Kashish Malik is an Indian taekwondo athlete (57kg). She has represented India at the Asian Games in 2018 and reached the Quarter-finals. She is currently training under Peace Taekwondo Academy and is supported by the Virat Kohli Foundation.
According to her “Every struggle in your life has shaped you into the person you are today. Be thankful for the hard times. They can only make you stronger”
Catch Kashish Malik, Taekwondo Champion in conversation with Women Fitness President, Ms. Namita Nayyar as she unfolds her success story.
N.N.
You are the youngest athlete to have won a Gold medal in the South Asian Games 2019 in the 57kg category in Kathmandu, Nepal. Share the journey that motivated you to take up Taekwondo as a profession and win the medal.
K.M.
As a matter of fact, nothing motivated me to come up and look forward to this sport as professionally. Back in 2014, my dreams were on a different path, it was an IAS dream which I was looking forward but life has a better plan for you that’s what I think. When I was 14 I went into a bad fight with a boy and at the same time taekwondo coach of my school came up and tried to stop, he forced me and challenged me to come up into this sport for a month, and check my ability. I think it was a time where for the very first time I took a challenge and never look back, that’s the turning point where my dreams fall on a different path. I am blessed to have such a family where they supported me in my every career decision, when I adopt this sport professionally I joined peace taekwondo academy in 2015 end, whose coach is the World champion and who is from Afghanistan. At different ages of my life, there was different kind of motivations and inspirations that inspired me. Very first it was my coach then later different personalities. I am not stuck or dependent on motivation to do something in my life. It is my goals that derive from me.
I got a Knee ACL tear just before 2 months of the World championship and I consulted with the doctor that I need to play in this championship no matter what. After seeing my crazy passion to play my doctor got convinced and told me to do the rehab along with my training and before the final go-ahead from him I was supposed to clear the medical strength exam of my knee and I focused on that completely but unfortunately, our Taekwondo team couldn’t go due to some reasons. I got disheartened that I risked my knee and focused on that championship and still couldn’t make it. But then I decided that I won’t look back instead I will focus on the upcoming championship which was the South Asian Games 2019 and before that I had exactly 7 months to go for surgery and do rehab and then back to training and qualify for the trials to play this Tournament.
My doctor advised me it’s next to impossible to come back in 7 months but I insisted he advises me and helps me in my rehab so I can recover fast. It was the toughest time. Any athlete who would have gone through injury in their life would completely relate to my situation. I had two options to choose either I’ll focus and believe in me that I can do it or else I just give up. I choose to fight and I did get selected in the trials to play for this tournament. I think nothing is more motivating than your goals. We need to have a purpose in our life. When I got a purpose, when I got my goals that’s what motivated me they derived me to achieve and to get medals for my country.
N.N.
As a sports person according to you what are the five key essentials to succeed?
K.M.
There are many essential keys to achieving success but the first five are –
1. The very first and important one is to be self-honest. Being self-honest is the first important key that will succeed you in your life. Regardless of your situation is you have to be honest with yourself.
2. the Second key is to have passion. You need to have a passion for your respective sport. Passion is something that will break your limits and will define your ability to achieve. Passion is something that will derive you towards your goals. It is very important to have passion. Without passion, you can’t move.
3. the Third key is to have self-commitment. Self-commitment is something that will wake you up every morning to hustle. There will be times where an athlete can’t be every time motivated but it will be self-commitment that will derive you towards your goals.
4. the Fourth key is to believe. Believe is a powerful word. If applies and implemented in your life you can break impossible to possible. The world will be yours if you believe in yourself.
5. the Fifth key is to have a positive personality. An athlete should be optimistic. Regardless of what the situation is he/she needs to look situation positively or should change that situation in a positive way. We can’t predict anything nor we can guarantee our plans or goals but what we can predict and guarantee is to be a wonderful human being.
N.N.
Please share your daily exercise & fitness routine while training for competition & as a routine? How do you like to kick start your day?
K.M.
We have different training plans for a championship or for the offseason. We train full year. When a championship is close we train in a different way, our coach has different plans for it. We train 5 times a week including morning*evening per day.
As taekwondo is a weight management sport, we need to manage our weights prior to our competition. We need to take care of our diet and the respective weight we are competing for. I like to start my day with a cup of coffee with a bowl of fruits and dry fruits with a spoon of honey.
N.N.
Your daily diet? Any specific foods you try to avoid? Share Top 5 foods essential for a taekwondo player?
