Cosette Pease recently made the cover of She Magazine, a popular magazine for women based out of Sioux Falls, SD. Pease, a 2nd Degree Level 4 Black Belt, is a student and trainer at Tiger-Rock Martial Arts of Sioux Falls. In the featured article, Pease talks about her journey through Taekwondo and the benefits of participating in the sport.

Pease originally took up Taekwondo so that she could spend more time with her family, but she quickly realized that Taekwondo something more than just simple self-defense. She had also believed that once she reached black belt that she would be done. However, Pease says, "You realize that the black belt is the beginning of the journey. You think by the time you get to black belt you'll know everything and have it all mastered, but that's not the case. You're starting to see openings in your sparring and get better at strategizing. You just want to continue." She grew to love the challenge that Tiger-Rock Taekwondo presented to her and was inspired to obtain her Certified Personal Trainer license.

The physical benefits of Taekwondo are something that Pease enjoys as well. As someone who has always been into fitness, she found that Taekwondo stressed the importance of body alignment and the power needed to execute different movements. Being aware of one's own body alignment and the connection that makes into building power is one of the main teachings in Tiger-Rock Martial Arts. "Before you start," Pease said, "You're not really sure what to expect, because you see people doing forms and breaking boards, but you don't really realize how much coordination is involved, or that sparring is one of the best calorie burners there is."

Learning self-defense skills is another benefit to participating in Taekwondo, but Pease stresses the importance of continuing that education rather than taking one or two classes. "You can go to a self-defense class once and find it to be really helpful, but you're going to forget it if you aren't practicing it regularly … That's something you develop by being disciplined so that it becomes more natural," she stated. Providing the opportunity for members to learn and apply self-defense skills is something included in every training session. Tiger-Rock students regularly practice escape skills and counter-aggression skills, and they are tested on those skills as well. These are skills that are stressed so that they become second nature to the students.

Although Taekwondo is a great physical sport that provides valuable skills, it is also a sport that students enjoy and have fun participating in. Many enjoy sparring against one another, and Pease is no different. "It's kind of a thrill when you line up against a big guy and you can hold your own and land a shot on him," she said. "And it's a great stress relief, too. We're serious about it, but there's a fun aspect to it where you've gotten to know the people who have been doing it for awhile. There's just a fun factor, too, of being able to hit somebody in the head and then laugh and do a fist bump and say, 'That was awesome!'"

Whether you are looking for a great fitness opportunity, a new sport, time to release stress, or a way to spend more time with kids – Tiger-Rock Taekwondo has it all!