This afternoon I visited the newspaper that sponsors this blog and had my picture taken in my new uniform. The new picture will be used in print and online ads for the newspaper's collection of blogs, and will also appear on this web page.
It took me longer to change into my uniform than it did to take the pictures. But the whole experience got me thinking about the different reactions I have gotten from people who are meeting me for the first time since my promotion.
By far the most satisfying comments have been from fellow Black Belts. Since they have been through the same experience, they can appreciate the monumental effort involved, and the accompanying sense of pride and accomplishment.
"So, you made it," they say.
"Yep," I reply.
We are laconic, but like battle-scarred veterans, we have become kin. We can stand shoulder-to-shoulder and gaze with unflinching tolerance at the world.
The next best reactions are from other students. These are the ones who took such delight in calling me, an adult but also a peer by virtue of my status as a student, by my first name. Now they bow to me, chirping, "Congratulations, Susan - I mean, Mrs. LaGrande." (I should explain that our school has a tradition of addressing Gups by their first name and Dans by their title and surname.)
The parents of other students have been fun, too. The ones who had children in the testing cycle are keenly aware of what we all went through, so their reactions are equal parts admiration and commiseration.
Then there are parents of students for whom the rank of Black Belt seems no more than a distant dream at this point. They notice that I am wearing a different uniform, and it takes them a couple of minutes to figure it out. "Congratulations," they finally say. "When did you get your Black Belt?" They usually want to know all about the process, and seem suitably impressed when I liken the experience to earning a college degree or, perhaps, to giving birth.
Finally there are all the other people I come across who have no idea what karate is or how it has affected my life. Some of them knew (because I told them) that I was testing for my Black Belt last weekend, and they sent congratulations, but there was really no further discussion. They didn't know what to ask, or weren't interested, and I was reticent about blowing my own horn. Still, I had to resist the temptation to pull my brand-new ID card out of my wallet and wave it under their noses.
When I have revealed my new rank, sometimes I have been disheartened by this response: "Gee, I better not mess with you!" What do they think I am, a bully?
Anyway, there is a whole range of reactions out there, but the one I like best is, "I knew you could do it!"
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Finding the New Normal
Tomorrow will be the one-week anniversary of my promotion to Cho Dan. It's been very exciting coming to class and being greeted with a bow and a big smile from other students. But I'm starting to settle down and get into "business mode" again.
One thing that pleases me very much is my new uniform. I love the way it fits! I thought that, because the fabric is so stiff, it might restrict my movements, but instead it gives me a lot more freedom of movement than my old uniform. In addition, because its stiffness causes it to stand away from my body, it is much better ventilated and therefore cooler than my old one. Another nice thing is that, since I had the sleeves shortened a few inches, my wrists don't get so sweaty - a real advantage when doing Ho Sin Sul (Self-Defense).
I've learned the first line of my new form, Du Mun. The tricky thing about this for me so far is the Yang Kwan Gong Kyuk (arms fully extended forward and back, then switched). My shoulders don't like this move, so I will have to spend extra time improving my range of motion. Last night I tried holding a long Bo staff across my shoulders and swinging it slowly left and right, to get used to the way it's supposed to feel. This is going to take some time.
Last night I learned the first knife defense technique - very cool! I stayed with the first technique while my partner (a more advanced Cho Dan) rotated through all five techniques. The second technique includes a takedown, and I had to ask my partner just to walk through that part, because my knees don't respond well to the degree of flexion involved in a (controlled) fall. Someday I'm going to have to figure out how to go down without destroying my knees.
I can't wait to see what I learn next!
One thing that pleases me very much is my new uniform. I love the way it fits! I thought that, because the fabric is so stiff, it might restrict my movements, but instead it gives me a lot more freedom of movement than my old uniform. In addition, because its stiffness causes it to stand away from my body, it is much better ventilated and therefore cooler than my old one. Another nice thing is that, since I had the sleeves shortened a few inches, my wrists don't get so sweaty - a real advantage when doing Ho Sin Sul (Self-Defense).
I've learned the first line of my new form, Du Mun. The tricky thing about this for me so far is the Yang Kwan Gong Kyuk (arms fully extended forward and back, then switched). My shoulders don't like this move, so I will have to spend extra time improving my range of motion. Last night I tried holding a long Bo staff across my shoulders and swinging it slowly left and right, to get used to the way it's supposed to feel. This is going to take some time.
Last night I learned the first knife defense technique - very cool! I stayed with the first technique while my partner (a more advanced Cho Dan) rotated through all five techniques. The second technique includes a takedown, and I had to ask my partner just to walk through that part, because my knees don't respond well to the degree of flexion involved in a (controlled) fall. Someday I'm going to have to figure out how to go down without destroying my knees.
