July 2: Flying Kicks

There are lots of ways to get your kicks this long 4^th of July weekend. Fireworks on the beach. Concerts. Swimming in the ocean. The list goes on. But some of you just might enjoy checking out some very literal kicks too. And punches. The AAU Youth and Adult Taekwondo National Championships are going on right here in Fort Lauderdale. The weeklong tournament at the Broward County Convention Center wraps up over the holiday. If you're a sports fan, or martial arts enthusiast, this will be the place to head for some fun. I may just check it out myself. I have some real personal history with martial arts, including taking both judo and taekwondo lessons for a while when I was a teen. I was the neighborhood smart kid who had been bullied a lot and these classes gave me a new confidence in my ability to stop this problem. I was never bullied again - and luckily, never had to use the training for real.

I've also written a book for kids about martial arts, which I'm glad to say remains in print. And I've interviewed Olympic karate champions too. All of this has provided me with a real appreciation for the discipline, training and plain hard work required to excel in any of the martial arts.

Taekwondo is one of my favorites. It's really just another form of karate that originated in Korea - the Korean word loosely translated means, "way of the foot and fist." For good reason. In this martial art, you learn to defend and attack using primarily your feet and hands, though knees, elbows, arms and other parts come into play often as well. In 2000, that method of self-defense became an Olympic sport. This weekend at the convention center, you'll see some of our nation's best taekwondo athletes in action. It's totally exciting in person, believe me. These folks don't mess around. Wearing helmets and pads, they go full contact with furious punches and flying kicks and roundhouses that can lay each other out cold on the mat. I've actually seen that happen. Whoa. It's serious and it's fast. I really recommend the tournament if you're at all curious about this sort of thing. A very different way to get your kicks over the 4^th. Whatever you do, though, have a great holiday in the Fort Lauderdale area. Should be fun!