The image is clear in my head: an eleven year old Taekwondo student performing his pattern, his head swiveling and his eyes darting left, right and behind. Not because it’s part of his pattern, but rather because he is working so hard to watch other kids doing their patterns.
He’s not doing this to admire their form. He’s not doing it to try and learn from them or get hints as to how he can become better. He’s watching to try and be sure that they aren’t performing their pattern better than he is performing his. The irony is that because he is focusing on others, his own pattern greatly suffers. The further irony is that if he does his pattern with self-focus, he can do it rather well. I also know that he is probably hoping that they somehow stumble, so that he looks better. Continue reading
An Unlikely Master 
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