Tae kwon do master Pil Chung takes the MSU women’s basketball team beyond its limits every Friday.
He directs them to do hundreds of high kicks and punches until they are exhausted. Then he pushes them further.
While standing in a perfect circle, the women are squatting in a horse-riding stance and the goal is to stay there as long as they can. Chung places cups on their heads for balance.
“If you drop the cup, it means no patience,” he said, counting second by second. “If you drop the cup, it means no balance. If you drop the cup, it means no focus.”
After two minutes cups begin to fall. Chung calmly walks over to captain Candice Jackson and places her cup back on her head. “If you drop the cup, it means you move too much,” he said while pushing on the women’s shoulder forcing them to squat lower to the ground.
Their faces show pain and endurance. “I can do it!” the team shouts, repeating after Chung.
They start every exercise with the affirmation.
Chung, owner of Chung’s Taekwondo Black Belt USA, 2843 E. Grand River Ave., in East Lansing, has been teaching the women tae kwon do for 18 months.
“This class is good,” said Jackson, a family community service junior. “It’s more than learning how to fight. It’s a mental thing.”
When she started taking Chung’s class last year, Jackson thought to herself, “What am I getting myself into?”
Jackson said tae kwon do is pushing her to use her body in ways she never used it before.
“Though the class is tough,” she said. “I’ve seen physical and mental improvement on the court.”
Chung said it is his goal to increase the team’s mental endurance on and off the court.
“Tae kwon do is not just about fighting or trying to be Jackie Chan,” he said. “It goes beyond that. It’s about the mind, body and spirit.”
He charges the women to spend time each morning meditating on winning each game or passing tests. “It’s about improving your life through your way of life.”
Guard Lindsay Bowen said she is experiencing a new level of training and conditioning.
“Nobody can tell you how hard it is to workout on the college level,” she said. “You won’t know until you get here and do it.”
For Bowen, a no-preference freshman, tae kwon do has taught her to think past the pain.
“I’m learning to not think about things that are hurting,” she said. “Master Chung tells us to listen to our minds, not our bodies.”
Bowen said she’s been taking in what Chung tells her and has applied his principles on the court and is now trying to apply them off the court. “I’m still working on meditating everyday like he tells us to do,” she said.
Assistant coach Janel Grimm said the coaches are always looking for new conditioning programs for the team.
“Having the girls take tae kwon do is a good way to finish off the week,” she said. “Master Chung is teaching them mental and physical toughness. He’s trying to help us win.”
