Natalia Hong started practicing American Karate when she was eight years old. Ten years later, she’s competing in the World Karate Championships for the second time.
“I’m very much a mental fighter, one that fights with her brain,” Hong says.
Hong is now a second degree black belt in American karate. She leveled up quickly, receiving her first degree within three and a half years of training. Now she juggles the sport with college, work, Honors requirements, and her personal life.
“With college and work, karate takes a back seat,” Hong said. “School comes first.”
In addition to the busy schedule, Hong has been managing persistent wrist tendonitis since 2020. The injury, along with her hypermobility, could have been reason enough to give up the sport, especially once the pandemic hit. Instead, Hong found different ways to train and reinvigorate her love for the sport.
“I found out why I like to do karate and it’s that mental puzzle,” she said.
In addition to the mental challenge, Hong loves the artistic roots of the sport and choreographs forms for a national competitor (incidentally, she’s also a dancer).
“A lot of people don’t like to admit to the artistic side of martial arts, but martial arts is truly an art and a way of life - similar to dance.”
She’s also had to get creative in how she fits training into her schedule, reviewing tapes and working through scenarios in her head. She often has to find time in the evenings and weekends to squeeze in her sparring practice.
“Late at night, when you’re tired, you get your butt up and you go to karate - that’s kind of how it is,” she said.
Hong has found ways to incorporate the skills she learned in karate into her work as an Honors student, especially when it comes to adapting to new scenarios and making quick decisions on the spot. As a child psychology major, Hong often works with children and relies on her ability to think on her feet.
“When you’re fighting it’s less about knowing what you’re going to do and more about reading the other person,” Hong said. “When you’re working with children, it’s all about reading the other person and meeting them there.”
While Hong has reignited her love for the sport and values the skills she’s learned, she’s quick to note that there’s nothing wrong with quitting.
“Deciding you don’t want to do something because you don’t like it anymore, you don’t have time, yes it’s quitting, but quitting doesn’t [have to] have a bad connotation,” she said. “If you’re quitting to better yourself, then it’s a good reason to quit.”
She encourages other students to find balance between their competing priorities and to make sure they’re participating for their love of the sport or hobby, not because they feel pressured to.
“Find out why you have a passion for it,” she said. “If you don’t have a passion for it, find something else.”
Natalia Hong will be competing at the World Karate Championship held in Orlando, FL from October 21-27.