Drew's been sick lately. It wasn't until very recently-- and by the DENTIST, no less, -- that we figured out what was going on with his health. He's finally on the upswing again, so I had made him promise that since he had missed so many TKD classes lately due to his illnesses, that he had to go to Saturday classes today. Just so as not to push my luck, I told him that he only had to attend forms specialty class, and not sparring, weapons or board breaking. He was fine with that. But the agreement was, too, that if he wanted, I would attend class with him, and that's what he wanted. Okay, I could do that. It's only Songham #5. Been there, done that.
So, we went off to class. I had to remind him about behaving in class today and listening, keeping his hands to himself, etc. I also told him that if he behaved, then we could go to the convenience store next store after class and get a juice or ice tea. Well, that was not enough, so I broke down and promised him something I rarely do-- I promised him some candy. Now, just so you know, while like any kid he loves candy, he rarely gets it, so this would be a major treat if he succeeded. It was either that or going for fast food for lunch, and I figured the candy would be better than artery clogging french fries.
We went to class. He loves gathering the attendance cards, and did that very well remembering to say to the other kids getting the cards in their rows, "Thank you sir!" and bowing. And I think since I was in class, he liked bowing directly to me when we bow to the parents in the kids' class (as a sign of respect for them bringing us to class). I was then put with another adult in the class, who technically, if he hadn't taken several breaks, should have gotten his black belt WAY ahead of me, but he's still a red belt. (heh heh) Anyhow, turns out his son and Drew were paired up for warm up drills right in front of us, so we could keep an eye on them. Drew was antsy in class, but he was doing well with his kicks and holding the pads and such. Then, we were working on reverse side kicks. The first time you are doing it, it is a little bit of a difficult concept in what direction to go, how to shift your feet, etc. While BP was teaching class, he had RA, EL, and JK in class assisting, and so RA helped Drew get the hang of it. Once he helped Drew understand what he had to do, he did a beautiful reverse side, and I think he was pleased with himself. We then learned the segment which had to do with a back fist in a middle stance, stepping into the "T" to prepare for a sidekick, landing back in a middle stance with a twin low block, then twin inner forearm block. After doing that a few times, then we put the first segments together with it. I think that now that I have an 81 step form, a 34 step form is pretty easy. Guess that's experience talking for you! Drew had his wiggly moments, but generally, he kept to task, and with a few nudgings from me, he paid attention. BP said he was impressed when Drew answered up with the answer to what the next step was when we reverse the combination (always have to learn things on both side, right?). When we also were working on getting the kicks up high, he liked getting the praise of when he got his kicks up high, and got them up with correct body positioning.
So, while he had his moments, they weren't that bad. I think he was either distracted or excited when he had the moments, and that's not too bad, in comparision to the last few classes he's had, he had a really successful day. I think he felt good, and I felt good about it. Now that he's feeling better and back to himself, and had a good day in TKD, I think future classes will be a little better again.
And in case you are curious, he chose Wonka Chewy Gobstoppers. ;-)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The magic of endorphins
Life is a little rough right now. Drew's been sick on and off for weeks, and due to that, it's stressful. Add to that trying to find a new job, juggling work and regular home life, then it's really stressful. Just today alone, I had to take Drew to the dentist because he was having problems in his mouth, and it turns out it's stuff the doctor should've caught the other day when I took him there. (Needless to say, I love my dentist for spending more time and figuring out the problem than the MD, who wasn't our regular MD, didn't.) That was a big chunk of my time this morning, and I missed class this morning. I went to work, did some stuff that was asked of me, went home, and encountered a very grumpy boy coming off the bus. He went to play, but then he fell, and that set the ball in motion for things to get worse. A tired, grumpy boy was more tired and grumpy than usual. That did not make life easy. To make matters worse, I get a phone call from SW that there are internet/website problems, and she wants me to figure out how to fix it. WHAH...? So, it took me an hour to get to the bottom of the problem, and the answers were pretty. Talk about adding fuel to the fire. I had already decided not to take Drew to TKD, because while he could do the movements, I didn't think he was well enough, at least with his attitude and grumpies that he would benefit from class, and I'd also be sparing the students and instructors in that class from his...issues of the day.
