Interested in a club that helps you build confidence and learn how to protect yourself? Then look no further than MBU’s recently established Taekwondo Club, where you can have fun learning kicks, breaking boards and fostering friendships.
“You’re trying to make as good a people as possible, and martial arts just happens to use blocks, kicks, punches and grappling to do it.” – Dayne Edinger
MBU’s Taekwondo Club, new this school year, meets once a week in the SRC’s group fitness room, teaching students the essentials of Taekwondo in a fun, character-building environment. Led by public safety officer Dayne Edinger, students have the opportunity to learn from an expert in the field, alongside peers with a common interest.
Edinger, who has been learning and practicing Taekwondo since he was 5 years old, instructs the club meetings, which have been growing in size since they began last semester.
Edinger, who has been working at MBU since October 2022, said this year it was finally time for MBU to welcome a Taekwondo club to its campus.
“I think MoBap was ready for it. … So I felt like martial arts– with it going hand-in-hand with improving academics, improving the person, and just making all around better people– I felt like this place could really use it, and so I really pushed for it… We’ve gotten a good response so far,” said Edinger.
Sienna Mose, who is a junior majoring in communications and criminal justice, was the president of the Taekwondo club last semester, and she described the club as a school with the chance to enter competitions.
“It’s really like a basic Taekwondo school. You get to test and get different colored belts. … We do have the chance to compete,” said Mose.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with Taekwondo, there are three main components.
“The first is forms, and the second is sparring and the third is breaking– so like, breaking stuff,” said Mose. “Obviously we’re not sparring or breaking stuff yet, so we’re just learning the basics of how to do basic kicks and stuff like that,” said Mose.
Taekwondo has its roots in both American and South Korean culture, making the Taekwondo club a prime opportunity for students to learn about another culture.
“I learned from a very traditional ITF [International Taekwon-Do Federation] foundation school that was very militaristic, the way it used to be taught when it was first taught and actually developed with South Korea and the United States military,” said Edinger. “When you go into a Taekwondo school you’ll always see a South Korean flag and an American flag.”
Hannah Enciso is a sophomore at MBU majoring in nursing as well as a member of the Taekwondo club, and she appreciates how the class incorporates the Korean language.
“There’s a little Korean you learn, like we’re learning to count to ten in Korean,” said Enciso.
For Enciso, the Taekwondo club has empowered her to feel safe and confident as she lives her life day-to-day.
“I would say that in trying to be an adult and go out into the world and feel confident and safe, that’s also what drew me to Taekwondo– to defend yourself in a very controlled way … to help me feel safe as a woman, as a person,” said Enciso.
Even though Taekwondo can be a rigorous practice, MBU’s Taekwondo club is a calm environment for students to learn in.
“It’s very relaxed. I mean obviously you’re expected to do certain things within respect, but other than that, it’s a very safe and relaxed environment,” said Enciso. “No one’s really going to point at you and laugh. It’s just kind of like, we all fail, we’re all in this together type of thing.”
Mose appreciates the unified community the club offers.
“We have a common interest in something, so it kind of unites you,” said Mose.
Taekwondo has the potential to shape its participants into better people, one move at a time.
“It’s really the art of better people-ing,” said Edinger. “You’re trying to make as good a people as possible, and martial arts just happens to use blocks, kicks, punches and grappling to do it.”
To truly understand Taekwondo, one must learn its core tenets.
“But really like the journey of becoming better, of learning how to defend yourself, getting in good shape, building that self-confidence, really focusing on the tenets … courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. Those are our lighthouses,” said Edinger.
MBU’s Taekwondo club has weekly on-campus meetings, in which participants will have access to equipment and instruction on various aspects of Taekwondo.
“So the way it works is some weeks we meet on Thursdays. Other weeks we meet on Tuesdays… it switches back and forth. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., group fitness room, up in the SRC,” said Edinger.
The day of the week the club will meet is announced in the weekly emails that Taira Schertz sends out about campus events.
Anyone who is interested in joining the club should reach out to Edinger.
“Reach out to me via email [[email protected]] or call public safety and ask for me… My job is to interact with the campus, so they could come talk to me about it anytime, if I’m here, or message me on Teams, email, call, whatever,” said Edinger.
While there is a $50 joining fee for the club, this shouldn’t stop anyone from getting involved.
“If you’re truly interested in doing this thing, we will find a way to make it happen– between fundraising, between donations.” said Edinger.
Edinger says the fee comes out of the student account, not out of pocket.
He wants to ensure that anyone with the desire to join the Taekwondo club can easily get involved.
“I really have set it up to where the only thing that will prevent somebody from following through on joining the club is them,” said Edinger. “I’m taking care of the 99% of how it needs to happen. I just need the 1% from them.”
Under Edinger’s strong leadership and martial arts expertise, the MBU Taekwondo club welcomes all students seeking character-development and a deeper connection with other students in the MBU community.
