One small step closer...

[serietah]

I realized I never posted about my level 1 test! I messed up my board breaking rather horribly but the rest went well. I'm well on my way through the level 1 requirements now and hoping for a level 2 test maybe next month. I've been working on improving the rhythm of Koryo and those pesky side kicks.

Recently my spinning kick has improved significantly. It helped that I kept doing it over and over for a demo at an elementary school while we were teaching PE classes lol. I'm really proud of myself for finally, after 2.5 years of practicing it, getting it.

I'm a little over halfway through learning Palgwe 2 then have 3 new hapkido techniques to learn.

Still loving TKD, but I'm definitely experiencing a bit of a slump. It's not so much the training as just "everything". Working 6 days a week is taking its toll. I'm ready for a short break this weekend for memorial day.

 

[dvcochran]

I realized I never posted about my level 1 test! I messed up my board breaking rather horribly but the rest went well. I'm well on my way through the level 1 requirements now and hoping for a level 2 test maybe next month. I've been working on improving the rhythm of Koryo and those pesky side kicks.

Recently my spinning kick has improved significantly. It helped that I kept doing it over and over for a demo at an elementary school while we were teaching PE classes lol. I'm really proud of myself for finally, after 2.5 years of practicing it, getting it.

I'm a little over halfway through learning Palgwe 2 then have 3 new hapkido techniques to learn.

Still loving TKD, but I'm definitely experiencing a bit of a slump. It's not so much the training as just "everything". Working 6 days a week is taking its toll. I'm ready for a short break this weekend for memorial day.

It may sound strange but I know several people who have worked through their slump by Not taking on any additional material and just working on their fundamentals, like you did with your spinning kick. I think there is a newfound confidence that comes with knowing you know your "stuff" and this makes going to class easier. Especially in TKD there is always something new lurking around to learn. So hopefully not worrying about any upcoming curriculum and just grinding your fundamentals will get you out of the slump.
I am assuming you are a white w/stripes or yellow belt? Palgwe 2 is one of my favorite forms in the set. Just remember low, middle, high and it will be easier to commit to memory, when you are ready.
Stay in touch and let us know how it is going.

 

[JR 137]

It may sound strange but I know several people who have worked through their slump by Not taking on any additional material and just working on their fundamentals, like you did with your spinning kick. I think there is a newfound confidence that comes with knowing you know your "stuff" and this makes going to class easier. Especially in TKD there is always something new lurking around to learn. So hopefully not worrying about any upcoming curriculum and just grinding your fundamentals will get you out of the slump.
I am assuming you are a white w/stripes or yellow belt? Palgwe 2 is one of my favorite forms in the set. Just remember low, middle, high and it will be easier to commit to memory, when you are ready.
Stay in touch and let us know how it is going.

She’s a 1st dan. Not to be that guy, but you’ve conversed here with her about it

 

[dvcochran]

She’s a 1st dan. Not to be that guy, but you’ve conversed here with her about it

Clearly I missed and misread something. I took it to say 1st testing.
I take it her Palgwe 2 in different from ours. Hopefully she can find the rest of the post helpful.

 

[JR 137]

Clearly I missed and misread something. I took it to say 1st testing.
I take it her Palgwe 2 in different from ours. Hopefully she can find the rest of the post helpful.

I think I remember her saying they go back and start re-doing the forms in order they initially learned them, but to a higher standard.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I realized I never posted about my level 1 test! I messed up my board breaking rather horribly but the rest went well. I'm well on my way through the level 1 requirements now and hoping for a level 2 test maybe next month. I've been working on improving the rhythm of Koryo and those pesky side kicks.

Recently my spinning kick has improved significantly. It helped that I kept doing it over and over for a demo at an elementary school while we were teaching PE classes lol. I'm really proud of myself for finally, after 2.5 years of practicing it, getting it.

I'm a little over halfway through learning Palgwe 2 then have 3 new hapkido techniques to learn.

Still loving TKD, but I'm definitely experiencing a bit of a slump. It's not so much the training as just "everything". Working 6 days a week is taking its toll. I'm ready for a short break this weekend for memorial day.

Glad to hear you're still in there and having fun. Working that much can kill the joy in everything else in life - don't let it.

 

[serietah]

Goodness, it's been a very long time since I updated.

First, I'm still training! I'm currently Level 6, testing for Level 7 in two weeks. I am hoping to test for 2nd dan in May, but not sure if my master will let me even though he's been encouraging it. He held me back from 1st dan testing until others were ready, which really drove me crazy at the time, but in hindsight it was right. I did much better on my test than I would have done if I'd rushed it. So although I really want to test in May, I will respect his decision if he thinks I should wait.