K.M.
As a matter of fact, taekwondo is a weight management sport. It is a martial art where an individual body has to be lean and muscular.
We are not allowed to consume such foods which make our muscle mass decrease or it is bad for our body.
For me personally, I am the kind of person who doesn’t like junk foods, cold drinks or any such things, also my nutritionist is also happy and is very easy to go me with. I do not have any kind of cravings which I need to restrict myself. I do not eat spicy and oily foods. Also, no sweeteners.
5 foods that are essential as a taekwondo player are –
As an individual, it depends on a person whether he/she is a vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Depending on those circumstances h/she needs to fulfill his diet recruitment from those sources.
Foods are – green leafy vegetables, chicken breast, boiled eggs, kidney beans, and brown rice.
N.N.
Any memory that has stayed with you since the time you won a medal?
K.M.
Since I started playing this sport I have had a lot of memories which have stayed forever. But since the time I won a medal, there is a memory of mine. At the time of the 2018 Asian Games, Jakarta (Indonesia) when I went into the quarter-finals with Korea, I was so close to bagging the medal but unfortunately, I didn’t. I was so shattered at that moment which was unbearable for me at that moment. This is the memory that has stayed in my mind.
N.N.
How is the Taekwondo scene in India for women? How essential is self-defense for a female to learn?
K.M.
Since taekwondo is an unrecognized sport in India, at the same time people do not look forward to this sport as a professional or a carrier choice making. They support their daughters by just sending them to learn self-defense. Everyone knows this is a martial art but taekwondo has its own identity. Lack of knowledge and awareness about this sport has brought people’s mentality disguised. As individually speaking, it is very important to learn self-defense or any kind of martial arts. Especially for women, martial arts not only make you physically strong but also mentally. It teaches you a lot many things in your life.
N.N.
According to you, “Taekwondo is about flexibility, accuracy, speed, and power.” How can anyone develop the key essentials? Hours of practice that go into the making of a winner?
K.M.
Taekwondo is a difficult martial art, one individual needs to have flexibility, accuracy, speed, power, endurance, and many more qualities to enhance their performance. As it is a Korean national sport, every two years this sport is changing in terms of techniques – tactics or overall. One needs to adapt to this sport fast in changing period of time. These keys can be developed by hard work which includes your training, sleep quantity, good diet, and recovery sessions.
One individual cannot define how many hours will take them to develop these keys, as each individual body and mind are different to adapt. One can achieve in a short period of time or one needs to have the patience to develop.
N.N.
Where do you go for training? How have you been coping during COVID with sports events being postponed?
K.M.
I train at peace taekwondo academy powered by sports cube centre, Gurgaon. As per the COVID situation, the whole world and respective sports athletes are facing this situation. I have been mentally strong in those days when the championship got postponed. I was been selected for the Asian qualification for Olympics also for the Asian championship. But our team visa got canceled due to the COVID situation. As it was a downfall for our team but I personally had a conversation with my psychologist which made me feel better and gave me a different perspective to see. I cope with the situation better and know that I have to pursue this sport in my entire life. Regardless of what the situation is but there will be times where opportunities will knock. Opportunities are never-ending, if not today tomorrow it will be, that’s what I believe and I just wanted to focus on my goals.
N.N.
5 tips to maintain optimum mental health?
K.M.
- First, the sport itself makes you mentally strong, and especially when it comes to martial art ( Taekwondo) one needs to be fearless and have courage. Taekwondo is a sport that first makes you mentally strong.
- Secondly, professional athletes should maintain a diary that strives for their self-confidence, beliefs, have a positive mindset, and make them mentally strong.
- Third, one individual should be surrounded in a positive environment that makes him/ her calm, which again opts him a positive mindset.
- Fourth, one individual should develop a habit of reading books or any kind of knowledge-seeking videos. This will help an athlete to enhance a more positive attitude and mindset.
- Last but not the least, psychologists play an important role in a life of athletes of their respective sport. This will definitely help them to seek different angles and perspectives to see their sport.
N.N.
Share Your Future Goals & plans?
K.M.
I have defined my goals in two categories which are short-term and long-term. Watching the situation of Covid-19 I can’t predict my future goals and plans. We have Asian games next year, looking forward to it. Also, we have open championships this year but we can’t predict as they can be canceled or get postponed in the coming future. Right now my goal is to train and get much exposure to training camps and championships.
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