On the surface, 9-year-old Connor Ervin seems like a very unassuming child.
The Clear Lake Elementary fourth-grader doesn’t say much. When he does speak, his answers are brief and to the point, but he’s polite and well-mannered.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that even though he’s not yet 10, on Nov. 22 he earned something that many work long and hard to achieve.
A black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Tae Kwon Do, the national sport of South Korea and an official Olympic event, in Korean translates roughly as ‘the way of the foot and fist?, as in kicking and punching.
Ervin, who recently moved to Oxford from Troy but still trains at Kil’s USA Martial Arts in Troy, began studying Tae Kwon Do, a Korean martial art, three and a half years ago.
?[Connor] has an outstanding personality and leadership skills,? said Master Tammy Walker, his instructor. ‘He is the student all the students are drawn to and want to be like.?
Walker, who co-owns Kil’s with her husband, Master William Walker, added that with the widespread popularity of the martial arts, young black belts aren’t so unusual. In fact, there are more children than adults in martial arts schools, she noted.
For Ervin, beginning the training stemmed from watching a cartoon.
‘I started watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I wanted to start,? he said. ‘I asked my Mom and Dad and they said sure. I like the experience you get from doing all of it and the hard work you do.?
Ervin lists the Tornado Kick as one of his favorite to perform.
Three-and-a-half years of training came down to a five-and-a-half hour test, one with lots of pushup holds (where you stay in a pushup position for a long time), sparring, self-defense technique demonstrations, punching and every kind of kick possible.
‘We did over a thousand kicks,? Ervin recalled. ‘The sparring was probably the hardest part since it’s done last when you’re all tired. You do it and have to use all your strength that’s left.?
He added that he sparred mostly against kids his own age.
While breaking boards and bricks can be an enjoyable part of Tae Kwon Do, Ervin said the Korean martial art can be beneficial for a child to use to defend themselves if a grownup ever comes up to them and tries to harm them.
As far as Kil’s, he describes it as ‘a good training school that you can learn a lot from.?
Coincidentally, Ervin earned his black belt on the same day that his instructor, Master Walker, earned her fourth-degree black belt. Maybe it’s fitting: Ervin wants someday to earn his fourth-degree black belt also.
?[Tae Kwon Do] is a great experience for him,? said Flora Ervin, his mother. ‘He got to go to the National Olympics last July at Ford field for Tae Kwon Do.?