Needless to say, I was stressed enough that I was starting to cry in the car, because frankly, I really need a break, and there's no end in sight. If anything, it's going to get worse before it gets better.
So, I step into class, and it was a fairly large class. Mr. Blue Belt was in class, but SW was teaching, so I was glad when she paired me with another woman, SM, who I've known before, but hasn't been in class lately, and is a camo belt. Being that SM and I are both fluffy gals, it was a good match, because there was no pressure to do miraculously. Because it was a big class, and I was the only 1BD in there, as usual, I had to work on my own. Nothing new there. Because SW was running around taking care of everyone else, I was lucky that RA was there, which he hasn't been in a long time. (I think he was because he needs the practice time, as he's testing for his 3rd degree in February.) So he helped me a bit with the transitions I was having trouble with, and gave me the last part of the form. So now I have the whole form! Now, I have about a month to get it down well enough to at least be passable. I will be doing this same form for the next two years (okay, a little less than that if I don't take any breaks), so I think there's time for getting the nuances down and such. I didn't want to work on my weapon simply because I think my form needs more work. When we got to board breaking, Mr. Blue Belt tried to hold a board for someone else. I don't know why he thought he could do it. I was originally going to help SW, but since I was one of the few people in there that knows how to hold boards correctly (or I know more about it than most in that class), I held for the practices, and AS helped me hold for the break of this one person who was trying the dreaded run-jump-sidekick break. Now, AS is a 3BD. He should know - even better than I - how to hold a board. But no. I was the "expert" this time. Fortunately, SW came over to help the student (a transfer adult from S. Brunswick, whom I actually have talked to and like), and there was no criticism of my holding, so I was fine. :-) For myself, since I'm still trying to figure out what to do, I wanted to try a new board break. This break is a reverse side jump kick. In breaking it down, it's not too bad, and SW was helping me get the feel for it. I see what I have to work on in just getting the reverse side kick down first, and then we'll add the jump. Not too shabby. Sparring wasn't too bad. I sparred two younger kids today, and the first girl, oh, I could tell she was really tired, as she usually has twice as much spunk as usual, and tonight, she barely punches or threw any kicks. The second one was a boy who I've worked with before, and I think I was wearing him down tonight too. I was even teasing him, trying to get his gumption up with, "Hey, Mrs. V is bugging me...I can't let that happen!", as if I was his inner thoughts talking aloud. He took in in stride and good humor, as he should. He knows I wasn't being mean, just being silly. So, it worked out okay.
Instruction class was just a matter of us practicing the one steps for Songahm #1. AS, again, as a 3BD, should be a lot more focused, and should definitely know a #2 front kick from a #1 front kick! Eesh. Sometimes you have to reel him in, and get him back on track, way too often. He's 15, but he's as bad as a 5 year old sometimes. Afterwards, being that there were a lot more 1BDs in this class, I was able to practice my form, and get some help from the C sisters, who are truly watching my back in getting the form down. ;-) When everyone else was working on weapons, I just continued on my form. I'll get it down, eventually. This needs more work than my SJB form. I already figured out my freestyle that I add at the end of the SJB form next cycle, so there you go. My regular form is not hard, but it's not easy either. Good thing that get to work on it for a long time!
In the end, by the time class ended, between working out and being around my friends there, I felt better. For those who do any kind of exercise regularly, they know about the endorphin high that often happens from working out. As much as I didn't really feel like going to class tonight, between not feeling that well both physically and emotionally, I'm glad I went. I still have the same problems, and still feel as bad, but don't feel as down about it, if that makes any sense. It was the boost I needed to get me through the rest of the night. That, and watching Project Runway when I got home. ;-)
Needless to say, I was stressed enough that I was starting to cry in the car, because frankly, I really need a break, and there's no end in sight. If anything, it's going to get worse before it gets better.
