What seems like a long time yet still just yesterday, when I first started TKD, one of my friends commented about how I was more "flowing" than he expected. Especially when he was comparing me to another mutual friend who was a 3rd degree black belt at the time (now a 4th). He described it as being more reminiscent of aikido and tai-chi. It's something that has always stuck with me yet I couldn't quite figure out how to correct on my own.
A few months ago, when we were practicing for our poomse (forms) competition, one of the instructors took me aside and showed me how to perform my moves with power. Specifically, there is a contrast between the chambering action of the move which was more soft and then the actual performance of the block and/or kick that you are about to perform. Kwan-ja-nim Lee also had a whole class where he emphasized the idea of "finishing" each move. In other words, perform the move with power, "stick the landing" (for lack of a better term), pause for a split second, move on to the next.
The effect is a lot more dramatic. It shows you are in control. You look more powerful. From a practical aspect, you are performing the strike/kick/block with power which delivers more force to the action.
Katy and I did our belt tests last night. I applied these very principles to all parts of the test, not just the forms. I can't recall coming out of test feeling like I've expended as much energy. In other words, I was more tired than the norm and I'm pretty tired today. The grader's notes on my test had a repeated theme. "Great Intensity". This was not the same grader that had worked with me nor Kwan-ja-nim Lee.
There's nothing more satisfying than working on a specific aspect of your training and having someone else recognize it.
Monday, December 7, 2009
"For I can do all things through Christ"
Katy and I had our red sr. (2nd Gup) to red executive (1st Gup) belt last night. The color belt tests take on the order of 1 to 1.5 hours. They include the following items:
This was the last of the "easy" tests. "Easy" is my term. It's relative. Our next test is a big step up. It lasts a day and a half and covers everything we have learned, not just the last quarter. We have all kinds of pre-requisites for it including essays to write, community service, and varying numbers of repetitions of each technique, form, and kick. Our time commitment is going way up. The whole experience is going to be extreme.
I pray that I can be there for my daughter but also that God gives us the strength to do this. Phillipians 4:13 is going to become my most quoted verse for the next several months: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (New Living Translation)
- Student Creed - The school mantras about being positive, developing self discipline, being responsible with what you are learning.
- Kicking Technique (do the technique followed by a called kick). In this case it was "ilbo hu jin" followed the kick.
- Form: This time was Tae Guk Oh Jang
- 4 Kicking Combinations. A kicking combination is a sequence of kicks performed in conjunction in both "directions" such that you are exercising each leg. One example: hu jin step, back leg round house, fast kick, narabong (aka tornado kick), spin hook kick, double punch. Repeat in the opposite direction.
- Escrima Sticks - 2 different patterns.
- One Step Sparring - 2 different techniques. This is a "mock response" to a punch thrown to the face.
- Physical Fitness - timed sit ups and push ups.
- Promise Sparring - kick but don't touch
- Board Break - This time was an elbow streak
- Terminology - how do you say "various phrases here" in Korean
This was the last of the "easy" tests. "Easy" is my term. It's relative. Our next test is a big step up. It lasts a day and a half and covers everything we have learned, not just the last quarter. We have all kinds of pre-requisites for it including essays to write, community service, and varying numbers of repetitions of each technique, form, and kick. Our time commitment is going way up. The whole experience is going to be extreme.
I pray that I can be there for my daughter but also that God gives us the strength to do this. Phillipians 4:13 is going to become my most quoted verse for the next several months: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (New Living Translation)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Taeguek Oh Jang and The Last Crusade
So what does this form have to do with the 3rd Indy movie? Not a whole lot unless you reach for it and bring in the Breath of God test from the movie and know that the form has roots in the wind trigram from the book 'I Ching'. That's just silly though.
However, this is now the 3rd quarter we've been instructed on this particular form. The dojang has started a new procedure where for the last year before we go into the black belt training classes we concentrate on Tae Guek Oh Jang and Tae Guek Yook Jang alternating every quarter. Traditionally, I think this conforms to the idea of teaching 1 form per full color belt level. We test every quarter but we don't move up a full color belt, only to the senior level of that belt. Switching it up every quarter actually gives us a bit of variety.
The reason it's my 3rd quarter is because of the quarter off my family and I took at the beginning of the year. We had just finished learning Oh Jang the last quarter of last year, skipped a quarter and then came back to the same form. It was cool in that it helped us ease back into the routine without have a whole lot of new learning to retain in my head. It's also interesting to look toward the back of the class and seeing the new students working at something that feels pretty natural to me now. I remember when I was exactly like that, overwhelmed with having to remember everything. I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means. I constantly monitor my stances and I'm now working on being "powerful" with my actions. It's gratifying to recognize and actually see my own progress however.