I'm still full time manager of my school, which opened a second location last fall. I do manager work for both schools.

When COVID hit, we of course closed like everyone else. We had an emergency staff meeting to make the decision and right away recorded mini classes to get out to our students while we tried to figure out how to continue. We had live online classes going in that first week and then staff met again to share ideas. We ended up settling on a regular schedule of group classes for exercise and kicking drills and then doing private lessons for curriculum. We set up stations for each instructor and students could schedule their lesson time in an available slot. I did all the scheduling, such as assigning students to instructors, making sure to rotate and be fair in number of lessons each instructor had. We did that for two months and then the state allowed us to reopen. When we reopened, we kept the online classes and private lessons but also allowed students to choose to do their private lesson in the school. Same setup, each instructor had an area of the mat, and one student at a time. A couple of months later, we expanded to small group classes. Currently we are still size restricted, but operating on a more normal level. Students have to sign up and reserve a space in class. Masks are required. We do temp checks and hand sanitizer at the door. Hand sanitizer again during water break. Front door for entry, back door for exit. It's working. It's not perfect, but it's working. We are also still doing online group classes and private lessons. The schedule is rigorous and tough, but again, it's working. We lost some students, of course, but we did pretty good in my opinion.

I've been working closely with our newest master on my fitness and poomsae. He is a lifelong friend of my main master and someone I instantly trusted and respected the first time we met. He's hard on me and pushes me every day to improve. But he's also quick to give me praise, a high five, or a hug. He doesn't let me beat myself up when I'm not good at something. He also doesn't lie and tell me I'm doing something well when I'm not. Training with him has been SO hard and SO rewarding. I competed in the Summer of Poomsae but was the only person in my division so we won't talk about that lol. I did ok considering I found out about it on a Wednesday and had to submit my videos the following Monday. Since training with him, my stamina has increased dramatically. My basic techniques are night and day. I'm seeing details I couldn't really see before. My confidence is improving. I'm still very very hard on myself and often think I really suck at this and have no business trying to become a master, but if he catches me with that attitude, he's quick to build me up. Basically, since the main master opened the other location, I don't get to train with him. I was missing my mentor. And I was suffering because of it, without even realizing it. I'm now being built back up and I can see and feel the difference in myself.

I had a chat with the main master today and he said he feels bad he doesn't get to work closely with me anymore. I'm his TKD baby and he wants to train me but I have to run our original location and he is at the new one. He is so excited for the day I can sit with him at the judging table for testing, and so am I. COVID really messed with our school's growth and it has been a struggle. There have been days I just want to give up and quit. And there have been days like yesterday when a student tells me I'm their favorite and the passion is as high as ever. I know that to be a master I will have to go through the good and bad.

I know 2nd dan is going to be difficult. Keumgang alone is intimidating, but we also start Kumdo and I'm not entirely convinced I won't knock myself out the first time I try to do anything with a wooden sword lol. But I've made it this far.

When I started this journey I had no idea what it would become and how I would change. I had no idea that I would someday be able to understand spoken Korean to the point that the masters don't even bother to translate anymore unless it's really important I understand perfectly. I am proud of myself, even if I am having a low confidence day today. I know I've improved and I know I'm good at this sport, even if I don't always see it. I know I have the potential to be very good at it some day. And I won't give up.

One step at a time...

 

[serietah]

Oh man you guys. I've been posting here for almost a year now, and I have to say today I had my most proud moment in TKD. We had our normal classes this morning, followed by a first time trial student. (EDIT FOR LENGTH) We started the trial as normal, with the master starting class, then calling me up to do the stretching. But he stayed at the back of the mat past the time when he normally comes up for me to switch with him. I finished the stretching and he still didn't come. We made eye contact and he motioned for me to continue. (EDIT FOR LENGTH) My master told me after that he was ready to take over if she had been challenging in any way, but I was doing fine and she was good so he let me do the whole class.


Anyway, just had to share how awesome my day was!

You guys. I was reading this post again and just smiling at my enthusiasm and then I came across this. I FORGOT I WROTE ABOUT IT.

That student...is a Black Belt.

She tested in May. I'd completely forgotten she was my first trial student. No wonder I nearly cried when I watched her do Koryo a couple months ago lol. WOW. This was incredible to find.

 

[_Simon_]

Sooo awesome to hear from you @serietah!!!