So, I step into class, and it was a fairly large class. Mr. Blue Belt was in class, but SW was teaching, so I was glad when she paired me with another woman, SM, who I've known before, but hasn't been in class lately, and is a camo belt. Being that SM and I are both fluffy gals, it was a good match, because there was no pressure to do miraculously. Because it was a big class, and I was the only 1BD in there, as usual, I had to work on my own. Nothing new there. Because SW was running around taking care of everyone else, I was lucky that RA was there, which he hasn't been in a long time. (I think he was because he needs the practice time, as he's testing for his 3rd degree in February.) So he helped me a bit with the transitions I was having trouble with, and gave me the last part of the form. So now I have the whole form! Now, I have about a month to get it down well enough to at least be passable. I will be doing this same form for the next two years (okay, a little less than that if I don't take any breaks), so I think there's time for getting the nuances down and such. I didn't want to work on my weapon simply because I think my form needs more work. When we got to board breaking, Mr. Blue Belt tried to hold a board for someone else. I don't know why he thought he could do it. I was originally going to help SW, but since I was one of the few people in there that knows how to hold boards correctly (or I know more about it than most in that class), I held for the practices, and AS helped me hold for the break of this one person who was trying the dreaded run-jump-sidekick break. Now, AS is a 3BD. He should know - even better than I - how to hold a board. But no. I was the "expert" this time. Fortunately, SW came over to help the student (a transfer adult from S. Brunswick, whom I actually have talked to and like), and there was no criticism of my holding, so I was fine. :-) For myself, since I'm still trying to figure out what to do, I wanted to try a new board break. This break is a reverse side jump kick. In breaking it down, it's not too bad, and SW was helping me get the feel for it. I see what I have to work on in just getting the reverse side kick down first, and then we'll add the jump. Not too shabby. Sparring wasn't too bad. I sparred two younger kids today, and the first girl, oh, I could tell she was really tired, as she usually has twice as much spunk as usual, and tonight, she barely punches or threw any kicks. The second one was a boy who I've worked with before, and I think I was wearing him down tonight too. I was even teasing him, trying to get his gumption up with, "Hey, Mrs. V is bugging me...I can't let that happen!", as if I was his inner thoughts talking aloud. He took in in stride and good humor, as he should. He knows I wasn't being mean, just being silly. So, it worked out okay.
Instruction class was just a matter of us practicing the one steps for Songahm #1. AS, again, as a 3BD, should be a lot more focused, and should definitely know a #2 front kick from a #1 front kick! Eesh. Sometimes you have to reel him in, and get him back on track, way too often. He's 15, but he's as bad as a 5 year old sometimes. Afterwards, being that there were a lot more 1BDs in this class, I was able to practice my form, and get some help from the C sisters, who are truly watching my back in getting the form down. ;-) When everyone else was working on weapons, I just continued on my form. I'll get it down, eventually. This needs more work than my SJB form. I already figured out my freestyle that I add at the end of the SJB form next cycle, so there you go. My regular form is not hard, but it's not easy either. Good thing that get to work on it for a long time!
In the end, by the time class ended, between working out and being around my friends there, I felt better. For those who do any kind of exercise regularly, they know about the endorphin high that often happens from working out. As much as I didn't really feel like going to class tonight, between not feeling that well both physically and emotionally, I'm glad I went. I still have the same problems, and still feel as bad, but don't feel as down about it, if that makes any sense. It was the boost I needed to get me through the rest of the night. That, and watching Project Runway when I got home. ;-)
Saturday, January 05, 2008
One of the newest ATA Corner Judges is...
ME!
