Northwestern Taekwondo Club performed demonstrations of kicking, punching, board-breaking and dancing as part of its second annual Taekwondo Show in Fisk Hall on Saturday evening.
McCormick sophomore and co-team captain Grace Kaung said members worked long hours over the past weeks to prepare for the showing.
The performance began with taekwondo forms — fundamental movements in a sequence to simulate a fight — that were showcased in belt-level order, beginning with white belts and ending with black belts.
During the event, members also demonstrated breaking multiple boards in quick succession with punches and flying kicks. One member jumped over three others to kick a board.
Weinberg junior and co-team captain Minji Cho said she was excited by the energy the audience brought to the performance, especially during the board-breaking. The performances also helped foster team bonding, she said.
“I think the performance aspect of (Taekwondo) is really cool,” Cho said. “But I also think it’s a very small subset of the variety of things you can do in Taekwondo.”
Cho said she joined the Taekwondo Club because it helped her connect with her culture. She added that she’s gained confidence, helping improve her mental health.
The black belt members, including Kaung and Cho, showcased weapons used in taekwondo. One member demonstrated nunchucks while two other members demonstrated the use of staffs.
The NU Aikido Club was also invited for a guest performance. Aikido is a Japanese martial art focusing on self-defense with its techniques focusing on “rendering an attacker useless,” said McCormick senior and NU Aikido Club Treasurer Tomomi Kawaguchi.
“One of the techniques we do is something called a timing throw,” Kawaguchi said. “Essentially what you want is to get the timing right to use your opponent’s momentum to throw them and pin them down.”
Senior members of NU Aikido demonstrated advanced techniques, such as throwing someone over one’s hip and landing sprawled on their back.
After the show, audience members were given the opportunity to break boards as part of a fundraiser for the Taekwondo Club. Many tried their hand at breaking boards with varying success.
Weinberg sophomore André Avellar said he appreciated the integration of dancing into the show.
“It was really cool to see taekwondo break the stereotype of a violent sport,” Avellar said.
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