TKD black belt exam

[bushido_man96]

We had been hoping that she could take a break after earning her black belt, so that she could maybe take guitar lessons and confirmation classes and start babysitting--just do some of the things other kids do while she's still a kid. Time is passing so quickly for her. But instead the intensive training process continues, and really there's no end in sight; there's no guarantee of when she'll be ready to earn her black belt (if ever).

When you make this statement, you make it sound like you plan on your daughter quitting after getting her black belt. I have seen this happen many times; students get to black belt, and then quit. This if very frustrating from an instructor point of view. There is so much to do after black belt. Earning a black belt should not be an end in and of itself.

This is something I believe in: if you quit practicing the Martial Arts, then you are not a Martial Artist anymore. If you quit once you get a black belt, you are not a black belt anymore. You have to keep it up, or you lose it. Why throw away all of that hard-earned training?

If I may say, this experience has totally disillusioned me from striving for a black belt myself. I'm testing this month for my brown belt, and if I am fortunate enough to earn it, I'll be happy with that. I can then learn the rest of the underbelt curriculum, and I'll feel I have achieved almost as much as a black belt. If I were to proceed to the final exam, it would ruin everything for me. The focus shifts to what you can't do, what you're weak at, where you fall short, what you can't take pride in. (I have no illusions about performing flawlessly no matter how long and how hard I train; I'm overweight and in poor health, and though I've come amazingly far since starting 2.5 years ago I'm never going to look like a "black belt.") It's sad for me, because my martial arts pursuits will come to an end soon, but it's the reality of who I am. I'm happy I've achieved what I have; it's more than I ever expected.

The point of the arts is to improve yourself. You should focus on your weaknesses as well as your strengths, so that you can get better overall. Performing flawlessly is not what its about. Performing to the best of your ability, and feeling good about yourself for what you have accomplished, regardless of what others think, is the key for driving yourself to betterment.

We will experience successes and failures everywhere in life. Trying to shield our loved ones from experiencing them is doing them a disservice. Now, I am not saying that failures should be engineered just to be learned from; far from it. However, when we fail, we have to pick ourselves up off the floor, dust ourselves off, and get right back in the mix. It makes us stronger.

[ninjanurse]

Unless you've had to do it yourself, you really can't imagine it.

I have been there....and done that. My journey has taken me from an overweight, unhealthy, introverted slug to a fit, healthy, and confident martial artist with a passion to share what I have learned with others. It didn't happen overnight and there were times when I doubted myself but...I bought into it hook, line, and sinker and it changed my life forever! Never ever settle for the status quo...commit yourself to self improvement everyday for the rest of your life. Excuses only keep you shackled down and defeat you before you even start.

[bushido_man96]

Unless you've had to do it yourself, you really can't imagine it.

I have been there....and done that. My journey has taken me from an overweight, unhealthy, introverted slug to a fit, healthy, and confident martial artist with a passion to share what I have learned with others. It didn't happen overnight and there were times when I doubted myself but...I bought into it hook, line, and sinker and it changed my life forever! Never ever settle for the status quo...commit yourself to self improvement everyday for the rest of your life. Excuses only keep you shackled down and defeat you before you even start.

Amen, Heidi!!!!