I don't tend to go to the ATA on Saturdays much anymore. 1st degree classes are WAY too early in the morning on a Saturday for me, for sure, hence why I tend to cram so many during the week. But today was a long overdue seminar that had a good turnout. It was a Chevron Clinic. What is that, you non-ATA people are asking? In tournaments, you have to have judges, of course, who know the rules. Not just anyone can be a judge. You have to be at least a black belt of a certain level, a certain age, and you have to complete clinic/certification seminars on a yearly basis to certify or re-certify your status. Well, the age thing isn't a problem, but the rank level and having taken a clinic was the only thing in the way before. But now, I am a black belt, and having passed my first levels, I am now a corner judge for color belt matches. Hooray! What does that mean? First of all, you have to understand how the scoring works, how points are awarded, and all the other main rules that apply. One of the things that SW can tell you confidently, is that as the RCT (Regional Chief of Tournaments) for our area, she makes sure she attends all the seminars on judging and forms and ATA rules so that she is completely up to date. It turns out, too, that students who compete in weapons can only compete in weapons that their instructor are certified in, and she's certified in ALL of them. There are even Masters who don't recertify to judge or keep up their teaching certifications as well as they should, and she said it shows. But anyway, as a corner judge, you do not have to necessarily know the forms, but you do have to understand techniques. As a corner judge, you are assigned to only judge just hands or just feet. Center judges, which you can't do right away (I think I might be eligible next year) look at forms and overall performance of techniques. So, even if I know the form, and someone is supposed to do a sidekick but they do a roundkick, and it's a really well done roundkick, I am supposed to give them the point. The center judge will take off points for incorrect form.
So anyway, once you pass your clinic, to show your designation, you get to wear a special chevron patch on your lower right sleeve. The more things you certify to judge, the more chevrons you get, but there are only so many of them. But I got my Level 1 today, and that's pretty cool.
I don't tend to go to the ATA on Saturdays much anymore. 1st degree classes are WAY too early in the morning on a Saturday for me, for sure, hence why I tend to cram so many during the week. But today was a long overdue seminar that had a good turnout. It was a Chevron Clinic. What is that, you non-ATA people are asking? In tournaments, you have to have judges, of course, who know the rules. Not just anyone can be a judge. You have to be at least a black belt of a certain level, a certain age, and you have to complete clinic/certification seminars on a yearly basis to certify or re-certify your status. Well, the age thing isn't a problem, but the rank level and having taken a clinic was the only thing in the way before. But now, I am a black belt, and having passed my first levels, I am now a corner judge for color belt matches. Hooray! What does that mean? First of all, you have to understand how the scoring works, how points are awarded, and all the other main rules that apply. One of the things that SW can tell you confidently, is that as the RCT (Regional Chief of Tournaments) for our area, she makes sure she attends all the seminars on judging and forms and ATA rules so that she is completely up to date. It turns out, too, that students who compete in weapons can only compete in weapons that their instructor are certified in, and she's certified in ALL of them. There are even Masters who don't recertify to judge or keep up their teaching certifications as well as they should, and she said it shows. But anyway, as a corner judge, you do not have to necessarily know the forms, but you do have to understand techniques. As a corner judge, you are assigned to only judge just hands or just feet. Center judges, which you can't do right away (I think I might be eligible next year) look at forms and overall performance of techniques. So, even if I know the form, and someone is supposed to do a sidekick but they do a roundkick, and it's a really well done roundkick, I am supposed to give them the point. The center judge will take off points for incorrect form.
So anyway, once you pass your clinic, to show your designation, you get to wear a special chevron patch on your lower right sleeve. The more things you certify to judge, the more chevrons you get, but there are only so many of them. But I got my Level 1 today, and that's pretty cool.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
It's what Janet Jackson talks about...
It's about CONTROL!!! (Her song just keeps going through my head as I think about it.)
