Awesome job by Olivia our student of the year for 2024.

Very well deserved.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What an amazing year it has been for this very very talented young lady.

 

Olivia earned this fully engraved award with her name on for excellent Moo Do Jaseh (Martial Way) and also for her outstanding progress this year.

I am very pleased that Olivia is training at my club, she has made many life long friends and is doing extremely well.

An award for Moo Do Jaseh is the highest award I can possibly give to any student. We often refer to our art as philosophy in action. We experience, express and live the philosophy through our Moo Do Jaseh. Moo Do Jaseh is the attitude with which we approach our art. It is present in all aspects of our training. The way we conduct ourselves inside and outside the dojang and in every day life.

When I start thinking about the student of the year award it really is a huge award for someone at our club to receive and certain qualities and criteria are needed from the student in order to be considered or in the running. 

Firstly attending class as much as possible.

Giving 100% effort and concentration every class.

There must be excellent progress throughout the year.

If they are a senior they need to have assisted juniors or new members and generally helping out in class. Soo Bahk Do is about learning and also giving back.

Olivia has more than covered all of the above but throughout this year has also gone way way further especially with her own progress.

This post is also available on our club website:-

https://www.essexsbd.com/student-of-the-week

Below is a small part of Olivia's journey so far.

Around 7 years ago I had a call from a Mum asking if her daughter could come for a trial on our club opening night.

I will never forget Olivia’s trial. A student of that calibre you don't forget.

As an instructor sometimes you get quite a few people walk through the door and within the first few seconds of seeing how they move and act you know if they are going to be good. But then sometimes you get someone walk through the door and you instantly know they are not just going to be good, they are going to be really good. Sometimes you just know someone is a natural and born to do it. That’s exactly what happened when Olivia walked through the door.

I knew from that very first class she was going to be something really really very special indeed if she continued training as she was and boy was I right. Olivia really is one in a million.

I believed in her 100% from day one as I still do. 

Being part of Olivia’s journey and seeing the amazing transformation makes me massively proud of who she has become so far and who she is still turning into, also the path and journey she is still on. This young lady has dilligently followed the Soo Bahk Do path and the foundations that were set on that very first trial class. 

There were a few big obstacles in the early days the first being confidence. Olivia just didn't believe in herself or realise how good she actually was for quite a while. Through hard training and over time we got through it and eventually the confidence came and when it did, that's when the real progress started.

Olivia went through the gradings and after a few years reached Green belt and became a youth leader. She took this role in her stride and started assisting in class. Helping any new students where needed. Upon reaching Green belt Olivia also started attending our senior class and the progress that was made in that class was phenomenal.

Olivia is so so humble as a practitioner and person and has a very kind nature. 

Her next obstacle was being scared. Not scared of sparring or anything else but being scared of hurting someone by accident if she made contact or if she put full power on her kicks or punches. I could tell she was holding back massively, probably 90% of her power. and speed. Spinning kicks were very slow but with her ultimate flexibility the kicks were still very high and looked amazing even in slow motion. The way she was kicking was actually way harder to do than if she just span faster using full power. It was only when I applied a bit more pressure and put her in a sparring situation against a higher ranking student who was actually another instructor that came down to train with us. 

I told Olivia I wanted to see full speed and power, really let it go, no excuses.  

I explained if you are both sparring and at the rank you both are if someone gets hit, it's their own fault as they shouldn't be in the position to get hit. We always train to go close but to not actually make contact in sparring. 

It was that day that I knew, when I saw her spinning round throwing those kicks, using full power and speed I was absolutely blown away as was the other instructor. I realised I had only been scratching the surface with Olivia's real ability. The technique was perfect, the timing and speed was perfect and the power was insane. Literally could have took someones head off with those kicks.

Olivia’s last grading was quite a while ago reaching 1st geup. Red Belt 2 tags. Olivia is preparing for her Cho Dan (Black belt) grading which will hopefully be in the summer next year. Olivia will make an awesome Cho Dan candidate.

I know 100% if Olivia had to defend her life or her families or friends she could literally wipe the floor with pretty much anyone if she really needed to. 

Olivia is someone I am honoured to teach every week and guide on her martial arts journey. 

She has been with me right from the start and is truly one in a million.

Our ESBD student of the year for 2024 is the one and only:- Olivia Blackaby

👊