Q and A with Emilian Boettger

Q and A with Emilian
 
Paul:  Today I am joined by 2nd Degree Emilian Boettger from Berlin, Germany. Emillian trained in our dojang during his gap year. Just a brief introduction Emilian has represented Germany in the World Championship held in Amsterdam as well as represented TTM in the Global Taekwondo Championship in Melbourne.
 
Paul: First and foremost Emillian, how were you introduced to ITF Taekwon-Do in Germany and how long have you been practicing?
 
Emillian: Hi Paul, thank you for this little interview. I was actually introduced to Taekwon-Do through my brother. Because the father of my brothers friend is my instructor in Berlin and I met him through this connection. So I wasn’t really actively searching for any kind of martial arts, it was more a connection that brought me to TKD. But after the first few training session I decided real quick that this is what I wanna do. I started when I was 7 years old, so I am practicing for 12 years now. 
  
Paul: What drives you to continue your practice in ITF Taekwon-Do and what does Taekwon-Do mean to you?
 
Emilian: Taekwon-Do is not just a sport for me. It’s more like a way of being and living. What I mean with that is that I am not separating between the training and my normal life. You can connect that and use most of the things in every day life. A good example are the tenets of Taekwon-Do, you can always use it and live like that. So Taekwon-Do gives me an orientation and that’s not all, it gives me motivation, passion, self-control, an open and free mind, joy, strength, confidence, patience and lots more. I always enjoy practicing TKD and I would be happy with all of the beautiful things we learn and practice. 
 
Paul: How were you introduced to Tam's Taekwon-Do Mudokwan?
 
Emilian: I knew that I was going to Australia for a whole year and I needed and wanted to continue training. So I was looking for a dojang in Sydney and I had lots of help through Anastasia Alexandridou, president of TKD Germany, and I am super grateful for that. She contacted Master Michael Muleta in Melbourne and he referred me to GM Tam Fook Chee. That’s how I found TTM. 
  
Paul: Can you elaborate on your experience on your experience training in TTM?
 
Emillian: The whole year practicing TKD with TTM has been a real pleasure and I am not lying when I say that I enjoyed every single training session. It’s very simple why. The whole training atmosphere and what you can learn is amazing. Every single person really wants to learn something, is focused the whole time and listens when there are new instructions and that makes the whole group dynamic very comfortable. Next to that I was able to improve in nearly every session, so the level of TKD at TTM is very high and that is brilliant. I especially enjoyed the specific technique training with lots of details and the great analyzing of sparring training, where I was able to improve a lot, especially in movement and when I have to do what kind of move. Furthermore, I really appreciated the big variety of training methods and, and that is probably the most important thing, everyone at TTM is super friendly and open. 
 
Paul: Excellent that's great, I hope it goes a long way in your journey. Can you describe in your own words GM Tam Fook Chee's and Sabum Mayumi's approach to Taekwon-Do?
 
Emilian: GM Tam Fook Chee and Sabum Mayumi have both such a huge passion for TKD, that is amazing. You can really feel it in every situation in training when they are instructing something and that is super important and beautiful for all students. What I think is, and that is close connected what I said about my passion for TKD, that TKD is not just a sport or a job for them, it is connected to life and really a way of thinking and being. Exactly that is perfect for instructing TKD and all students can feel that. Next to that, both but especially GM Tam Fook Chee has so much experience, so much knowledge and such a long and successful journey in TKD and that is nothing you can just achieve next to something else. TKD needs to be your life and that’s in my opinion the case here. 
 
Paul: Can you provide something that you have learned during your tenure in our dojang that you can take with you when you return to Germany?
 
Emilian: First of all I was able to improve during this year and that is something I am definitely going to take home. I improved my rhythm in patterns, my strategy and timing in sparring and learned lots of new methods how you can train and instruct certain things. I learned to do certain techniques differently and I am really looking forward to take these things back home to my dojang and show my knowledge. But next to that and that is probably even more valuable for me, I learned to be even more open in the world of TKD. Because I have been practicing TKD my whole life in one dojang with my instructor and here I learned to go to new dojangs and train with other people because it is worth it. You improve a lot and especially make new friends. 
 
Paul: Thank you very much for your time, Taekwon. 
 
 
 Paul Z