Thanks so much for sharing, and yeah you've come such a long way.

Sad about not being with your old teacher but wow, amazing to hear you're clicking with and progressing really well with your new one!

It sounds like you guys have done so well during this pandemic, that's a really solid structure you've got in place, well done.

And wow that must be so heartwarming for you regarding your first trial student, that's gotta feel nice. Clearly you made a great impression for them to stick around too!

Thanks for the update

 

[serietah]

Hi everyone! Since it's been a while since my last update, I thought I'd check in. I tested for level 8 at the end of January, which means I have learned our entire 1st dan curriculum and am just in prep for 2nd dan testing. It's extremely weird to think about how this thread started with a tip on my white belt and now I'm writing about prep for 2nd dan.

For 2nd dan testing, I am required to do a random Palgwe and a random Taegeuk form, selected from 4-7, Palgwe 8, Taegeuk 8, and Koryo. I also had to choose my own board breaking. I am working on a tower set of skip roundhouse, tornado, then spinning kick.

Unfortunately, I badly sprained my ankle in February. I missed about 6 weeks of class before I was able to really get back on the mat. I did participate in my mandatory prep class for testing, but I was really just going through the motions and not able to actually practice well. My ankle is still not 100% (probably not even 80%) but I'm working hard to catch up and be ready for my test. I am anticipated to test on May 22, though I will have a private pre-test with the head master in a couple of weeks to see if I am ok to test or if I need to wait. Memorization wise, I am fine. I can easily pass the test based on the requirements for the average student. However, given my goals and position in the school, I am understandably held to a higher standard. If my performance at my test isn't good enough to impress the guest masters doing the grading, then I should probably wait. That would be incredibly frustrating, but I did learn as a double black stripe that even if waiting is difficult, it really does help improve performance on testing day.

I am enjoying Palgwe forms lately more than ever. They are just so fun! I'm more excited than ever to get to Taebaek at 3rd dan since I can see the influence of both Palgwe and Taegeuk forms in it. I have watched it so many times I kind of "know it" but I won't officially be learning it until 3rd dan. Keumgang still terrifies me. I was getting excited for it but with my ankle, I'm dreading the balance and stomps. Still excited to learn it though, haha.

I'm also very busy with planning our first in house tournament, which will be on May 1. We aren't inviting any other schools, just our two locations. Students can do forms, breaking, and family forms. We're doing the tournament to give everyone some motivation after the past year of craziness. We've had a pretty good amount of registrations so far, but definitely need more!

And some awesome news...we are moving! Our original lease is ending and I am very proud to say that I helped fill out the lease application and business plan for a new location and we have been approved. Permits just came in and construction will hopefully be starting soon. It's not far from our current location, but will give us a lot more space, a much better layout, and I will actually have an office at the front with direct access to both the front door and the mat area. It's awesome and I can't wait!

I think that's about it for now. I came in early today to do some cleaning and organizing. I'm trying to move a lot of our paperwork type stuff to digital only and we are reconciling all our records to make sure everything is all good. It was nice just sitting in the dark organizing things until another staff member showed up and turned on the lights Time to change into my uniform and officially start working now! I'll check in after my next step before 2nd dan testing.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Hi everyone! Since it's been a while since my last update, I thought I'd check in. I tested for level 8 at the end of January, which means I have learned our entire 1st dan curriculum and am just in prep for 2nd dan testing. It's extremely weird to think about how this thread started with a tip on my white belt and now I'm writing about prep for 2nd dan.

For 2nd dan testing, I am required to do a random Palgwe and a random Taegeuk form, selected from 4-7, Palgwe 8, Taegeuk 8, and Koryo. I also had to choose my own board breaking. I am working on a tower set of skip roundhouse, tornado, then spinning kick.

Unfortunately, I badly sprained my ankle in February. I missed about 6 weeks of class before I was able to really get back on the mat. I did participate in my mandatory prep class for testing, but I was really just going through the motions and not able to actually practice well. My ankle is still not 100% (probably not even 80%) but I'm working hard to catch up and be ready for my test. I am anticipated to test on May 22, though I will have a private pre-test with the head master in a couple of weeks to see if I am ok to test or if I need to wait. Memorization wise, I am fine. I can easily pass the test based on the requirements for the average student. However, given my goals and position in the school, I am understandably held to a higher standard. If my performance at my test isn't good enough to impress the guest masters doing the grading, then I should probably wait. That would be incredibly frustrating, but I did learn as a double black stripe that even if waiting is difficult, it really does help improve performance on testing day.

