communication breakdown

Mission Accomplished

This past weekend I made the trek up to Minneapolis for my III Degree Black Belt Test. This test was scheduled before I knew I would be leaving for Atlanta, so I did not want to be disrespectful and back out on my commitment. So I ventured back to the Twin Cities one more time, hoping to mark the end of one leg of my journey in Taekwon-Do, and the beginning of another...

I left Atlanta on Thursday night, fully aware of the fact that I've been able to do minimal training in the last three months, because there are no USTF Taekwon-Do schools in or around Atlanta (at least, not to my knowledge - if anyone reading this knows otherwise, please let me know!) The test was not until Saturday afternoon, but I wanted the extra time to get my body prepared for the occasion, as well as to practice some pre-arranged portions of the test which needed to be memorized and practiced with a partner.

There were only two students testing. Besides myself, Ms. Hunt, the state director for Minnesota and instructor of the school I attended while I was in Minneapolis, was testing for II Dan. We were very fortunate to have Mr. Van Hecke (VI Dan) and Mr. McDaniel (V Dan) travel from Wisconsin to our school in Minneapolis to conduct our test. Not only did this allow us to test in a familiar environment, but it allowed all of Ms. Hunt's students the opportunity to see a black belt test - something that most students do not see until they are a black belt themselves. Plus, they were gracious enough to conduct a patterns seminar after the test, which provided everyone (myself included) with a wealth of new information about how to improve our patterns.

So, back to the trip. I arrived Thursday evening and went to pick up the rental car. I had been monitoring the weather reports for several days prior to the trip, and every report said it was going to snow every day I was there. Naturally, I was afraid that driving conditions would be treacherous and, since I hadn't driven in those conditions since the year before, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry and so I paid through the nose to get the extra insurance on the rental car. Once you tack this onto the Under-25 fee (I'll come back to this later), it cost me about $4000 a day to rent the car. And just to complete the screwjob, the weather was perfect all weekend - 20s, without a drop of inclement weather. I guess it was better than the alternative of having horrible weather and careening off a cliff with my well-insured-but-now-crushed automobile, but I still felt like I was kinda cheated. That's insurance for you.

OK, minor diversion here. What's up with the under-25 fee that rental car agencies charge you? For that matter, what's up with the huge insurance break at 25? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind them charging only an arm for insurance, rather than an arm, leg and firstborn child, but my point is that they should lower the rates in the first place, rather than waiting until you're after 25. What kind of secret research do all these people have that tells them that people magically mature at 25? Is this ridiculous to anyone else? How many people do you know who aren't responsible at 24-and-a-half, but magically snap to their senses and act right on their 25th birthday? This has got to be one of the most arbitrary age limits I can imagine. Why not make it 18? At least that represents the "minor vs. adult" barrier. Moving from 24 to 25 just means you're getting older, more likely to be disillusioned with life, more likely to hate your job, more likely to have screaming kids in the back seat, etc. Sounds less insurable to me, but that's just my opinion...

OK, back to the trip again. So I head on over to Ms. Hunt's house, where I'm staying for the weekend with her and her family. We get some dinner that evening and mostly just relax before we hit things hard in the morning. About 10 AM the next day we start preparing. This included memorizing choreographed self-defense routines, prearranged sparring combinations, as well as running through our patterns and looking for any last-minute corrections. All in all, we trained about 6 hours. We were completely exhausted when we stopped around 5 PM. In fact, we had trained so hard that we were extremely sore that evening, and even the next day before the test. In retrospect we probably should have taken it easy and preserved our strength, but we had a lot to get done and I'm glad we did it.

That night I had plans of a completely separate sort. Some of the guys I used to work with at Medtronic scheduled their quarterly poker game on Friday night, hoping I would be able to come. I was happy that it worked out that way, because I really wanted to see some of my old friends and co-workers again. Also, it was a good way to chill out and relax the night before my test. A good crowd of 13 showed, and we played until around midnight. I lost about $30 but it was well worth it to see everyone again, get updates on their lives, and share some of my own stories. I really wanted to stop by Medtronic earlier in the day and see everyone, but training was my first priority and there just wasn't time for it. Hopefully the next time I'm in Minnesota (whenever that may be), I'll be able to stop by and say hello.

One more thing I should add here. As a result of the strenuous pre-testing training, coupled with the fact that I hadn't done any training in awhile, my back started hurting again for the first time in months. This practically paralyzed me with frustration - I could not believe that I had tranied so hard for this day, and traveled all the way up here, just for my back to hamper me on the day of the test and prevent me from participating. I was very worried that night, and even the next morning when I woke up in great pain, that it was all over. But something miraculous happened. I went and took a hot shower, put some Icy Hot all over my lower back, and within an hour or so the pain was gone. This sort of treatment had never worked before when my back was hurting. It could just be that adrenaline took over and I couldn't feel it any more, but I think that it had just tightened up from prolonged inactivity and just needed something to loosen it up. Thank God that it did not become a problem, because I honestly expected it was going to be my downfall.