After having a nice surprise yesterday, for the most part, classes went on as usual. Drew acted up in class. He couldn't keep his hands to himself, and was goofing off, hurt another kid, and said he was "bored" and acted up. Oh well. Another day at the ATA for Drew, as it was. My leadership class was cute, as two more teens/tweens came on board, and it's a small class, with some good kids in there. I was the only adult, other than MZ, who was learning her 3rd degree material while we worked on leadership stuff. (MZ already has her black collar, so she already is a very full-fledged certified instructor.) But prior to leadership class was a regular teen/adult class, and I got really pissed at a new student. I don't know his name, but I know he's new for sure, and must have transferred in from somewhere.
He was about as tall as I was, and reeked of cigarette smoke like he had had about 5 before walking into class. I'm guessing he was about 15 or 16 at least. MZ was teaching, and we were doing a sparring drill just on pads, and this kid and I were partnered up together. Well, all I have in my hands are two focus pads of sorts, and that's all. All we were required to do was a series of simple punch/jab/cross combinations, just to get into the rhythm of it. Well, first, when this kid held the pads for me, he held them too high, and too close to his face. I warned him that it was dangerous to do that, because I might accidentally punch him in the face with the pads so close to his face. He didn't care, no matter how many times I adjusted the pads. But then when it was my turn to hold the pads, whereby I did hold them far from MY face, he hit them with full force. And I mean FULL FORCE. C'mon, this is just a drill! This isn't even sparring, and even in sparring, you wouldn't need to hit that hard. After a few hits, I told him to back off a little, as he almost took my arm off by the shoulder (yes, he hit THAT hard), and that at graduation and tournament sparring that kind of punching would NEVER be allowed. But then it happened. He was trying to go so fast and hard that he missed the pad, and hit MY arm, on the inside part about 6 inches below my hand going towards my elbow. All I will say is that it is DAMN lucky he didn't break my arm. I could barely use my arm that well after that. I think he hit a nerve pretty badly, to say the least, because I could barely move my fingers for the rest of the night. I had to have my husband, later, help me get dressed and undressed, that's how bad it was.
We had to break boards, and since my hand was in no shape to be doing an actual hand break, I opted for my elbow, and that was fine. When we went to get our sparring gear on, which was painful for me to do, I went and asked SW if she could order me some forearm pads (I'd been thinking about it anyway), and told her what happened with the new Mr. Blue Belt. She asked if I said anything to him about backing off, and I told her I did, but I was still hurting. She said he was new, and she could quite figure out what his actual background was prior to this, but she suspects some of it was self-taught, and some of it was more from boxing. She had a pair of mismatched forearm pads that she sold to me at a discount since they were mismatched, but at least I have something now. We did things out of order, but my arm just hurt for the rest of the night, especially when doing forms. I couldn't really practice my SJB because my arm and hand hurt that much, so I just practiced with my left hand instead (which needed the work anyway). MZ did give me another huge section of my form, which helped too, but I just have to get the memorization down, and practice that. Thank goodness for the DVD video I have to help me review it if needed.
My arm hurt all the way home, so it was hard to drive, and as I said, my husband had to help me change. All I could do was ice it as much as I could, take an anti-inflammatory, and rest it. It did feel better this morning, and I can move my fingers again with less pain, but oddly enough there's no bruise there, but it still aches quite a bit. I'm just mobile now, and it's not as bad.
It just pisses me off that this kid had no control. I know this is a big issue with my own son, but he's 6 and doesn't know his own strength most of the time. I mean, I know some people reading this have had similar problems with some teens who don't use control, and unfortunately have broken some bones. I was spared this time, but I can tell you for a fact that I've sparred with a lot of the teen boys around here, and I have never felt like I was in danger, even with the ones who were bigger than me and really could wallop a punch if they wanted. Same with the adult men. The trick for that? Yep, you guessed it-- let's sing it like Ms. Jackson---"CONTROL". This kid had NONE. If I am ever paired up with this kid again, I will give him a very stern warning, and if he continues after the warning, then I see no reason to give him a taste of my powerful kick in his teeth.