We are now in our last quarter before we enter the black belt training classes. That's my term for lack of anything better or official. At the end of this year, we test for our Red Executive belts (a red belt with 2 black stripes). We then enter a more rigorous training program with extra classes. We concentrate on doing everything we've ever learned over our entire color belt existence. We also start doing more physical exercises (mandatory number of pushups done a week) and a lot more repetitions of all our curriculum. We also start learning the next 2 Taeguek forms (Chil Jang and Pal Jang). I'm looking forward to it with a bit of anxiety but also excitement. We have to journal everything we do in this period as well.
In 2 weeks, we'll officially be 1 year out from our black belt. It's a minor milestone. It's a little mind boggling thinking about how fast time is passing.
However, this is now the 3rd quarter we've been instructed on this particular form. The dojang has started a new procedure where for the last year before we go into the black belt training classes we concentrate on Tae Guek Oh Jang and Tae Guek Yook Jang alternating every quarter. Traditionally, I think this conforms to the idea of teaching 1 form per full color belt level. We test every quarter but we don't move up a full color belt, only to the senior level of that belt. Switching it up every quarter actually gives us a bit of variety.
The reason it's my 3rd quarter is because of the quarter off my family and I took at the beginning of the year. We had just finished learning Oh Jang the last quarter of last year, skipped a quarter and then came back to the same form. It was cool in that it helped us ease back into the routine without have a whole lot of new learning to retain in my head. It's also interesting to look toward the back of the class and seeing the new students working at something that feels pretty natural to me now. I remember when I was exactly like that, overwhelmed with having to remember everything. I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means. I constantly monitor my stances and I'm now working on being "powerful" with my actions. It's gratifying to recognize and actually see my own progress however.
We are now in our last quarter before we enter the black belt training classes. That's my term for lack of anything better or official. At the end of this year, we test for our Red Executive belts (a red belt with 2 black stripes). We then enter a more rigorous training program with extra classes. We concentrate on doing everything we've ever learned over our entire color belt existence. We also start doing more physical exercises (mandatory number of pushups done a week) and a lot more repetitions of all our curriculum. We also start learning the next 2 Taeguek forms (Chil Jang and Pal Jang). I'm looking forward to it with a bit of anxiety but also excitement. We have to journal everything we do in this period as well.
In 2 weeks, we'll officially be 1 year out from our black belt. It's a minor milestone. It's a little mind boggling thinking about how fast time is passing.
Friday, September 18, 2009
9 x 8 = 72
Besides being able to do basic math (I'm sure when I was in 4th grade my mom thought I would never be able to), that's how many people were in class last night. We had 9 rows with 8 in a row. It was the first time I had ever seen the instructor stop people in the middle of the line up and squeeze the lines in a little bit tighter. I'm sure there were more people in my 1 class than there are in whole schools. What's even more amazing is that there are several people at my belt level that weren't there. This number also doesn't include the 1/2 dozen or so instructors that were there also.
The classes at the school are divided by color belt groups with my class (called the advanced class) going from brown to cho-dan-bo (the last belt before black). The red executive and cho-dan-bo class are on a separate test schedule than the rest of us where they test twice a year slightly off cycle in May/October. The end result is that there are certain times of years where the class is biggie-sized until we hit that off cycle test where the cho-dan-bo belts test for their black belts and then move on to the next class for black belts only.
As a result, the main instructor had us doing a lot of basic drills that didn't require a lot of space. They mostly consisted of working on our stances and holding them for a very long time. My legs are feeling it this morning and I know they are going to just keep getting more sore as the day wears on.
My lower back is still sore but I'm able to cope with it and still do everything I need to do with TKD. "Better living through chemicals" as the joke goes. I'm constantly getting up and trying to stretch it out which seems a little odd considering that I'm more limber than most people I know. Not like the instructors in class but definitely more limber than a lot of the people in class.
The classes at the school are divided by color belt groups with my class (called the advanced class) going from brown to cho-dan-bo (the last belt before black). The red executive and cho-dan-bo class are on a separate test schedule than the rest of us where they test twice a year slightly off cycle in May/October. The end result is that there are certain times of years where the class is biggie-sized until we hit that off cycle test where the cho-dan-bo belts test for their black belts and then move on to the next class for black belts only.
