Fall Testings!

[Azulx]

Good Day Everyone,

Yesterday we had testings at my dojang for our Fall semester. We had three students test for Yellow stripe, Blue Stripe, and Red Stripe. Please enjoy, and any feedback is welcome!

Yellow Stripe:

Blue Stripe:

Red Stripe:

Thanks,
Azul

 

[Tez3]

Read your title and thought you were testing break falls!

 

[Azulx]

Read your title and thought you were testing break falls!

Haha . I can definitely see the confusion.

 

[Tez3]

Haha . I can definitely see the confusion.

Well fall isn't a word we use here for a season...it's autumn!

 

[Gerry Seymour]

It's neat to see the progression among those tests. One thing I did see was a fair bit of looking at the feet. It's far less common as they advance in rank, but I still saw a little of it in the one testing for red stripe. By that point, I'd be putting a lot of emphasis on NOT looking at the feet when setting a stance, even a non-fighting stance (she did it on the attention stance). It's just a habit that bugs me, and only really matters if it translates to their drills. I don't want looking at the feet to become a first approach to correction. They should be learning to feel the proper stance, and only looking to the feet to confirm what they feel. But that's a really picky point, and probably mostly just a pet peeve. I was impressed by the control and precision at each level.

I have a question about something that is probably not a problem, but just a difference in approach. I noticed that the red stripe tester (may have been in the others, but it was with her I noticed it, perhaps because of her precision) "gathers" quite a bit on some of the blocks. It doesn't appear to be an add-on, but part of the formal movement. What is the principle behind that?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Well fall isn't a word we use here for a season...it's autumn!

We don't think one word is enough. The season deserves a back-up name.

 

[JR 137]

You lost me at Red Stripe

 

[Gerry Seymour]

You lost me at Red Stripe
View attachment 21916

That's why I don't drink the stuff: can't pass the test.

 

[Azulx]

It's neat to see the progression among those tests. One thing I did see was a fair bit of looking at the feet. It's far less common as they advance in rank, but I still saw a little of it in the one testing for red stripe. By that point, I'd be putting a lot of emphasis on NOT looking at the feet when setting a stance, even a non-fighting stance (she did it on the attention stance). It's just a habit that bugs me, and only really matters if it translates to their drills. I don't want looking at the feet to become a first approach to correction. They should be learning to feel the proper stance, and only looking to the feet to confirm what they feel. But that's a really picky point, and probably mostly just a pet peeve. I was impressed by the control and precision at each level.

I have a question about something that is probably not a problem, but just a difference in approach. I noticed that the red stripe tester (may have been in the others, but it was with her I noticed it, perhaps because of her precision) "gathers" quite a bit on some of the blocks. It doesn't appear to be an add-on, but part of the formal movement. What is the principle behind that?

I’m not really sure what you mean by gathers?

 

[Christopher Adamchek]

neat, do you have any written portion of their testings ?

 

[Azulx]

neat, do you have any written portion of their testings ?

Not until black

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I’m not really sure what you mean by gathers?

There's a bit of it in the "inner forearm blocks", where she has to bring the arms to a position before she can start the block. What I'm talking about is more obvious on the knife-hand guarding block (back stance, I think), where she is stepping into the stance, and brings her arms together on the open side before the block.