I can't wait to see what I learn next!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
It's Official!
I now officially hold the rank of Cho Dan in the art of Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan. Do I look happy? You bet!
Thanks to my friend Aida for the photo above. Hopefully there will be more to come. I guess I should have posted a long entry about the whole experience, but frankly I was too exhausted. Today was really the first day I could move without serious discomfort, and I've been napping a lot. Now that I'm feeling more alive I have to start attending to some of the things that I had to put aside while I was concentrating on my testing, so I'm going to be busier than usual for the next couple of weeks.
But this morning I took my first class as a Black Belt. I was a little apprehensive about how well I could move in my new uniform because the fabric is so heavy and stiff, but to my great delight I found that I was very comfortable. The do bok fits just perfectly, and so do the pants. I had no difficulty when I was learning my new form (Du Mun).
It's going to take me a while to get used to my new rank, but I love it!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
We Made It!
The second day of testing is now history. Tomorrow we will receive our rank in a gala ceremony that will include demonstrations of all types - and no sweat for me!
We were promised that today's session would not be as grueling as last night, and it's true that there was a lot more standing around time. But that's tough for me, because my left knee starts to stiffen up very quickly. My heel was very painful too, and was not helped by the hard (carpeted) floor. I did my best to keep my joints moving, but even so, by the end of the day I was really hurting. Still, I reminded myself that after giving birth to three children without an epidural or other anesthetic, I can handle a lot of discomfort.
When I got home I took a shower and had some lunch, and then I fell asleep in front of the TV in my cozy recliner, all wrapped up in a blanket with my sore leg propped up on a soft pillow. When I woke up, I was so stiff I could hardly move. It took me about fifteen minutes to loosen up, but activity is tne best medicine, so I spent the next couple of hours doing housework. It helped!
Now that I've complained, let me get into the good stuff. I felt really confident and competent today. During terminology/basics, I made only a couple of mistakes, and they were mostly due to mis-hearing the commands. I did well on forms, only bobbling once or twice. In one-step sparring and self-defense, my partner was a tall guy from the other school; he was very strong in the one-steps, but I think I was stronger in self-defense. Together, I think we put on a very good demonstration.
In breaking, all the Il Gups had to do a jump back kick and an air break using a chop. I was prepared to break two boards with a jump back kick, but they only gave me one, which I broke on the second try, after adjusting my position. For the air break they gave me two thin boards, which I broke on the third try, again after adjusting my position.
For sparring, they had us line up in groups, two lines facing each other. After each round, we would rotate to a new partner. Since I am the only adult Il Gup in my school's testing group, I was paired with a lot of Red Belts and Red Belts from the other school. Most of them were using chest protectors - something which has not caught on at our school. I caught one lady with a beautiful ridge hand to the side of the head gear before I found out that in the other school Red Belts are not supposed to strike to the head. All in all, I think I did well.
The last thing on the program was final endurance, in which each of the Sam Dans present presented a different exercise. These ranged from scissor kicks to squat kicks to hand-elbow-elbow-hand pushups, all for about thirty second to a minute. I had to modify a couple of them to accommodate my aching body. For instance, when everybody else was running in place, quickly alternating with dropping down for pushups, I just ran in place; it takes me much too long to get up and down. But I did my best, and the instructors kept coming by and telling me I was doing a good job.
I do feel an amazing sense of accomplishment, which I think will only be magnified tomorrow. Starting Monday I will embark on a whole new journey!
We were promised that today's session would not be as grueling as last night, and it's true that there was a lot more standing around time. But that's tough for me, because my left knee starts to stiffen up very quickly. My heel was very painful too, and was not helped by the hard (carpeted) floor. I did my best to keep my joints moving, but even so, by the end of the day I was really hurting. Still, I reminded myself that after giving birth to three children without an epidural or other anesthetic, I can handle a lot of discomfort.
When I got home I took a shower and had some lunch, and then I fell asleep in front of the TV in my cozy recliner, all wrapped up in a blanket with my sore leg propped up on a soft pillow. When I woke up, I was so stiff I could hardly move. It took me about fifteen minutes to loosen up, but activity is tne best medicine, so I spent the next couple of hours doing housework. It helped!
Now that I've complained, let me get into the good stuff. I felt really confident and competent today. During terminology/basics, I made only a couple of mistakes, and they were mostly due to mis-hearing the commands. I did well on forms, only bobbling once or twice. In one-step sparring and self-defense, my partner was a tall guy from the other school; he was very strong in the one-steps, but I think I was stronger in self-defense. Together, I think we put on a very good demonstration.
