Kansas State University Athletics
SE: Benton Brings Martial Arts Mindset to K-State Soccer
Apr 20, 2020 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Before the California to Kansas move, the soccer career at Kansas Wesleyan and joining K-State Soccer as an assistant coach, Kat Benton was already an expert on kicking people in the face.
"Growing up, my Dad loved Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan," she said. "So being a young tomboy, I thought martial arts was really cool. They were breaking boards and bricks and I was like, you know what, I want to do that."
Benton, who joined the Wildcats coaching staff in 2019, would be the first to tell you that her childhood sport is about so much more than foot-on-face violence.
In fact, while Benton has spent the spring doing training sessions, meetings and as much remote coaching as possible, she's also helped K-State Soccer raise their social media game.
When she's not dropping in with a Lion King verse, Benton showcased her martial arts skills in a video last month.
Growing up in California, Benton fell for Tae Kwon Do at an early age.
"The place I went to was right by my house. The master of the dojo there took me under his wing because I was just really intense about it and would do research. Tae Kwon Do wasn't just a hobby, it was more like a passion," she said. "Eight or nine years later, I'm a black belt."
The first thing to know about Tae Kwon Do is the difference between sparring and poomsae – in which athletes perform a routine of moves and are judged on accuracy and presentation. Just imagine a gymnastics floor routine where all the competitors could probably beat you up.
During a Tae Kwon Do career that continued into high school, Benton grabbed six gold medals in World Tae Kwon Do Federation competitions – three in sparring, three in poomsae.
Benton had a background in gymnastics before she stepped into her first dojo, giving up the sport because, among other things, she wasn't a fan of wearing a leotard.
Tae Kwon Do provided her a similar foundation for a soccer career in which Benton thrived as a center forward who was always dangerous in the air.
"I would throw bicycle kicks or half volleys because I was so flexible from gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do. There was never a ball that was too high for me," she said. "I think it was an unbelievable crossover sport."
Benton is hardly alone in recognizing the cross-training benefits of martial arts. She pointed to Zlatan Ibrahimović as an example of a soccer icon with a background in the sport.
"You can watch him all over the internet. His ability to hit a ball and some of the goals that he's scored have been unbelievably athletic," Benton said. "I think if you look at it and break it down, you're like, 'Hey that's pretty martial arts-based.' That's not something where a coach in training is going to have you work on that type of finish."
Playing as a number nine at Kansas Wesleyan, Benton was used to working with her back to goal and "getting her butt kicked" as a scoring threat. She helped lead the Coyotes to two NAIA National Championship appearances under current K-State Soccer head coach Mike Dibbini.
Whether she was marked by a defender or going up for a header, Benton credits Tae Kwon Do with the endurance to keep going after taking a kick or two.
"I'm a pretty intense coach and I get really into it, down there in the trenches with my players. If you don't know me and that I'm a goofball, I can get intimidating," she said. "I probably looked like a crazy chihuahua."
After two years at the helm of KWU – where she put together a 27-11-4 record – Benton joined Dibbini at K-State, with the chance to help her college coach grow a young Wildcats program.
Moving to the sidelines, Benton has done anything but leave her foundation in martial arts behind.
"My Tae Kwon Do master was so good at being able to differentiate between the 20 kids in a class. He was good at being like, 'I need to give this kid something different from this kid.' It taught that me even though we're all learning the same lesson, the way it's presented was always different," Benton said. "Yes, the concept is important. But so is the individual growth."
With the Wildcats spread out across the country this semester, that individual connection has become even more important for Benton and the K-State coaching staff. Benton has seen the values of what might seem like a highly individual sport pay dividends on the soccer field.
"You might be a black belt, but that doesn't mean you look down on a white belt," Benton said. "The whole culture of Tae Kwon Do is that it doesn't matter what color belt you are. In that environment, everybody is all hands on-deck."
That attitude is something Benton hopes to see when the Wildcats are back in Manhattan. The focus then will be on soccer, but Benton's Tae Kwon Do roots are never far away.
"Maybe I'll stretch for like four days and show the girls what's up," she said. "I think the energy of having everybody back is going to be just what we need as a young team."
