Well I have been working very hard at my martial arts training, more so in the past two years than ever before. I began training with my main instructor just over 2 years ago, and just over a year began to teach as well. In the 8 year gap that my instructor had stopped teaching, I began to try other styles and instructors and had a lot of things come in my way to stop me from training. As those years went by, I began to lose what I knew, as far as advanced forms, and requirements. I have been working with my instructor before class, and after class, when his weapons / sparring class is low. I have got 1 more form to relearn that is under black belt, and then I need to relearn my brown and red belt self defense sets. I then have to learn several black belt requirements, but I'll be able to pick up on those quickly, or so says my instructor.
So after all this work, and being a 1st degree for almost 10 years he has finally told me that I should be ready to test for my 2nd degree in just a few more months, probably the end of October or early November.
That would be great, because it'll be a nice thing to have by my 30th birthday and my 10 years since I earned my 1st.
My instructor also said that once I earn my 2nd it gets easier, because I am alerady doing things that are advanced degrees of black belt, and that include xx amount of hours of solo instruction, which I have over 200 hours already, and also because I will be having my first two black belts sometime in the fall of 2009. I have to have from 4th to 5th have at least 2 students that began with me from white to black belt. They are still with me after a year. Yea :)
I am just so glad that he has reopened and that I can train again. Not only that, but my dreams of teaching have become a reality. I've got a lot of work to continue to do, but it'll be worth it.
Vicki
