Little Dragons Magical Corner My Journey By: Linda Bustamante Padron “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
Humble Beginnings Growing up with martial arts being such an influential part of my family, some of my most cherished memories were that of training with my father and going to the bookstore. I remember so clearly being 5 years old, following my father’s instructions as he would guide me through every stretch, strike, block, and kick and it was due to my father guiding me in our backyard that made me respect and devote myself to the martial arts. After my father would have a lesson with me, he would sit me down and talk to me about the individuals that influenced and motivated him. He would then proceed to pick up a martial arts magazine and educate me about the living legends we know today. Every month was a new adventure as my parents would take me to our local bookstore so I could familiarize myself with the legends I heard about after our training sessions. Looking back, it must have been a sweet moment to capture a father and daughter discussing the beginnings of a lifelong love of the fighting arts and how magazines were a means to educate, and showcase one’s hard work and talents. These monthly family trips to 18 January 2021 / taekwondotimes.com
our local bookstore planted a seed, that one day, my stories, experiences, and accomplishments would be featured in martial art magazines.
Black Belt Beginnings Every martial artist must have confidence to fulfill whatever one chooses to set their mind to, determination to broaden one’s knowledge in the arts, and humility that demonstrates gratefulness and appreciation for the ones who helped you get to where you are today. When one earns their black belt, it is much more than just the belt; earning a black belt is the result of the hard work one puts in achieving that ranking, but the most important thing is knowing that earning your black belt is not the end but rather just the beginning of a long and fruitful journey in the martial arts. For me, that day started on January 30, 2006 when I earned my 1st degree black belt in the art of GojuRyu Japanese Karate and earned my 4th degree black belt six years later. In 2010, I earned my 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and most recently in 2020, I ranked in Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. If the arts are a way of life, then we must continually be a student of life, ever changing with the times, and honing one’s craft; therefore, I feel that becoming a black belt is just the beginning. Growing up, one of the columns that I loved reading came from Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine. The column was titled, Black Belt Beginnings, and that
