The Inner Warrior

Journalist Esther J. Cepeda discovers her latent super hero by training in Korean sword fighting.

To most, changing up our physical regimen means adding in a challenging Bikram yoga class or trying a trend like kettlebell workouts. But when Chicago Sun-Times and Washington Post Writers Group columnist Esther J. Cepeda wanted to test her limits, she decided to learn the way of the sword.

Initially, it was the sword-wielding techniques of Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace that turned the writer on to the martial art. “Then Kill Bill 1 and 2 came out, and I said, ‘Oh my God, I want to be a sword fighter!” she recalls.

But it wasn’t until her son came home from school with a flyer about a local martial arts studio offering sword fighting that she discovered she could find her inner warrior in her own neighborhood. “It’s just one of those things where I always wanted to be a badass,” she quips. “That’s pretty much what drives it all.”

At first, Ms. Cepeda began taking classes in Koryo Gumdo, which focuses on meditation and physical development, at Tiger Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts studio in Round Lake, Illinois. Soon, she opted for a bigger challenge and began taking classes with Grandmaster Jung Kyu Cheon in Haedong Kumdo, which is traditional Korean sword fighting for real battles. It uses form techniques, sparring, across the floor drills and cutting to practice for field combat. People who practice Haedong Kumdo use several different kinds of training swords: the Jukdo is made of bamboo and the Mok Gum, a longer sword, is either aluminum or wood.

Class begins with a 15 minute warm-up consisting of a run around the studio, shoulder and striking movements, jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, a stretch counted out in Korean and other form drills. The main part of class consists of lunging, small stance squatting and traveling up and down the studio with a training sword. Students also learn how to cut objects like newspaper or bamboo, and to snuff out candles with the edge of the sword. These exercises teach trainees to make movements more exact and definite. “I felt lost at the beginning. I felt like a total weakling,” says Ms. Cepeda. Having practiced over a year, she says, “I’ve come a long way.”

Similar to other martial arts like karate, Haedong Kumdo incorporates a belt system. At the first belt test, students snuff out one candle; by the black belt test, they’re up to 11 candles. Belt tests are every two months for about two years, with the exception of the black belt test, which is given a six month time period for study and practice. Ms. Cepeda is currently three-fourths of the way through the program and will test for her black belt next fall.

For the Cepeda household, it didn’t take long for martial arts to become a family affair. Ms. Cepeda’s husband and youngest son, age 10, also practice Haedong Kumdo and her eldest son, age 13, practices Hapkido.

“It’s good exercise,” she explains. “It’s good discipline like any other martial art. You’re taught perseverance and spirit, courtesy and respect. It was good for me to be a part of that, as I wanted my kids to internalize those values.”

For those interested in learning the way of the sword, Ms. Cepeda suggests not looking up YouTube videos, but instead, observing a live class. “Martial arts require a tremendous amount of commitment,” she points out. “It’s mental, intellectual and physical commitment. It’s so worthwhile, nourishing and makes you grow as a person and physically. But if you’re thinking of doing this, you really have to understand the level of determination you need to put into it in order to get what you want.”

Tagged as: Esther J. Cepeda, Chicago Sun-Times, Washington Post and fitness