Harry Wake has a T-shirt that his wife made for him. It simply says: ‘It is what it is’
It’s a mantra that he has taken with him through his life. Through the ups, through the downs, and everything in between.
It is that philosophy that has seen him commit over half of his life to Taekwondo – 46 years in total – with a pure dedication to overcoming hurdles, doing things right and constantly challenging himself.
Last year, after close to five decades of practicing the Martial Art, the Koryo Taekwondo Hartlepool instructor achieved 8th Dan, and therefore securing Grandmaster status. It is a rank held by only a select few across the country, and one that reflects a lifetime of commitment to teaching, learning and leading by example.
But if you ask Harry about it, he’ll shrug it off in typical fashion.
“I’ve got it. I’ve worked hard for it. I’ve done a lot of years for it. But I’m not anyone special. I’m a normal person who can just go on with it. Just do it. Just put your mind to it.”
To Harry Wake: ‘It is what it is’
Harry began Taekwondo in 1980, taught by Dickie Pallister and Gavin Musgraves during his early days, before becoming part of the Koryo Taekwondo group of clubs in the north east.
Having dipped his toe into Kyorugi in his younger years, he soon realised that it was the Martial Art side of things that appealed to him the most, with the perfectionist in him keeping that passion alive throughout the years to come.
That focus on being flawless is something he also takes pride in during his coaching, as he leads by example at the front of class, week in, week out.
“I’ve never stopped training. Sometimes I’ve done one, two, sometimes four nights a week. But when I train, even though I run the club, I always do the exercises and I do the training as well. I find it very hard not to do it.”
“I’m here for the majority of people. They do Taekwondo because they enjoy it. Mine’s fitness based. Some people might call it extreme fitness, but you just keep pushing it.”
“I like things done right. I like things done properly. I’m a bit of a picky person for people doing it right to the point where you always say, I might be picky, but it gets you a black belt. There’s only one way to do it, and that’s to do it right.”
It is that honouring of tradition and honing of precision that Grandmaster Wake craves, and his Taekwondo journey has been a pursuit of perfection from day one.
There have been setbacks along the way; repeated attempts at Dan Gradings have been hurdles that have been overcome. Some may have given up when they couldn’t go any further, but Harry’s persistence has always seen him through. After all, ‘It is what it is.’
“I failed my first dan first. I failed my sixth dan. I failed my seventh dan. I just had a bad day and I work out what I did wrong, I’m going to improve, go back and just pass it.”
That mindset shaped his approach to 8th Dan. He was determined there would be no repeat.
The step from 7th to 8th Dan represents a major leap. It is not just technical. It is philosophical and a journey of personal development.
“It’s a personal challenge for yourself, that’s all it was for me. I’ve been doing it for 45 years. This is the top for me.
“Yes, there’s one more to do, but 8th Dan Grandmaster’s the top. Achievement of a lifetime, that sort of thing.”
Having done his 5th Dan Grading in Korea in 2005, the surroundings were nothing new when he made the journey to the Kukkiwon last year, making the trip a lot less daunting than it otherwise could have been.
Dobok on. Dojang waiting, this is where Harry comes into his own. A select few stepped foot on the mats to start their date with destiny.
“I actually had no nerves. You do four hours training. I love training, so that’s my thing.
“I think it was five of us taking 8th Dan and two taking 9th Dan. There were people from Singapore, Australia, Netherlands, quite a few different places.
“You look at them and you think, we’re all doing similar stuff and we’ve all been doing that across the world.”
During his performance, he missed a single block. Something that still wrangles him when we discuss the day’s events months on. The perfectionist in him coming out once again:
“I did my part and I missed one block out, which kicked me because I think I’ve done right. I just had a total mental block for a split second.
“I still landed back on the mark where I should be and continued doing the rest, It was more annoying than anything else. I like things done right. And it just made me think, did I pass or didn’t I?”
Having taken his grading at the earliest possible opportunity – six months before his certificate was due – Harry was left with an agonising long wait for results, and thoughts ruminating about what decision was going to be made.
One block. Just one block.
November finally came, and after a holiday to Florida with his family, the news that he had been waiting for was there waiting for him online.
“I’m one of these people that put myself down, and then, because I’ve done something wrong, you think the worst.
“But on that day in November I went downstairs, opened my iPad, and there’s the T-Con with eighth Dan written on.
“That was a really nice feeling. There were tears in my eyes. It was just such a relief.”
With his new 8th Dan comes the title Grandmaster, a distinction few hold within British Taekwondo, but it won’t surprise you that Harry hasn’t changed a jot since that fateful day in November.
“I don’t know how many there are in the country, there’s not a great deal, but for me, it’s Harry. That’s my name.”
He is still committed to his work with Koryo, and on the days he isn’t performing patterns he is teaching Legs, Bums and Tums and Boot Camp classes with Hartlepool Borough Council. There can’t be many fitter 60-somethings in the country. Oh, and he continues to work as a joiner as well.
“I enjoy work, same as the Taekwondo. I enjoy it, so it’s not really work.”
“We don’t get paid at Koryo we’re non-profit making. All the money goes back to the club. It becomes your life.”
“It’s a family. Everyone looks after each other. Mother and son, daughter and dad, Taekwondo can be something they have in common that they can do together.
“When they pass the black belt, they go along the line and shake people’s hands and they thank you. That’s why I do it.”
“It’s not the ones who find it easy, it’s the ones who find it hard. They’re better. The smile on their faces when they get the black belt makes up for it all.
“At Koryo, there is no such word as can’t. Not able to yet. But no such word as can’t.”
Challenging himself and challenging others, Harry Wake’s is a life where there is always another goal to be set. In many ways, he found his perfect environment in Taekwondo, a Martial Art that demands constant respect and commitment to travel on its path.
“You don’t have to be top of the tree. You just have to be a normal person like me, put a bit of work into it, put a bit of passion into it and keep going.
“I’d like to thank everyone at Koryo for helping me get to this stage, Grandmaster Ian Leafe, Master Tom Stammer, Master Sharon Pounder and Master Leanne Armstrong, I couldn’t have done it without your help and support.
“Next thing you know, I’ve just done my 8th Dan. And it’s 45 years, 46 years down the line. Where’s the time gone?”
The whole way through that journey, that steady, grounded, relentless philosophy is what has carried Harry Wake from a beginner in 1980 to 8th Dan Grandmaster today.
“It is what it is. You have a bad day? Get on with it. Better tomorrow.”
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