Lynne
Master of Arts
My, how time flies. I remember posting here for the first time a year ago, in May. I was a new white belt and I remember asking a lot of questions. I still have a lot of questions! Always will. I thank everyone for their patience and willingness to help out then and now.
I remember how much I had to learn as a white belt. I thought yellow belt was much easier to be honest. Boy, was I ever stiff in the Gi Cho Hyungs. Metal is definitely appropriate. I'm more fluid now and have some explosiveness. Those five elements are going to take a long time to master (if ever) but it's nice to see some progress.
Then came orange belt with the Pyung Ahn forms; E Dan was especially challenging because of the reverse moves. I actually thought Pyung Ahn Sam Dan at green belt was less difficult. But Pyung Ahn Sam Dan requires a lot more balance.
At the green belt level, things are getting harder technically, yet easier in some ways. I'm more flexible (that's not saying much for me - my side kick would be very effective on a male attacker but not so useful in sparring since we have to kick above the belt, lol - it's useful in that I can make the guys jump away though
), and I have a lot more balance and control.
I am learning to compensate for my flat feet, bunions and hammer toes. I still can't balance on one leg while pulling my other leg up by the ball. I try like heck though. The spinning hook kick reminds me that I still have a long ways to go with balance. I have to break a board with that kick to pass my 3rd gup test (November of this year if I pass all my spotlights and tests). Yikes. I am practicing. A lot of people do not pass 3rd gup because they can't break the board with the spinning hook kick.
I have a lot more endurance than I did a year ago. I can do 300 crunches in a row with no problem. I can't quite make 150 leg raises but will get there. I will always have a love/hate relationship with squat thrusts (ok, I hate the darn things but want to love them). I can do a lot more pushups and do at least 30 on my toes. If I'd practice daily...ahem...I could do more.
I'm still nervous before every class just like it's my first class. I don't know why I am but I wish I could get over it. I try to clear my mind on the way to class.
I have minor injuries which I'm sure is normal. I move my foot but my little toe likes to stay and turn red and blue. I've learned to tape the toes. I have really and truly awful elbow tendonitis. I think that developed from punching drills. I have a band around the arm below the elbow and that's really helping. I suspect the tendonitis will hang around for a year or so. I started wearing knee supports because if I move a certain way, I feel like my knees are going to give way. Scary feeling. I did have tendonitis in my left wrist from doing fingertip pushups. That took nine months to go away. I sprained two toes in January from doing "bunny hops" - you squat all the way down and then jump over objects. (Is that plyometrics?) Or they could be broken - they are at weird angles to one another - kinda like parathenses. They don't hurt anymore and I did have them x-rayed. The radiologist never called so I assume they were sprained, not broken.
Luckily, I haven't had any injuries that have kept me out of class Now, that would really stink.
I remember how much I had to learn as a white belt. I thought yellow belt was much easier to be honest. Boy, was I ever stiff in the Gi Cho Hyungs. Metal is definitely appropriate. I'm more fluid now and have some explosiveness. Those five elements are going to take a long time to master (if ever) but it's nice to see some progress.
Then came orange belt with the Pyung Ahn forms; E Dan was especially challenging because of the reverse moves. I actually thought Pyung Ahn Sam Dan at green belt was less difficult. But Pyung Ahn Sam Dan requires a lot more balance.
At the green belt level, things are getting harder technically, yet easier in some ways. I'm more flexible (that's not saying much for me - my side kick would be very effective on a male attacker but not so useful in sparring since we have to kick above the belt, lol - it's useful in that I can make the guys jump away though
), and I have a lot more balance and control.I am learning to compensate for my flat feet, bunions and hammer toes. I still can't balance on one leg while pulling my other leg up by the ball. I try like heck though. The spinning hook kick reminds me that I still have a long ways to go with balance. I have to break a board with that kick to pass my 3rd gup test (November of this year if I pass all my spotlights and tests). Yikes. I am practicing. A lot of people do not pass 3rd gup because they can't break the board with the spinning hook kick.
I have a lot more endurance than I did a year ago. I can do 300 crunches in a row with no problem. I can't quite make 150 leg raises but will get there. I will always have a love/hate relationship with squat thrusts (ok, I hate the darn things but want to love them). I can do a lot more pushups and do at least 30 on my toes. If I'd practice daily...ahem...I could do more.
I'm still nervous before every class just like it's my first class. I don't know why I am but I wish I could get over it. I try to clear my mind on the way to class.
I have minor injuries which I'm sure is normal. I move my foot but my little toe likes to stay and turn red and blue. I've learned to tape the toes. I have really and truly awful elbow tendonitis. I think that developed from punching drills. I have a band around the arm below the elbow and that's really helping. I suspect the tendonitis will hang around for a year or so. I started wearing knee supports because if I move a certain way, I feel like my knees are going to give way. Scary feeling. I did have tendonitis in my left wrist from doing fingertip pushups. That took nine months to go away. I sprained two toes in January from doing "bunny hops" - you squat all the way down and then jump over objects. (Is that plyometrics?) Or they could be broken - they are at weird angles to one another - kinda like parathenses. They don't hurt anymore and I did have them x-rayed. The radiologist never called so I assume they were sprained, not broken.
Luckily, I haven't had any injuries that have kept me out of class
Now, that would really stink.
