You are no longer going for karate classes”!!!  My Martial arts career came to an abrupt end!! I was so disappointed!!! After that my life came back to normal and i was like any other student!!! When ever im down i think about this tournament and it rejuvenates me .. its a confidence booster for me!!! It makes for a very good nostalgia!!!!It was a path breaking journey for me!!

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