In breaking, all the Il Gups had to do a jump back kick and an air break using a chop. I was prepared to break two boards with a jump back kick, but they only gave me one, which I broke on the second try, after adjusting my position. For the air break they gave me two thin boards, which I broke on the third try, again after adjusting my position.
For sparring, they had us line up in groups, two lines facing each other. After each round, we would rotate to a new partner. Since I am the only adult Il Gup in my school's testing group, I was paired with a lot of Red Belts and Red Belts from the other school. Most of them were using chest protectors - something which has not caught on at our school. I caught one lady with a beautiful ridge hand to the side of the head gear before I found out that in the other school Red Belts are not supposed to strike to the head. All in all, I think I did well.
The last thing on the program was final endurance, in which each of the Sam Dans present presented a different exercise. These ranged from scissor kicks to squat kicks to hand-elbow-elbow-hand pushups, all for about thirty second to a minute. I had to modify a couple of them to accommodate my aching body. For instance, when everybody else was running in place, quickly alternating with dropping down for pushups, I just ran in place; it takes me much too long to get up and down. But I did my best, and the instructors kept coming by and telling me I was doing a good job.
I do feel an amazing sense of accomplishment, which I think will only be magnified tomorrow. Starting Monday I will embark on a whole new journey!
So Far, So Good
It's 6:00 AM, and I am inexplicably awake. Last night was the first, and by all accounts most grueling, segment of our school's Black Belt testing. We candidates assembled at 5:00 PM for the written part of our test. This held no terror for me, but it was certainly a challenge for some of the younger candidates.
At 6:00 PM we began the physical part of the test, which covered everything: terminology and basics, forms, one-step sparring, self-defense, kicking, breaking, free sparring, and lots and lots of endurance. There was almost no "down time" at all. For the few brief occasions when my group was asked to sit while another group demonstrated, I made sure to keep shifting my position to prevent my knees from stiffening up. Usually, however, whenever one group was demonstrating, the other groups would be doing squat kicks, pushups, horse-stance punches, scissor kicks, etc.
We were given a five-minute water and bathroom break at about 8:00 PM, and then we got right back into it. The final section, free sparring, finished a little after10:00 PM, and I got home close to 11:00 PM.
I was tired, but the first thing I did was to get some dinner for my grandson, who at the last minute had been asked to assist with the testing by partnering with candidates for one-step sparring, self-defense, and free sparring. Next I threw our uniforms in the washer. Then came the shower, and finally food. I didn't want to eat anything heavy or that might produce gas, so I finally settled on a strawberry-banana smoothie with extra dry milk solids. I sipped that while I watched something mindless on TV and waited for the washing machine to finish. As soon as the uniforms went in the dryer, I went to bed.
Today at 9:00 AM we candidates report for more testing, this time combining with another school whose master instructor came up through the ranks with our master instructor. Because of the larger numbers, the testing will take place at a local conference center; I'm not sure if we will be in the gym or in a large ballroom, but in any case, the floor will not be the nice thick mats we are used to. There will be other differences, too - I expect some difficulty unsterstanding commands because of unfamiliar voices and also because of the acoustics in the much larger space. SO this will be another toughie, although not quite so hard as last night.
So far I feel confident that I've done well. I only messed up a few times, and I think I demonstrated proper protocol in acknowledging my mistakes. I know that in terms of effort, I gave it my all. And that, they say, is the most important thing.
At 6:00 PM we began the physical part of the test, which covered everything: terminology and basics, forms, one-step sparring, self-defense, kicking, breaking, free sparring, and lots and lots of endurance. There was almost no "down time" at all. For the few brief occasions when my group was asked to sit while another group demonstrated, I made sure to keep shifting my position to prevent my knees from stiffening up. Usually, however, whenever one group was demonstrating, the other groups would be doing squat kicks, pushups, horse-stance punches, scissor kicks, etc.
We were given a five-minute water and bathroom break at about 8:00 PM, and then we got right back into it. The final section, free sparring, finished a little after10:00 PM, and I got home close to 11:00 PM.
I was tired, but the first thing I did was to get some dinner for my grandson, who at the last minute had been asked to assist with the testing by partnering with candidates for one-step sparring, self-defense, and free sparring. Next I threw our uniforms in the washer. Then came the shower, and finally food. I didn't want to eat anything heavy or that might produce gas, so I finally settled on a strawberry-banana smoothie with extra dry milk solids. I sipped that while I watched something mindless on TV and waited for the washing machine to finish. As soon as the uniforms went in the dryer, I went to bed.