After having a nice surprise yesterday, for the most part, classes went on as usual. Drew acted up in class. He couldn't keep his hands to himself, and was goofing off, hurt another kid, and said he was "bored" and acted up. Oh well. Another day at the ATA for Drew, as it was. My leadership class was cute, as two more teens/tweens came on board, and it's a small class, with some good kids in there. I was the only adult, other than MZ, who was learning her 3rd degree material while we worked on leadership stuff. (MZ already has her black collar, so she already is a very full-fledged certified instructor.) But prior to leadership class was a regular teen/adult class, and I got really pissed at a new student. I don't know his name, but I know he's new for sure, and must have transferred in from somewhere.
He was about as tall as I was, and reeked of cigarette smoke like he had had about 5 before walking into class. I'm guessing he was about 15 or 16 at least. MZ was teaching, and we were doing a sparring drill just on pads, and this kid and I were partnered up together. Well, all I have in my hands are two focus pads of sorts, and that's all. All we were required to do was a series of simple punch/jab/cross combinations, just to get into the rhythm of it. Well, first, when this kid held the pads for me, he held them too high, and too close to his face. I warned him that it was dangerous to do that, because I might accidentally punch him in the face with the pads so close to his face. He didn't care, no matter how many times I adjusted the pads. But then when it was my turn to hold the pads, whereby I did hold them far from MY face, he hit them with full force. And I mean FULL FORCE. C'mon, this is just a drill! This isn't even sparring, and even in sparring, you wouldn't need to hit that hard. After a few hits, I told him to back off a little, as he almost took my arm off by the shoulder (yes, he hit THAT hard), and that at graduation and tournament sparring that kind of punching would NEVER be allowed. But then it happened. He was trying to go so fast and hard that he missed the pad, and hit MY arm, on the inside part about 6 inches below my hand going towards my elbow. All I will say is that it is DAMN lucky he didn't break my arm. I could barely use my arm that well after that. I think he hit a nerve pretty badly, to say the least, because I could barely move my fingers for the rest of the night. I had to have my husband, later, help me get dressed and undressed, that's how bad it was.
We had to break boards, and since my hand was in no shape to be doing an actual hand break, I opted for my elbow, and that was fine. When we went to get our sparring gear on, which was painful for me to do, I went and asked SW if she could order me some forearm pads (I'd been thinking about it anyway), and told her what happened with the new Mr. Blue Belt. She asked if I said anything to him about backing off, and I told her I did, but I was still hurting. She said he was new, and she could quite figure out what his actual background was prior to this, but she suspects some of it was self-taught, and some of it was more from boxing. She had a pair of mismatched forearm pads that she sold to me at a discount since they were mismatched, but at least I have something now. We did things out of order, but my arm just hurt for the rest of the night, especially when doing forms. I couldn't really practice my SJB because my arm and hand hurt that much, so I just practiced with my left hand instead (which needed the work anyway). MZ did give me another huge section of my form, which helped too, but I just have to get the memorization down, and practice that. Thank goodness for the DVD video I have to help me review it if needed.
My arm hurt all the way home, so it was hard to drive, and as I said, my husband had to help me change. All I could do was ice it as much as I could, take an anti-inflammatory, and rest it. It did feel better this morning, and I can move my fingers again with less pain, but oddly enough there's no bruise there, but it still aches quite a bit. I'm just mobile now, and it's not as bad.
It just pisses me off that this kid had no control. I know this is a big issue with my own son, but he's 6 and doesn't know his own strength most of the time. I mean, I know some people reading this have had similar problems with some teens who don't use control, and unfortunately have broken some bones. I was spared this time, but I can tell you for a fact that I've sparred with a lot of the teen boys around here, and I have never felt like I was in danger, even with the ones who were bigger than me and really could wallop a punch if they wanted. Same with the adult men. The trick for that? Yep, you guessed it-- let's sing it like Ms. Jackson---"CONTROL". This kid had NONE. If I am ever paired up with this kid again, I will give him a very stern warning, and if he continues after the warning, then I see no reason to give him a taste of my powerful kick in his teeth.
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