Testing for my 3rd Dan Black Belt

This weekend I will be testing for my 3rd degree (dan) black belt. I have been a 2nd dan since August of 2009. As you advance, the timing between testing becomes longer and the testings require more work and knowledge. It also requires plenty of patience. Each of the black belt certificates that we get have our numbered, my black belt was numbered around 1400. My first dan was numbered around 600, and finally my 2nd dan was in the 300 range.

The testing will require me to do (4) forms, 4-5 drills that simulate fighting and defending, 4 or 5 drills of intercept kicks, 5 or more kicking drills, 1-30 self defense, and finally 2 sparring matches between 1-2 minutes each.

During this time between testing, the best way to help it go by faster is teaching. Teaching a class allows you to give back the knowledge that you have been learning and learned to the students in the organization. While you are patiently waiting to test, you are helping others progress in the organization. We always encourage others to begin help teaching as soon as possible. The thirst for knowledge and the giving back is one of the best ways to prevent boredom.

The Weekend

Well last weekend was a busy weekend and it started off Saturday morning.

Capital City Classic/Taekwondo
This is a 10k run at two rivers park in Little Rock. This is my third year in a row to run in this race. The race falls at a great time of year with generally being cool in the morning. The course is flat and fast. I woke in the morning and felt good. I started off the race fast and comfortable finishing my first mile in 7:09. I was holding 7:10 until about mile 4 and then I started to cramp. This was the first time that I have cramped for a race and it was going so well! I pushed thru the last two miles in 7:30 to 7:45 times and finished with a 45:52. This race also has good post race food and beverages. They have pizza, the usually fruit and bagels, and beer. Not many races in Arkansas that you find free beer after the race.



Not only did I cramp, my 310XT decided to lose satellite reception also. I went back home to see if I could fix it and nothing worked. I checked the Garmin forums to see what actions I could take and none of those worked. So today, I'll call and see what they can do for me. I hear their customer service is great, so I'm hoping everything goes well.

After the race, I had to quickly head back to Conway to go to a marital arts class. I'm testing for my 3rd degree black belt on April 16th, so I knew I had to participate in this class to get some more training in. The class went well and I was able to work on my self defense which is where I'm needing the most work.

Sunday Long Workout
Sunday I had a planned swim/bike/run with a friend. We were going to work on our transitions and just get a general feel for all three events in one day. It is less than one month away from my first triathlon of the year, so this would be a good chance to work on some things. The swim was at Hendrix and I swam a 500 warm-up followed by a 25 minute swim (1750yds). We then got on the bike and headed out for a 36 mile ride. The first 18 miles were a warm up and then back into Conway was a TT effort. Again, about 9 miles into the TT effort I started to cramp. Ugg, I need to really focus on the nutrition because I have never cramped. I get myself back to Conway and decided to try the run and that turned into a 15 minute run/walk and I was glad to be done. Overall, I was glad for the training experience and I need to figure why I've cramped twice this past weekend. I'm glad I still have a month to figure things out.

Martial Arts for People Over 50 - You Can Get Involed & so can everyone else

I saw this video on WSJ.com and thought it would be a good topic to write about. Who ever says that you can't do marital arts at any point in your life. I believe you just have to take the step forward and do it. We have many students above the age of 50 at Grand Master Han's in Conway. I would hope that more people would become involved. Participating in taekwondo is a great workout. Not only is it a good work, it provides social interaction and a chance to learn new things all the time. It is much better than going to the gym and running on treadmill, lifting some weights, and then going home just to do the same thing again the next day or a couple days later. We always work to give our students new things to learn or show them a different application for something that they may already know. We can also tailor techniques and moves based on their ability to do them. Below you will find an article about an 80 year old master in our organization that started when she was 67. She will tell you that you are never too old.

"You're Never Too Old" - Click to view Article