Black Belt Test Stories and Protocol

[IcemanSK]

My 1st Dan was really difficult. I was 17, the only one testing for black belt that day, in front of a master I knew nothing about (& knew nothing about me). All eyes on me. I'm not exactly Mr. Showbusiness. I don't like the spotlight.

I performed all Tae Geuk forms & Pal Gye 7 & 8 one after another.I was concentrating on every technique, that I was shaking when I finished. I just remembered from looking at a picture that I had to throw a spinning hook kick & break a board. The green belt who held it didn't hold it properly, so it didn't break the 1st time. The 2nd kick I didn't hold back so when I broke the board, I dug my heel into his chest. The next break was a jump front snap kick about 6 feet in the air. (I'm not only shorter than that, I come from a long line of "earthbound folks.".....We don't do "jump" very well.) I broke the board & my big toe as well. Good thing this was at the end of the test.

It was a 2 hour test that included written & orally explaining how to do some kicks without demonstrating them. (Try it sometime. Its harder than it sounds.)

[IloveTKD]

I tested for my 1st degree blackbelt last night. We did all the blocks and stances you could imagine up and down the floor. we did self defense and we did 4 breaking techniques and we did endurence. and all of our poomses. we started at 6 and finished at 11