As a result, the main instructor had us doing a lot of basic drills that didn't require a lot of space. They mostly consisted of working on our stances and holding them for a very long time. My legs are feeling it this morning and I know they are going to just keep getting more sore as the day wears on.
My lower back is still sore but I'm able to cope with it and still do everything I need to do with TKD. "Better living through chemicals" as the joke goes. I'm constantly getting up and trying to stretch it out which seems a little odd considering that I'm more limber than most people I know. Not like the instructors in class but definitely more limber than a lot of the people in class.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
spin hook kick part deux
First night back after the test and what do we do besides the belt ceremony? Back kicks and spin hook kicks. The instructor claimed these are the 2 hardest kicks they teach for the colored belts.
Part of my instruction tonight was actually figuring out I was doing it wrong. I was starting out the spin hook kick exactly like a back kick. In a back kick, you essentially turn around 180 degrees and peek over the shoulder that is on the same side as the leg you are kicking with. You are picking your target with your peripheral vision. Your shoulders should be square to your opponent as you start the kick. Your kicking knee should brush your plant knee as you perform the kick and then strike with the heel of your foot.
The first big difference in the spin hook kick is how far that initial rotation is. Instead of a 180 with your shoulders square, you do a 270 with your shoulders lined up toward your target. Note that your feet have not changed location yet but they have rotated to allow the rotation of the upper body. Your non-kicking foot is generally pointed in the 270 or more direction. This initial rotation amount is where I was really wrong. I had been starting my kick at the 180 degree point.
At this point in time, you pick up your kicking foot to your side like you are starting a side kick. You then use the momentum and tension you've built up with the rotation in your body to perform the kick striking with either the back of the foot in a break or the bottom of your foot in a normal kick. Note that the target of this kick is your opponent's face. It is meant as a knock-out strike.
I found that concentrating in how I started the kick really helped with my balance and control of the kick itself. I was getting my kick up to my head level with quite a bit of speed and that essential lateral movement through the target. In other words, it felt awesome. I'm not saying I was perfect nor in any way doing this so that it felt natural. That will come with practice. However, it's nights like these where I feel like I really accomplished something.
The instructor was really good at demonstrating this kick in slow motion to us. Something that I find very hard to do while trying to maintain balance. Some day, I like to think that I would have the ankle strength to maintain my balance and position.
Part of my instruction tonight was actually figuring out I was doing it wrong. I was starting out the spin hook kick exactly like a back kick. In a back kick, you essentially turn around 180 degrees and peek over the shoulder that is on the same side as the leg you are kicking with. You are picking your target with your peripheral vision. Your shoulders should be square to your opponent as you start the kick. Your kicking knee should brush your plant knee as you perform the kick and then strike with the heel of your foot.
The first big difference in the spin hook kick is how far that initial rotation is. Instead of a 180 with your shoulders square, you do a 270 with your shoulders lined up toward your target. Note that your feet have not changed location yet but they have rotated to allow the rotation of the upper body. Your non-kicking foot is generally pointed in the 270 or more direction. This initial rotation amount is where I was really wrong. I had been starting my kick at the 180 degree point.
At this point in time, you pick up your kicking foot to your side like you are starting a side kick. You then use the momentum and tension you've built up with the rotation in your body to perform the kick striking with either the back of the foot in a break or the bottom of your foot in a normal kick. Note that the target of this kick is your opponent's face. It is meant as a knock-out strike.
I found that concentrating in how I started the kick really helped with my balance and control of the kick itself. I was getting my kick up to my head level with quite a bit of speed and that essential lateral movement through the target. In other words, it felt awesome. I'm not saying I was perfect nor in any way doing this so that it felt natural. That will come with practice. However, it's nights like these where I feel like I really accomplished something.
The instructor was really good at demonstrating this kick in slow motion to us. Something that I find very hard to do while trying to maintain balance. Some day, I like to think that I would have the ankle strength to maintain my balance and position.
Monday, September 14, 2009
God's Practical Joke (well....1 of them anyways)
I think God has played a practical joke on His favorite creation. Specifically, to remind us that we are just human beings who don't age all that well and that we are in fact, not Him. That joke is in our lower back. Specifically the "SI joint".