Today at 9:00 AM we candidates report for more testing, this time combining with another school whose master instructor came up through the ranks with our master instructor. Because of the larger numbers, the testing will take place at a local conference center; I'm not sure if we will be in the gym or in a large ballroom, but in any case, the floor will not be the nice thick mats we are used to. There will be other differences, too - I expect some difficulty unsterstanding commands because of unfamiliar voices and also because of the acoustics in the much larger space. SO this will be another toughie, although not quite so hard as last night.
So far I feel confident that I've done well. I only messed up a few times, and I think I demonstrated proper protocol in acknowledging my mistakes. I know that in terms of effort, I gave it my all. And that, they say, is the most important thing.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Preparing My Uniform, Part Two
My poor old sewing machine gave out this afternoon. I'm sure it will work for less strenuous projects, but it just can't handle the tough stuff any more.
So now what? How am I going to finish my alterations and apply both trim and patches before this weekend? I don't want to go into Black Belt testing not knowing whether I will have a uniform to wear when (if? no, when!) I receive my promotion on Sunday.
I called a couple of places to see if I could rent a heavy-duty sewing machine, with no luck. I had just about talked my husband into buying a new one, to the tune of about $350, when my daughter the executive assistant came home. She took over the Yellow Pages and started making phone calls.
In just a few minutes she found a seamstress who was willing to take on the job. I rushed over to her shop before it closed and showed her what I had done so far and what still remained to be completed. She understood everything - she even told me that she had worked on projects like this previously. She said my uniform would be ready Friday afternoon - which is when the Black Belt Testing starts.
I'm so relieved. I really wanted to be able to handle this project myself, but I have to admit that it was really beyond me right now. There are too many other things I have to worry about between now and the testing. (I guess this is a lesson in humility.)
So thank you, Lady Seamstress. I will sleep much better tonight.
Preparing My Uniform
One thing I didn't expect to be doing in the last few days before testing is dressmaking - that is, customizing my new Black Belt uniform. This is happening for several reasons:
First, my body type requires a uniform that is cut fuller in the waist and hips, and the company that makes this type does not offer it with contrasting trim.
Second, my untrimmed uniform did not arrive until late last week, which wouldn't allow enough time to send it out to the person who usually handles the task of adding trim and patches. Besides, she would probably have to charge close to sixty dollars for the job.
Third, I am pretty confident that I have the tools and experience to do this myself.
Of course it has not been all smooth sailing. The sewing machine I am using is my mother's old Singer Featherweight Model 221 from the 1940's. It is a workhorse, fully capable of sewing through denim, canvas, etc. Trouble is, I haven't used it in a while, and some of the details of threading and adjusting the tension have gotten fuzzy over the years. Before I got started I tested it to make sure it would work, and everything seemed fine, but when I actually started sewing the thread kept breaking. It took me a couple of hours to figure out that in the process of setting up I had inserted the needle backwards. Once I fixed that, it worked fine.
Of course it would be much easier if I had a free-arm machine to stitch the cuffs, but I finally figured out how to handle the stiff, heavy fabric without getting too many puckers. As of last night I had completed the cuffs on the pants and both sleeves, and I still have to apply the trim to the collar band and bottom hem and sew on the three patches (school emblem, American flag, and Korean flag).
So I will be busy with that today - and tomorrow - and the day after that, until it's done. I just hope I don't run out of time.
First, my body type requires a uniform that is cut fuller in the waist and hips, and the company that makes this type does not offer it with contrasting trim.
Second, my untrimmed uniform did not arrive until late last week, which wouldn't allow enough time to send it out to the person who usually handles the task of adding trim and patches. Besides, she would probably have to charge close to sixty dollars for the job.
Third, I am pretty confident that I have the tools and experience to do this myself.
Of course it has not been all smooth sailing. The sewing machine I am using is my mother's old Singer Featherweight Model 221 from the 1940's. It is a workhorse, fully capable of sewing through denim, canvas, etc. Trouble is, I haven't used it in a while, and some of the details of threading and adjusting the tension have gotten fuzzy over the years. Before I got started I tested it to make sure it would work, and everything seemed fine, but when I actually started sewing the thread kept breaking. It took me a couple of hours to figure out that in the process of setting up I had inserted the needle backwards. Once I fixed that, it worked fine.
Of course it would be much easier if I had a free-arm machine to stitch the cuffs, but I finally figured out how to handle the stiff, heavy fabric without getting too many puckers. As of last night I had completed the cuffs on the pants and both sleeves, and I still have to apply the trim to the collar band and bottom hem and sew on the three patches (school emblem, American flag, and Korean flag).
So I will be busy with that today - and tomorrow - and the day after that, until it's done. I just hope I don't run out of time.
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