So as I get into this post, it should become clear that this has been eating at me for quite some time. It's really coming to a head as I approach black belt testing (date isn't known yet, but with every day it gets closer). I'm going to come right out and say it. I think anyone who quits after earning a black belt (as if it were the sole purpose of doing martial arts) did not earn their belt. They are missing a very crucial piece of the puzzle -- and it isn't the physical part, it's mental. I'm not a black belt, and it infuriates me more than anything else. Many people spent countless hours training you, probably even sacrificing their own training, patiently encouraging you and fixing your mistakes. Yet, when it's your turn, you just turn around and walk out the door. You don't pass on any of that knowledge to some of the younger students who may have looked up to you, but you go home to your friends and brag that you ARE a black belt. As if once you've done it, you've got it forever. As far as I'm concerned, when you quit for good (I'm not talking about people who take breaks or are planning on returning) you have no rank anymore. You aren't in the system anymore, how can you be measured by a standard within the system? You just can't say that you are a black belt if you aren't practicing martial arts anymore. There's an unwritten obligation that comes with becoming a black belt (I strongly believe -- in case you haven't gathered yet). This may be different for every person, but I feel that you should contribute and give back in some way for some period of time before you can just drop out of martial arts. Perhaps I'm naive and ranting, but it keeps coming up. I'm 22 and moved out of my parents house, but I still talk to my parents (come on, that's the very least I can be doing for the people who gave birth to me). And one question they are always interested in is when am I testing for black belt. I usually shrug, which they can't see because I'm on the phone, and say what's the rush? The follow up question is what I'm going to do after I get my black belt. They are under the impression that it's like running a marathon. You train so hard for so long, then when you do it you can move on to something else (if you don't want to do another one). And remember, you can tell people that you ran a marathon, but you can't tell people that you ARE running a marathon (unless you are in the middle of another one). See what I'm driving at now? Back to the story: I always reply what do you mean next? I'm not going anywhere. I plan to do TKD forever. The problem is that we have a close family friend who trained for 2-3 years in karate, got his black belt, then left. And there's something wrong there. Some disconnect. That mindset is so confusing to me. Maybe at first I considered black belt to be a goal, but now it's just part of the journey. I mean, how could you quit after putting in the effort? It's so disrespectful to your masters (in my opinion). Sure, you've compensated them by paying them, but I always considered that to be a necessary thing to keep the physical dojang running (power, cooling, heating, etc) plus uniforms, belts, boards, sparring gear, insurance, etc. The real payback is in knowledge. You may be able to explain something or demonstrate something from your new unique perspective that helps another student learn and stay interested and motivated.

Maybe part of the problem contributing to this mindset is that black belts tend to be given out after less time training than in the past. This lets get in and out before really taking in what they are doing. Another is that it can be pretty expensive to train now. Maybe people feel that they've paid enough with money. I don't know.

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Wow, last night was a big night. We had people testing everywhere from white belt to 1st dan. I tested for red belt. The test was pretty standard. We did forms:

Taeguk Il, Sam, Oh-Jang

Ki-bon 1-6: Cheon-Ji, Dan-goon, Do-San, Won-hyo Yool-gok, Joong-gun.

I think Taeguk Oh-Jang is my favorite, but it's really hard to pick favorites since they are all different and cover different things.

We also did one-step, two-step, and three-step sparring. At first we learn it very traditionally, in long stances, throwing punches out slowly and leaving it there for a move. But now we are expected to do it in fighting stances at near fighting speed, actually blocking and dodging each punch when it's two or three step sparring. Some of the ones we were tested on were scissors-kick takedown (NOT to be used in real life), hip throws, shoulder throws, center lock, split entry head lock, split entry sweep, and whatever else from lower belts we wanted to throw in.

Self-defense has cetainly become more challenging than it was at white belt. The instructor calls out an attack: same side wrist grab, cross grab, side headlock, choke from behind, two hands on one wrist, two handed lapel grab, .... We were mainly tested on S-locks (also known as Nikkyo in Japenese) and center locks at this belt, but they were interested in making sure we knew other stuff like arm-bar, hammer lock, throws, break aways.

