Getting "The Book"

I am now one step closer to testing for my Black Belt in October, after passing the second Pre-Test on Saturday afternoon. I was very proud of our group of candidates; everyone has improved noticeably since the first Pre-Test, and everyone passed. That doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement (which, as Sa Bom Nim frequently reminds us, is the biggest room in the world). We all have a lot of work to do between now and October.

To help us prepare, we candidates are given handbooks on successful completion of the second Pre-Test. These handbooks include checklists, guidelines and rules, charts for recording execution of required tasks, and an extensive study guide. Some of the tasks are physical, like pushups, practicing forms, etc., and others are mental/emotional/spiritual, like writing essays and keeping a journal. Although activities listed in the book are meant to be done outside of class, on our own time, we are supposed to bring our books to every class. This is so we can take notes, but there is always the hope that we may be allowed to count some class activity as part of our requirement for that day. Carrying the book is really a badge of honor, and receiving it is a cause for celebration.

A very cool thing about Saturday's Pre-Test is that my grandson, as a Dan member, was part of the evaluation team along with Sa Bom Nim and the staff. He and the other junior Dans were assigned a spot at the sidelines and given a notepad and pencil to record comments about our performance. Afterward the Dans met to share their impressions and come to a decision about each of the candidates: were they ready to proceed to testing or did they need more seasoning?

While they deliberated, we candidates waited in the hallway to be called. One by one our names were called; each of the kids went in with his or her parent(s) to hear the Dans' verdict. When each one came out, carrying a book and wearing a big smile, we all cheered.

When my turn came, I went in and stood before all the Dans. They were sitting in a semicircle, with my grandson at one end. Sa Bom Nim called on him right away, asking if he wanted to make a comment about my performance. My grandson was obviously not prepared to speak, but he mumbled something like, "I thought she did good." Music to my ears.

Sa Bom Nim went on to say some very nice things about me, I was handed my book, and I went back out in the hallway. But my victory was kind of bittersweet; I was the next to last to be called, so when I came out there was really nobody left to high-five or to hug. I shed a quiet tear, feeling very proud, but also very lonely. Earlier I had teased one of the other adult candidates about not having his mommy or daddy there as the kids did, but I suddenly missed my own parents more than I have in a long time.

After things settled down a bit, I called my friend Jennie, who also got her book on Saturday. She is a wonderful training partner, being close to my size and a mature adult, although I probably have fifteen or twenty years on her. We plan to get together quite often to train this summer, since the book requires some activity every day - starting now.

So the countdown begins. Stay tuned.

Training En Plein Air

Thursday morning's class was a big one - eight Dans and ten or eleven Gups. This might not be considered large by afternoon or evening standards, but for a morning, it was huge!

Perhaps because of the crowd, Sa Bom Nim opted to have all six of us Il Gups move to the parking lot for forms practice. It was lovely and cool outside, and the pavement had not been exposed to the sun long enough to be hot underfoot. But there were little bits of gravel scattered around which I, as a diabetic, definitely did not want to step on.

Diabetics who have impaired sensation in their feet are constantly warned not to go barefoot, to avoid injuries which might not heal easily. My feet are in good shape, but they are sensitive, and I always wear shoes or slippers at home. When I first started taking karate I had to make a decision: do I buy special "karate shoes" or do I trust my feet to the mostly-padded floor in the dojang? I opted for trust, and so far I have not had any reason to question my choice.

But if we are going to be training on pavement on a regular basis, I might have to see about shoes after all. I found myself concentrating so hard on placing my feet carefully to avoid the grit that I made hash out of my form.

Training on grass does not make me so apprehensive. Toward the end of class I moved to the lawn to practice Il Soo Sik, and I had no problem. Of course it was a nice smooth patch of grass with no clover, which might have presented the risk of honeybees underfoot. There were bits of Ground Ivy, or Gill-Over-the-Ground, which gave off a very pleasant minty scent when crushed.

We have been warned to expect several outdoor training days this summer, so I guess I will have more opportunities to find out whether or not I need to buy shoes.

Rehab Begins

This morning my grandson and I arrived at the karate school at nine o'clock. He had been invited to come at that time and to stay for the rest of the day, basically hanging out with the younger instructors when he was not taking class or assisting. I wasn't sure what I was going to be doing. I knew I wasn't supposed to be putting any flexion stress on my foot, because of the heel spur treatment, so I didn't know if I should take the adult class at all or just try to do some things on my own. I didn't even wear my full uniform, just a school T-shirt and an old pair of uniform pants, which is acceptable attire from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I brought my belt, but wasn't wearing it.

The adult class begins at nine-thirty, so I had half an hour to figure out what to do. My grandson bowed onto the mat and started stretching. I watched him for a few minutes, and then realized that I probably could do most of my customary stretching routine with no ill effects. So I put on my belt and got down on the floor too, for the first time in almost two weeks. Getting those hamstrings stretched out felt so good!

When class started, I was ready to participate, albeit with prudence. In the kicking drills, I didn't attempt to pivot on the support leg, and I didn't go for speed in switching my feet. In the terminology drills I executed the techniques with stiff, very erect stances - ditto with forms. I did about ten repetitions of Naihanchi, trying to really nail down the sequence, which I still have to think about too much.

After five repetitions of Chil Sung Sam Ro Hyung, we moved on to Bo (staff) forms. I have only learned the first one, Bong Hyung Il Rho Hyung, so I worked on that while the two Dans worked on higher Bong forms. Then we spent a few minutes on tricks with the staff - like a "double double" which I finally figured out - sort of.

The last portion of the class was sparring, except for me and one of the Green Belts, who did not have his gear. He and I worked on Ho Sin Sul (Self-Defemse) for the rest of the class. After we were dismissed I went upstairs to the fitness room and rode the stationary bike for twenty-five minutes, working hard enough to get sweaty.

When I came home I felt wonderful. It's so good to be back where I belong!