Little Boy Breaks Down in Tears at Karate, Classmates Cheer Him on Until He Finally Smashes Board
Sometimes, the thing we need to overcome the toughest challenges is belief in ourselves and a little encouragement from those who love us. Both can go a long way toward helping us achieve our goals.
Phoenix Swonger is a martial arts student in Orlando, Florida. To earn his yellow belt, he needed to prove his learned skills to his teacher. Before advancing to the next level, he was required to kick a small wooden board in half.
When it was Swonger’s turn to shine in front of his classmates, parents and instructor at Bobby Dixon’s American Martial Arts Academy, he was feeling a little discouraged.
A viral Facebook video of the little boy’s performance shows tears welling in his eyes as he struggles to break the board.
“Yes, you can do it. Look at me. You have to hit it hard, though,” viewers can hear instructor Erik Gianini tell Swonger.
Swonger tried again and again to kick the board, to no avail. The boy, disappointed, began to cry.
It was then that the children sitting on the mat decided their classmate was in need of a little encouragement.
“Phoenix! Phoenix!” the students began to chant in unison, pounding the mat.
The burst of verbal support from his friends was exactly what Swonger needed to succeed. His kicks grew stronger and more determined. It only took two tries before one last confident kick snapped the board in two.
The dojo immediately erupted into an explosion of cheers and applause. Swonger’s classmates jumped to their feet to embrace their friend in a congratulatory group hug. The little boy’s sad expression transformed into a bright and beaming grin.
“I told you you could do it!” Gianini said to the exuberant little boy.
Swonger successfully graduated from a white belt to a yellow belt that day.
“He went from not thinking he could do it to really going in there and getting his belt and breaking that board,” Gianini said in an interview on “Fox and Friends.”
According to the boy’s mother, Claudia Swonger, he learned a crucial life lesson that day.
“My boy learned one of the most important lessons of his life today! Never, ever give up!” she captioned the viral video on Facebook.
The little boy has taught us all a valuable lesson as well. Never give up — and don’t be afraid to turn to your friends when you need a boost of encouragement.
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