Here’s a collection of quotes from the Korean series, Mental Coach Jegal (2022):
On sports, athletes, and violence
“If you take a step back, your opponents will take two steps forward. No matter the situation, you must protect yourself.” – Jegal Gil
“Normal people slump and plateau, too. Athletes, even more so.” – Jegal Gil
- “My father once said that in this world, 30% is skill and 70% is luck. Those who try hard can’t beat the lucky ones.” – Jegal Gil
- “If I don’t work hard, what can I, with no connections or talent, possibly do? – Jegal Gil
“There was a time when winning was everything. When I believed the world only loved the winners, and losers are never respected.” – Jegal Gil
- “Why must we try to so hard and work ourselves to the bone? Tell the people who turned this world into a place where hard work doesn’t get you anywhere that it’s about time they tried harder!” – Jegal Gil
- “If you feel like you gave your all but couldn’t achieve something, or if you feel like you failed and were abandoned because you were incompetent, or didn’t try hard enough. If you feel that way, please let me tell you this. It’s not your fault. There was a cheater in the game you were playing.” – Jegal Gil
- “If winning is the only way to gain respect, who put you in that perilous position?” – Jegal Gil
- “I fell, over and over again. I was told the training would help me overcome the fear of injury.” – Cha Ga Eul
- “Kids grow up as they get beaten up? No. Kids who get beaten up become one of two things. A beater. A beater who beats a beater.” – Jegal Gil
- “Violence is handed down in any shape or form.” – Jegal Gil
- “Alone, I will not be able to achieve anything. And you’re the one I want to race with.” – Cha Ga Eul
- “If he’s the best in the world, he’s the best in the world at disobeying.” – Jegal Gil
- “A weirdo should be handled by a weirdo.” – Jegal Gil
On mental health and mental training
“The moment we’re equal in abilities, the one with a stronger mind wins.” – Jegal Gil
- “When your ability is hampered for long without a clear reason, it’s because a psychological issue is affecting your muscles.” – Jegal Gil
- “What is suppressed returns like a boomerang in some shape or form. Into your weakest point, it stabs like a blade.” – Jegal Gil
- “If that’s reality, complain. Wail and cling to people if that’s what it takes to protect yourself.” – Jegal Gil
“See the end of it though. Knowing it and seeing it are two different things.” – Jegal Gil
- “If you change your viewpoint, don’t you think your life could be different? The world isn’t just about winning or losing.” – Jegal Gil
- “Don’t be too nervous or too relaxed. That state is called immersion, the most comfortable state of tension.” – Jegal Gil
- “In sports, the mentally stronger one wins if their skills are on par.” – Jegal Gil
“Knowing the end is the same as knowing the brutal truth of how today’s winner will eventually be defeated at some point. However, seeing something to the end is the same as experiencing that your life isn’t over despite the defeat.” – Jegal Gil
- “That’s how you do it. Let it out. Don’t suppress your emotions. Let it all out and face your issues. Face your fear. ” – Jegal Gil
- “That’s it. Don’t suppress your fears. Admit them. And forge ahead anyway. The path is for you to find.” – Jegal Gil
- “Do you know why it gets you nowhere? Because that’s what you believe.” – Jegal Gil
“Face it. Don’t ignore it. Stare it down to the end. Until what looked like a huge mountain looks like what it truly is. Then you’ll see that the identity of the trauma that squashes you is nothing but a contemptible little human.” – Jegal Gil
- “One who has crumbled pathetically compared to those who have suffered nothing becomes much stronger.” – Jegal Gil
- “Don’t be intimidated. Just be confident and go for it.” – Jegal Gil’s father
- “If you can’t avoid it, just enjoy it.” – Jegal Gil
“The action to heal another could comfort me instead. A moment where selfishness and selflessness co-exist.” – Jegal Gil
- “If something happens repeatedly, it’s almost always because of a hidden desire. The desire to right the wrong. It’s a desperate distress signal from the mind.” – Jegal Gil
- “Feel chased and it’s over. Be intimidated and you’ll get caught.” – Jegal Gil
- “If you don’t trust anyone or accept help, you’ll have to push yourself and feel chased forever.” – Jegal Gil
- “Those who have knelt before the misery can sometimes grow stronger than those who haven’t.” – Jegal Gil
“Don’t train too hard. Your bones will weaken. Just have fun. Enjoy what you do. He who works hard can never beat he who enjoys.” – Jegal Gil
“She’ll need to break once in order to fully understand life. Those who have never been broken before might not get up once they’re put down.” – Jegal Gil
On life and humanity
“If the world won’t change, I must change. Only then can I survive.” – Jegal Gil
- “But I didn’t run away. I escaped. I didn’t give up. I started afresh.” – Jegal Gil
- “Some things are meant to be dealt with alone.” – Jegal Gil
- “I don’t want to die. Although I don’t want to live either.” – Cha Ga Eul
“When you’re standing on a rope, you can’t help but feel as though the rope is your only lifeline. You’re engulfed by the fear that even just one miscalculated step would cause you to fall on the cliff. When you’re consumed by fear, you can only see that rope and nothing else. But when you look at it from the outside, you see other things. It turns out the rope wasn’t even hung high and it wasn’t even a sturdy rope to begin with.” – Jegal Gil
- “Things may be unbearable right now but when you look back on this time later, you might talk about it with a smile on your face.” – Jegal Gil
- “What’s the point of fixing other people’s problems when I can’t help my own son?” – Jegal Gil’s father
- “What did I say 90% of worries were?” – Jegal Gil
- “Those that aren’t likely to happen and those that are harmless.” – Ko Young To
- “When a sandstorm sweeps through a desert, anything that lives instinctively couches low.” – Jegal Gil
- “The bait must stay alive to catch a big fish.” – Jegal Gil
- “Life is to be enjoyed!” – Jegal Gil
- “Just live for the day.” – Jegal Gil
“The ones who smile at the end are the winners in life.” – Jegal Gil’s father
Genre: Sports
Synopsis: A Taekwondo athlete is permanently banned from the national team and becomes a mental coach to help players in slump, heal retired athletes.
No of episodes: 16
Cast: Jung Woo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kwon Yul, Park Se-young
Writer: Kim Ban-di
Director: Son Jeong-hyun
Network: tvN, Viu
Date: September 12, 2022
Subtitle translation: Viu
KORB 