Don’t Be So Quick To Judge The Kick

(At the time of this story, I am a red belt in Taekwondo, which is one step away from being a black belt. During this class, a new kid shows up with his dad to try out a few classes before doing any serious investments.)

Teacher: *after warm-ups* “[My Name], pair up with Mr. [New Kid] while we do some kicking drills.”

(I pair up with the kid, and my teacher explains how to do a proper front kick. After a few kicks, I notice the kid is getting sloppy.)

Me: “Hold on. That’s not right. Be sure to re-chamber, and raise your toes so that when you kick, you don’t break them.”

(The kid starts to follow my directions, and by the end of the class, is doing so well with just that one kick, our teacher is impressed. After class, I have to walk home. As soon as I walk out of the building, a man LEAPS out from behind the stairs of the patio and PINS me by the neck against the wall of the building.)

Man: “Why the f*** did you talk to my son like that!?”

(I recognize the man as the kid’s father.)

Me: “W– What…?”

Man: “You have the nerve to tell my son during the class that he was doing a kick wrong, and then you have the f****** nerve to act like you don’t f****** know?!”

(The man is about to punch me, and I’m so scared and dazed that I can’t really defend myself. Before the man even makes it half-way, I see a blur of white, and find my teacher standing with her feet on top of the man’s shoulders, pinning him to the ground.)

Teacher: “One: Do NOT EVER speak to one of my students like that! Two: She was helping improve your son’s kick in class. Three: You have just f***ed with the wrong teacher.”

(The kid from earlier comes from a car and just stares as his dad flails around spitting out curses as my teacher calls the police. The kid acts extremely calm about this, and I wonder what’s going on.)

Me: “Why are you so calm about your dad about to get arrested?”

Kid: “This has happened before. This was his last chance to be nice about it and not try to kill someone about something.”

(The police come in a few minutes, and after reviewing security footage and listening to our testimonies the dad is taken away. The best part? When we appear in court and the kid is asked to the stand, he says this:)

Kid: “My dad was always overprotective. But this was never something he should’ve done in any shape or form. Personally, I think he deserves it.”