Before the California to Kansas move, the soccer career at Kansas Wesleyan and joining K-State Soccer as an assistant coach, Kat Benton was already an expert on kicking people in the face.
"Growing up, my Dad loved Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan," she said. "So being a young tomboy, I thought martial arts was really cool. They were breaking boards and bricks and I was like, you know what, I want to do that."
Benton, who joined the Wildcats coaching staff in 2019, would be the first to tell you that her childhood sport is about so much more than foot-on-face violence.
In fact, while Benton has spent the spring doing training sessions, meetings and as much remote coaching as possible, she's also helped K-State Soccer raise their social media game.
When she's not dropping in with a Lion King verse, Benton showcased her martial arts skills in a video last month.
Fourth attempt. Quigley got in the way the first 3 times 😹🐶 @kstatesports @KStateSOC who's next?? pic.twitter.com/22fXYFq3Fi
— Kat Benton (@_KatBenton) March 22, 2020
Growing up in California, Benton fell for Tae Kwon Do at an early age.
"The place I went to was right by my house. The master of the dojo there took me under his wing because I was just really intense about it and would do research. Tae Kwon Do wasn't just a hobby, it was more like a passion," she said. "Eight or nine years later, I'm a black belt."
The first thing to know about Tae Kwon Do is the difference between sparring and poomsae – in which athletes perform a routine of moves and are judged on accuracy and presentation. Just imagine a gymnastics floor routine where all the competitors could probably beat you up.
During a Tae Kwon Do career that continued into high school, Benton grabbed six gold medals in World Tae Kwon Do Federation competitions – three in sparring, three in poomsae.
Benton had a background in gymnastics before she stepped into her first dojo, giving up the sport because, among other things, she wasn't a fan of wearing a leotard.
Tae Kwon Do provided her a similar foundation for a soccer career in which Benton thrived as a center forward who was always dangerous in the air.
"I would throw bicycle kicks or half volleys because I was so flexible from gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do. There was never a ball that was too high for me," she said. "I think it was an unbelievable crossover sport."
Benton is hardly alone in recognizing the cross-training benefits of martial arts. She pointed to Zlatan Ibrahimović as an example of a soccer icon with a background in the sport.
"You can watch him all over the internet. His ability to hit a ball and some of the goals that he's scored have been unbelievably athletic," Benton said. "I think if you look at it and break it down, you're like, 'Hey that's pretty martial arts-based.' That's not something where a coach in training is going to have you work on that type of finish."
Playing as a number nine at Kansas Wesleyan, Benton was used to working with her back to goal and "getting her butt kicked" as a scoring threat. She helped lead the Coyotes to two NAIA National Championship appearances under current K-State Soccer head coach Mike Dibbini.
Whether she was marked by a defender or going up for a header, Benton credits Tae Kwon Do with the endurance to keep going after taking a kick or two.
"I'm a pretty intense coach and I get really into it, down there in the trenches with my players. If you don't know me and that I'm a goofball, I can get intimidating," she said. "I probably looked like a crazy chihuahua."
After two years at the helm of KWU – where she put together a 27-11-4 record – Benton joined Dibbini at K-State, with the chance to help her college coach grow a young Wildcats program.
Moving to the sidelines, Benton has done anything but leave her foundation in martial arts behind.
"My Tae Kwon Do master was so good at being able to differentiate between the 20 kids in a class. He was good at being like, 'I need to give this kid something different from this kid.' It taught that me even though we're all learning the same lesson, the way it's presented was always different," Benton said. "Yes, the concept is important. But so is the individual growth."
With the Wildcats spread out across the country this semester, that individual connection has become even more important for Benton and the K-State coaching staff. Benton has seen the values of what might seem like a highly individual sport pay dividends on the soccer field.
"You might be a black belt, but that doesn't mean you look down on a white belt," Benton said. "The whole culture of Tae Kwon Do is that it doesn't matter what color belt you are. In that environment, everybody is all hands on-deck."
That attitude is something Benton hopes to see when the Wildcats are back in Manhattan. The focus then will be on soccer, but Benton's Tae Kwon Do roots are never far away.
"Maybe I'll stretch for like four days and show the girls what's up," she said. "I think the energy of having everybody back is going to be just what we need as a young team."
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