The last two things were the board break, which was back kick. In my opinion it's both the easiest and hardest break we have to do. It's hardest since you have to spin and see the target so aim isn't as precise as any nonspinning break. But it is also the strongest kick. I broke on my first attempt, and sent the top half flying past my holder into the far wall .

The last piece was sparring, but since the test was going so long (with both white and black belts testing + plus us colored belts) that we only did one round. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I was complimented on my forms. This was probably my last test with this school since I'm graduating college and moving away.

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Let's consider a situation where we wouldn't know when we would be able to train next. I am very much in this situation as a graduating student who has random meetings and projects and thesis and tests and assignments each week. Thus, we can't schedule some sort of organized daily/weekly/monthly/yearly routine. So free time pops up, and we can train. How do we choose what to work on? I create a rule-set. Do rule 1 first, then if more time comes up or Rule 1 fails, go to Rule 2 (and so on). Here's my "Random Training Schedule":

Rule 1: Given the option of general training vs. technique, always pick technique. We learn what we practice. I used to think that working out and becoming stronger would allow stronger punches. It’s not so at all. Proper technique and practice of punching develops faster and stronger punches; the act of punching trains the proper muscles, and that would not occur in a weight room. (Same for kicks you wise guys out there.) Another thing is that having Rule 1 be technique always makes technique come first. Never train technique when you are tired. You are teaching yourself bad habits in that case. Might as well go to Rule 2 in that case.

Rule 2: If technique is infeasible (you are tired, you just did technique, or something else), work on aerobic. This means running, jump-roping, biking, etc. Aerobic endurance disappears faster than any other type of fitness. Better aerobic leads to bigger gains when you work on other stuff like technique, speed, or strength (your muscles fatigue slower because there’s more oxygen, quicker recovery time, etc).

Rule 3: Work on strength. Use free weights if possible in motions similar to techniques because then you employ the proper muscles and stabilizer muscles. Next best is free weights on other stuff possibly unrelated to TKD training since you shouldn’t develop an imbalance in muscles (although that’s doubtful if you only have time for “Random Training”). If you don’t have free weights, do general strength building activities such as squats, squat-kicks, (or my favorite squat-jump-kicks), horse stance, static strength (like holding your leg out in side kick, front kick, roundhouse kick, etc), pushups, and oh I’m sure you’ll come up with something else that can stress your muscles.

And there you have it. My Random Training schedule. Good for quick choices when you don’t have time to create a schedule.

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Seeing as Taekwondo is a martial art, I'd like to write about the art aspect. As a writer, trumpet player, and mathematician (yes, mathematics is an art), I've trained in a few different arts. Martial arts isn't that much different, except it requires a bit more of the physical. Your instructor critiques you, and you may or may not fix it on the spot. Nevertheless, a good instructor will give you something to work on for next time you meet (in all the arts). You go home and practice, or produce if that may be the case, trying to fix an inherent flaw. At first, this is restrictive and difficult. You must do what is told of you to improve, and you must practice outside of the lessons! The way you gain freedom to express yourself is through mastery of the basics. It is a perfection of the basic tools that allows you to invent and think and be creative and eventually start expressing yourself truly. It never seems that way at the time because there is always some way that we can improve and always something to fix and work on. In fact, when this happens, practice becomes almost routine and dull.

Think of the first form you ever learned. We struggled to get even the steps right, let alone whatever else needed to happen. But once the steps were down, we could move on to the techniques that occured (kicks, blocks, punches). But that wasn't even enough. Now we need to do them properly, crisply. The stances need to be deeper or more precise. Even then, now things are too crisp and the steps are too rigid. Eventually, it becomes a dance, more fluid, but every move crisp. Each time the same form is slightly different, perhaps slightly better. We turn our feelings for the day around and express them in the form. The motions are set and the techniques well ingrained. But we aren't restricted anymore even though each stage of the learning was restrictive, right? And it happens to some extent for every form after that. It happens in everything we learn in Taekwondo, and the art is cultivated through perseverance of practice outside the Dojang. Whatever happens inside the Dojang is just a small portion. It's only icing on the cake that you spent your life baking. Okay, now the metaphors are getting bad, so I better stop. The point is that most of what you are as a martial artist is accomplished outside the Dojang. The Dojang just tells you the direction to head once you leave.

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