I am enjoying Palgwe forms lately more than ever. They are just so fun! I'm more excited than ever to get to Taebaek at 3rd dan since I can see the influence of both Palgwe and Taegeuk forms in it. I have watched it so many times I kind of "know it" but I won't officially be learning it until 3rd dan. Keumgang still terrifies me. I was getting excited for it but with my ankle, I'm dreading the balance and stomps. Still excited to learn it though, haha.

I'm also very busy with planning our first in house tournament, which will be on May 1. We aren't inviting any other schools, just our two locations. Students can do forms, breaking, and family forms. We're doing the tournament to give everyone some motivation after the past year of craziness. We've had a pretty good amount of registrations so far, but definitely need more!

And some awesome news...we are moving! Our original lease is ending and I am very proud to say that I helped fill out the lease application and business plan for a new location and we have been approved. Permits just came in and construction will hopefully be starting soon. It's not far from our current location, but will give us a lot more space, a much better layout, and I will actually have an office at the front with direct access to both the front door and the mat area. It's awesome and I can't wait!

I think that's about it for now. I came in early today to do some cleaning and organizing. I'm trying to move a lot of our paperwork type stuff to digital only and we are reconciling all our records to make sure everything is all good. It was nice just sitting in the dark organizing things until another staff member showed up and turned on the lights Time to change into my uniform and officially start working now! I'll check in after my next step before 2nd dan testing.

Not performance-wise, but depending on how intense your tests are, you may still want to wait to take the test. A bad ankle, overworked in preparation, can just get worse. Doing stomps or balancing on it, or even overworking it in general, may cause issues that delay your progress long-term. I know it can be disappointing not to test, my junior black belt test as a kid got delayed a year after breaking my leg preparing for it, but overall those extra months easing into it are going to be better for your development than just pushing through and having a long-term injury.

As stated before though, I am not a doctor, so check with an actual doctor. Just make sure they understand the intensity and types of movement that you'll be required to do (if I were to describe a 2nd degree bb to a doctor, from my experience, I'd say that the strain would be a mix of if I had to alternate between breakdancing, basketball and football for 6 hours, to get the point across to them). When they say you can go back to "normal activity", that's not normally what they're thinking of.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I am loving my school and look forward to being a part of its growth.

From everything that you've wrote, I think you've accomplished this goal btw.

 

[_Simon_]

Hi everyone! Since it's been a while since my last update, I thought I'd check in. I tested for level 8 at the end of January, which means I have learned our entire 1st dan curriculum and am just in prep for 2nd dan testing. It's extremely weird to think about how this thread started with a tip on my white belt and now I'm writing about prep for 2nd dan.

For 2nd dan testing, I am required to do a random Palgwe and a random Taegeuk form, selected from 4-7, Palgwe 8, Taegeuk 8, and Koryo. I also had to choose my own board breaking. I am working on a tower set of skip roundhouse, tornado, then spinning kick.

Unfortunately, I badly sprained my ankle in February. I missed about 6 weeks of class before I was able to really get back on the mat. I did participate in my mandatory prep class for testing, but I was really just going through the motions and not able to actually practice well. My ankle is still not 100% (probably not even 80%) but I'm working hard to catch up and be ready for my test. I am anticipated to test on May 22, though I will have a private pre-test with the head master in a couple of weeks to see if I am ok to test or if I need to wait. Memorization wise, I am fine. I can easily pass the test based on the requirements for the average student. However, given my goals and position in the school, I am understandably held to a higher standard. If my performance at my test isn't good enough to impress the guest masters doing the grading, then I should probably wait. That would be incredibly frustrating, but I did learn as a double black stripe that even if waiting is difficult, it really does help improve performance on testing day.

I am enjoying Palgwe forms lately more than ever. They are just so fun! I'm more excited than ever to get to Taebaek at 3rd dan since I can see the influence of both Palgwe and Taegeuk forms in it. I have watched it so many times I kind of "know it" but I won't officially be learning it until 3rd dan. Keumgang still terrifies me. I was getting excited for it but with my ankle, I'm dreading the balance and stomps. Still excited to learn it though, haha.

I'm also very busy with planning our first in house tournament, which will be on May 1. We aren't inviting any other schools, just our two locations. Students can do forms, breaking, and family forms. We're doing the tournament to give everyone some motivation after the past year of craziness. We've had a pretty good amount of registrations so far, but definitely need more!