A week ago Thursday, we were doing our warm-up routine at TKD. This specific exercise was after our stretching/pushups/pullups. We would run in place. Whenever our instructor yelled, we were to touch the ground and then jump in the air. I had done it at least a dozen times in the 30 seconds or so had been doing the exercise. Right near the end, I bent over and felt the flash of pain across my back. That flash of pain that makes you stand up straight as you wonder who stabbed you with a cattle prod. I know you've felt it and you must know exactly what I'm talking about. Every time I've repeated this story this week to anyone over the age of 25, I've gotten that "knowing nod" along with the accompanying story about how they were doing just the smallest thing when it happened to them.
I kept the rest of the workout easy on myself constantly stretching out that lower back muscle. In hindsight, I probably should have just stopped then and there. After TKD, I went out to do my Avalanche season ticket exchange. By the time I got home at about midnight, I was in agony. I went to bed and the next morning I was walking around like my wife's mom does after she's "sat a spell". I literally could not get myself straightened out. I looked at myself in the mirror and my right hip was about an inch higher than my left. I've had lower back issues before but this was one was just sheer agony. Never this bad. I decided I better go to the doctor just in case I really did damage something.
You know you're getting old when you hobble in, fill out the forms at the front desk and the lady behind the counter asks if you need a wheelchair. Politely refusing in an effort to deny my age, I eventually made my way back to "the room" and waited patiently for the doc to arrive. When he shows, he has me try to do a few things to rule out specific nerve damage, has me bend over a little bit while he's pressing on my back, and then informs me I have a "locked SI joint". Having never heard the term before and assuming this has nothing to do with an enthusiastic interest in the February Sports Illustrated Issue, the blank look on my face had the doc explaining to me exactly what that meant. Basically, the injury hurt my muscles which in turn cause them to contract which in turn cause the joint to get further out of kilter which in turn cause the muscles to inflame more which continues the cycle over and over.
The doc game a combination of anti-inflammatory (prednisone), muscle relaxer, and painkiller. He also gave me a specific set of stretching exercises to do every hour. My big concern is that we were only 1 week before testing and would I be better by then. He couldn't give me a direct answer but did tell me go at "1/2", meaning 1/2 the effort and 1/2 the frequency. If that didn't work, "1/2 it again". I ended up taking the whole week off of TKD and spending all of Labor Day weekend doing minimal amount of movement as I could. Not to mention the drugs doing a number on my concentration abilities where I had to focus to accomplish some of the most trivial tasks.
I did make it to testing today though. Before we went, I stretched out as much as I could doing every known exercise I could think of that would stretch those muscles in my lower back. I still had pain but now more of a dull ache then anything real. I also went through all the curriculum at home to make sure I could do it all. The worst part were the sit-ups. I mentally told myself during the test to just take it easy during that part and not try to be "manly" and do as many as I could.
It all went well. Both my daughter and I aced the test. We're now Red Senior belts (2nd Gup) with only 1 quarter to go until we get into the Red Executive program. This is the last quarter of "easy stuff" before we get into the big push for Black Belt. It's been about 2 and 1/2 years and I'm really looking forward to finishing this part up.
A week ago Thursday, we were doing our warm-up routine at TKD. This specific exercise was after our stretching/pushups/pullups. We would run in place. Whenever our instructor yelled, we were to touch the ground and then jump in the air. I had done it at least a dozen times in the 30 seconds or so had been doing the exercise. Right near the end, I bent over and felt the flash of pain across my back. That flash of pain that makes you stand up straight as you wonder who stabbed you with a cattle prod. I know you've felt it and you must know exactly what I'm talking about. Every time I've repeated this story this week to anyone over the age of 25, I've gotten that "knowing nod" along with the accompanying story about how they were doing just the smallest thing when it happened to them.
I kept the rest of the workout easy on myself constantly stretching out that lower back muscle. In hindsight, I probably should have just stopped then and there. After TKD, I went out to do my Avalanche season ticket exchange. By the time I got home at about midnight, I was in agony. I went to bed and the next morning I was walking around like my wife's mom does after she's "sat a spell". I literally could not get myself straightened out. I looked at myself in the mirror and my right hip was about an inch higher than my left. I've had lower back issues before but this was one was just sheer agony. Never this bad. I decided I better go to the doctor just in case I really did damage something.
You know you're getting old when you hobble in, fill out the forms at the front desk and the lady behind the counter asks if you need a wheelchair. Politely refusing in an effort to deny my age, I eventually made my way back to "the room" and waited patiently for the doc to arrive. When he shows, he has me try to do a few things to rule out specific nerve damage, has me bend over a little bit while he's pressing on my back, and then informs me I have a "locked SI joint". Having never heard the term before and assuming this has nothing to do with an enthusiastic interest in the February Sports Illustrated Issue, the blank look on my face had the doc explaining to me exactly what that meant. Basically, the injury hurt my muscles which in turn cause them to contract which in turn cause the joint to get further out of kilter which in turn cause the muscles to inflame more which continues the cycle over and over.
