The NYU Sport Taekwondo Club is known for giving its members a beating, but that’s part of the appeal. Besides being a healthy, legal and safe way to kick and punch other students, the team prides itself on teaching discipline, teamwork and commitment.
Founded 20 years ago by Master Mark Lesly, the taekwondo team has become one of NYU’s largest club sports, with 55 current members. Many students credit taekwondo for learning values they will carry for the rest of their lives.
“You gain a lot of discipline and philosophy on how to live your life,” Stern junior Michael Jiang said. “It sounds cliche, like what you see in movies, but it’s true.”
Head coach Timothy Marmo teaches his students five tenets of taekwondo, which include courtesy, perseverance, integrity, self-control and indomitable spirit. Students are also taught to bow to opponents before matches and when entering or exiting the dojang (the team’s practice room) out of respect for their master, their country and their art.
CAS sophomore Ajay Palaparty said the lessons he’s learned from taekwondo transcend the sport.
“Before joining taekwondo I wasn’t really organized, but taekwondo has taught me how to better manage my academics,” he said.
The work ethic of the team and its commitment to excellence have also prepared members to succeed in the arena. Last year, NYU finished third in the Division-II Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference. Despite losing key seniors to graduation last year, the team has fought hard to continue their success. They recently competed in National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships.
“We fielded seven students and brought home four medals,” Marmo said.
NYU competes in the Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference against Harvard, Yale, Columbia, West Point and other universities in the Northeast.
Part of the team’s success can be attributed to the solid dynamic and strong chemistry among teammates. Marmo describes his team as a group of friends and says going to a restaurant after practice with athletes is not uncommon.
Since collegiate taekwondo is a team sport, cohesiveness is extremely important. Athletes fight individual matches, but their victories contribute to a team score.
Tournaments and competitions are separated into forms and sparring. Athletes in forms are judged on their mastery of technique and expressiveness of movement. In sparring, however, athletes compete against one another, scoring points by landing attacks.
NYU’s taekwondo team is open to all students regardless of gender or experience; interest is the only requirement.
Isaac Kwan, the team’s co-captain, began taekwondo after seeing it on the silver screen.
“It is something I enjoyed from watching movies,” he said. “I’m a big Bruce Lee fan.”
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Taekwondo fair fights