And some awesome news...we are moving! Our original lease is ending and I am very proud to say that I helped fill out the lease application and business plan for a new location and we have been approved. Permits just came in and construction will hopefully be starting soon. It's not far from our current location, but will give us a lot more space, a much better layout, and I will actually have an office at the front with direct access to both the front door and the mat area. It's awesome and I can't wait!

I think that's about it for now. I came in early today to do some cleaning and organizing. I'm trying to move a lot of our paperwork type stuff to digital only and we are reconciling all our records to make sure everything is all good. It was nice just sitting in the dark organizing things until another staff member showed up and turned on the lights [emoji14] Time to change into my uniform and officially start working now! I'll check in after my next step before 2nd dan testing.

Oh fantastic, great to hear from you, and new location sounds grand.

Wow best of luck for your test and let us know how you go!

 

[serietah]

Thanks all! I have been training extra almost every day and worked on strengthening my dumb ankle. I'm still being cautious with jumps and pivots, but for the most part have worked my way back to being able to do almost everything I was doing before.

Monday night, the big boss told me I'd test privately with him Tuesday before classes. This would be the test that determines if I would be allowed to test for 2nd Dan. He text me that morning and asked if I wanted to go see the new school because demolition had started. We met there and it was so exciting to see progress. I was already super nervous for the test, and wasn't ready to leave after we checked everything out. We met at the school and he told me to stretch while he did some paperwork stuff.

He gave me a random Palgwe form to do (6) and then a random Taegeuk (8). The last form was Koryo, then I did my board breaking. For 2nd dan testing, we can make our own breaking. I chose a tower set of skip roundhouse, tornado, then spinning kick. I knew he was pleased with how I was doing because I saw him nodding during my forms. When I finished everything, he told me how much I've improved and how proud he is, etc etc. It was amazing to hear "I approve you for 2nd dan testing". He recognized how hard I fought to come back from the ankle injury and told me be careful particularly with board breaking. We finished formally and then he said "I can show you..." and flipped my testing paper around. Perfect scores across the board! I felt amazing all day and still feel amazing today.

I've had several tests where I got all perfect scores, but fewer as a 1st dan than as a color belt. It felt really good to get that again on my final test as a 1st dan.

My mom and aunt test tomorrow. Friday is testing for 12 of my students who are going for 1st dan in May as well. Then we have our tournament Saturday anddddd Sunday I think I'm going to compete in a zoom tournament. I need to decide today as it's the deadline. I am really thinking I'll just do it for fun.

May 22 is the big day.

Feb 2016 - white belt
Nov 2018 - 1st dan
May 2021 - 2nd dan
....someday - Master!

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Thanks all! I have been training extra almost every day and worked on strengthening my dumb ankle. I'm still being cautious with jumps and pivots, but for the most part have worked my way back to being able to do almost everything I was doing before.

Monday night, the big boss told me I'd test privately with him Tuesday before classes. This would be the test that determines if I would be allowed to test for 2nd Dan. He text me that morning and asked if I wanted to go see the new school because demolition had started. We met there and it was so exciting to see progress. I was already super nervous for the test, and wasn't ready to leave after we checked everything out. We met at the school and he told me to stretch while he did some paperwork stuff.

He gave me a random Palgwe form to do (6) and then a random Taegeuk (8). The last form was Koryo, then I did my board breaking. For 2nd dan testing, we can make our own breaking. I chose a tower set of skip roundhouse, tornado, then spinning kick. I knew he was pleased with how I was doing because I saw him nodding during my forms. When I finished everything, he told me how much I've improved and how proud he is, etc etc. It was amazing to hear "I approve you for 2nd dan testing". He recognized how hard I fought to come back from the ankle injury and told me be careful particularly with board breaking. We finished formally and then he said "I can show you..." and flipped my testing paper around. Perfect scores across the board! I felt amazing all day and still feel amazing today.

I've had several tests where I got all perfect scores, but fewer as a 1st dan than as a color belt. It felt really good to get that again on my final test as a 1st dan.

My mom and aunt test tomorrow. Friday is testing for 12 of my students who are going for 1st dan in May as well. Then we have our tournament Saturday anddddd Sunday I think I'm going to compete in a zoom tournament. I need to decide today as it's the deadline. I am really thinking I'll just do it for fun.

May 22 is the big day.

Feb 2016 - white belt
Nov 2018 - 1st dan
May 2021 - 2nd dan
....someday - Master!

Man, I've really loved following this thread! So cool to see your enthusiasm and hear how you deal with these challenges. Keep rockin'!