The doc game a combination of anti-inflammatory (prednisone), muscle relaxer, and painkiller. He also gave me a specific set of stretching exercises to do every hour. My big concern is that we were only 1 week before testing and would I be better by then. He couldn't give me a direct answer but did tell me go at "1/2", meaning 1/2 the effort and 1/2 the frequency. If that didn't work, "1/2 it again". I ended up taking the whole week off of TKD and spending all of Labor Day weekend doing minimal amount of movement as I could. Not to mention the drugs doing a number on my concentration abilities where I had to focus to accomplish some of the most trivial tasks.
I did make it to testing today though. Before we went, I stretched out as much as I could doing every known exercise I could think of that would stretch those muscles in my lower back. I still had pain but now more of a dull ache then anything real. I also went through all the curriculum at home to make sure I could do it all. The worst part were the sit-ups. I mentally told myself during the test to just take it easy during that part and not try to be "manly" and do as many as I could.
It all went well. Both my daughter and I aced the test. We're now Red Senior belts (2nd Gup) with only 1 quarter to go until we get into the Red Executive program. This is the last quarter of "easy stuff" before we get into the big push for Black Belt. It's been about 2 and 1/2 years and I'm really looking forward to finishing this part up.
Friday, August 28, 2009
spin hook kick - otherwise known as how to fall on your .....
Our board break this quarter is a choice of either a back kick or a spin hook kick. I've practiced the back kick enough that I can pretty easily break a board doing it. Admittedly, I take it slow to make sure I have the technique correct but I can still do it. In light of that, I've been trying to focus on my spin hook kick. Tonight, we got to practice it. Good thing my butt has a bit of padding.
I perform the kick with my right leg usually. My technique is basically to rotate clockwise to face backwards like I was going to do a back kick, pause and take a look over my right shoulder to eye the target, and then shoot my leg out similar to a back kick but to the opponent's right (my left) and rotate to do the kick. The problem I have is getting the rotation as I'm doing it while still maintaining my balance and control. I have a tendency to be high over the target. When I am high over the target, I get off balance and have my left foot slip out from under me. Because of the rotation, I land on my butt. This has happened more than once.
During board breaking, we usually have a couple of holders while we line up and take turns. When I was at the back of the line, I just kept practicing and practicing the kick itself. I figured out that if I just tried to keep the kick a little lower and not try for the height, I had a lot more control over the kick and my balance. I believe that if I just keep practicing the technique, the height to the kick will come as I get more comfortable with it.
The question is now whether or not I have the guts to do the spin hook kick during the test in a little over 2 weeks or if I will just fall back to the back kick which I'm very comfortable doing.
We also do a spin hook kick during 1 of our kicking combinations: back leg round house, spin hook kick, punch-punch, repeat in other direction. I have trouble with doing the kick with my left leg where I know I'm not getting anywhere near enough speed and height on it. It's something I have to spend extra practice time on before the test.
I did get that black recommended stripe tonight at least.
I perform the kick with my right leg usually. My technique is basically to rotate clockwise to face backwards like I was going to do a back kick, pause and take a look over my right shoulder to eye the target, and then shoot my leg out similar to a back kick but to the opponent's right (my left) and rotate to do the kick. The problem I have is getting the rotation as I'm doing it while still maintaining my balance and control. I have a tendency to be high over the target. When I am high over the target, I get off balance and have my left foot slip out from under me. Because of the rotation, I land on my butt. This has happened more than once.
During board breaking, we usually have a couple of holders while we line up and take turns. When I was at the back of the line, I just kept practicing and practicing the kick itself. I figured out that if I just tried to keep the kick a little lower and not try for the height, I had a lot more control over the kick and my balance. I believe that if I just keep practicing the technique, the height to the kick will come as I get more comfortable with it.
The question is now whether or not I have the guts to do the spin hook kick during the test in a little over 2 weeks or if I will just fall back to the back kick which I'm very comfortable doing.
We also do a spin hook kick during 1 of our kicking combinations: back leg round house, spin hook kick, punch-punch, repeat in other direction. I have trouble with doing the kick with my left leg where I know I'm not getting anywhere near enough speed and height on it. It's something I have to spend extra practice time on before the test.
I did get that black recommended stripe tonight at least.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
