FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — The deafening yells of Soldiers echoed prominently throughout the gymnasium as they swiftly kicked an opponent's body shield. The striking blows almost drowned out the coaches who bellowed commands at the team members. On the coach's signal, they all quickly assembled into a perfect huddle, stacked their hands on top of each other and shouted in unison: "One team, one fight!"
The yelling and kicking were part of a three-week training session for the All-Army Taekwondo Team, which includes seven Army Guard members, as they prepared for the U.S. National Taekwondo Championship, scheduled for July.
"Even though taekwondo is an individual sport, understanding that it takes a team to sharpen your own skill set will make them better when they are actually in the ring," said Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fennell, one of the team coaches. "Nobody can do it alone."
The training period focuses on increasing strength and flexibility, improving target accuracy and exhibiting resilience, he said.
"This is all about exploiting the skill set of kicking and your will to persevere," Fennell said.
The team's other coach, Army Maj. Punnarin Koy, added that success in taekwondo also involves avoiding high velocity kicks.
"You have to have the agility to absorb [that] and move away from that power," he said.
For Army Sgt. Thomas Huskey, a fuel supply specialist with the South Carolina Army National Guard, the training period is about maintaining the skills needed to score victories in upcoming competitions.
"Right now is not the time to 'chill out' or take a break," he said. "When we go to nationals, we want to be in tip-top shape."
Army Pvt. Niklas Poland, an infantryman with the Colorado Army National Guard, said he thrives off of taekwondo's ranking system, which mirrors military professionalism.
"The sport is very discipline based and we practice its basic tenets of courtesy and respect, which is linked to [the] Army values," he said, pointing to an example of how one with a yellow belt would render respect to an individual who holds the higher-ranking black belt.
Spc. Phillip Moses, a combat engineer with the South Carolina Army Guard, said he is taking full advantage of the limited training period.
"It's a blessing to come here, even if it's once out of the year, to hone my skills," he said.
Army Pvt. Charles Buset, an infantryman with the Colorado Army Guard, had similar feelings.
"It's great being in the Army and doing taekwondo at the same time," he said, adding that he intends on keeping his options open for Special Forces training, all the while focusing on his long-term goal: the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Fennell said the team members' commitment to both taekwondo and the military sports program speaks volumes about their character while both in and out of uniform.
"They find time on their own to train at a very high level, as opposed to doing other things that could get them into trouble," he said. "The level of discipline they need to be successful in taekwondo carries over into everything else in their lives."
For Army Pvt. David Kim, an infantryman with the Colorado Army Guard, the training inspires a warrior mindset that he brings to the ring, whether it's sparring with a team member or in an actual match.
"I train like I've never won," he said. "And when I fight in a tournament, I fight like I've never lost."
After the upcoming national championships, the coaches will select what team members will participate at the World Military Taekwondo Championship games in the Dominican Republic in October.
"They'll represent the United States military's best," Fennell said.