Now, on to the good stuff. The test began at 1 PM. This was the first test I've ever had where I was "prepped" before the test about what in particular I would be asked to do, and in what order. I think this was because, the further you progress in Taekwon-Do, the less important the actual test is. As Mr. Van Hecke said this weekend, it is really about the journey, and the actual day of testing is just a reflection and celebration of that journey. I must say, it was nice to have an idea of what would be coming up throughout the day so that I could mentally prepare for it.

The progression of the test was as follows:

• Warm-ups: Basic Patterns and Kicks
• Black Belt Patterns #1 and #2
• Advanced Kicking
• Self-Defense Routines
• Black Belt Pattern #3
• Step-Sparring
• Free-Sparring
• Breaking

Mixed in between all of the above were various color-belt patterns selected by the testing panel. All in all, it was a very fast-paced and physically demanding test. I don't think I've ever been as exhausted as I was when the test was over. When you perform physically in front of a panel of superiors and an audience, you strive to do your absolute best, so your punches are just a little quicker, your blocks a little harder, your kicks a little stronger than they ever have been before. Mostly this is just adrenaline, but for me it was also the embodiment of my perfectionist character coming out and asserting itself. To me, there are few things worse in life than performing at a level lower than I am capable of. Luckily I can say with certainty that I gave it my all and held nothing back.

As far as the individual elements of the test are concerned, I can say that I was most satisfied with the patterns and self-defense portions. I consider myself to be very strong in the area of patterns anyways, but in my own mind I demonstrated them very capably, even my last pattern (Juche), which is widely considered one of the hardest in all of Taekwon-Do. While it was not sheer perfection, I think I performed well and the praise I received from the testing board confirmed that.

The self-defense was my crowning achievement, partly because it went so well, and partly because I had not worked on it at all earlier than two weeks ago. I was very intimidated by the idea of putting together a 2-minute self-defense routine against an armed opponent. The last time I tested and had to do this kind of thing, it was against an unarmed opponent and I had the help of my instructor. This time I put the whole thing together on my own, so the success or failure of it resided completely with me. Plus, given the fact that I have had noone in Atlanta to train with, I had to envision the entire routine in my head and plan out each step in my mind's eye. Though I did have the chance to run through each portion of the routine with my roommate, and eliminate any obvious errors in the execution, mostly I had to rely on the fact that I understood the fundamentals and could create a realistic demonstration. All of this, coupled with the fact that Ms. Hunt was able to memorize her part of it perfectly with only a day's notice, culminated in a very nice demonstration. It drew good applause from the crowd, and I do believe that most people thought that I was actually hurting her at one point or another during the routine. I consider this the highest praise I could have received, because above all, a presentation on self-defense should be realistic. Once I have it available, I will post a video of this on the site.

Now, a word about the breaking portion of the test. Each of us had three breaks to perform - a hand break, a power foot break, and a technique foot break. The power foot break, as the name implies, suggests a large number of boards to be broken with a very basic kick. The technique break, on the contrary, suggests a few number of boards to be broken with much more difficult kicks, usually while in the air. For each break, you have several choices, depending on your rank. Here were my choices:

• Hand: 5 boards with a downward knifehand strike
• Power: 5 boards with a side kick
• Technique: 1 board, 2 targets with a flying combination kick (left leg front kick, right leg turning kick).

Just some clarification on the technique break: What that means is that there are actually two boards, but they are held separately, not together. With one jump, I had to break one of the boards with my left leg front kick, and break the other board with a right leg turning kick, all before returning to the ground.

When I went up to perform my hand break, I had the opportunity to be the first to use the board holder that Ms. Hunt and her father had recently made. I loaded the 5 boards into the holder, prepared myself for the break, and absolutely laid into those boards. Unfortunately, they did not break. What resulted was some of the strongest pain I've ever felt. The common myth is that breaking boards is very painful, and that's why people are afraid of it. Truthfully, it is not a painful process - especially when you break them. Sometimes, when you don't break them, it is painful, depending on the attack you are using, because the force from your attack travels back into the hand or foot, rather than through the boards. This was the case with my hand break. Not only did all that power come surging back through my hand, but I cut my hand on the boards in the process. Refusing to be a quitter, I summoned my strength to attempt the break a second time, despite the pain. Here is where we discovered the first problem: the board holder was not sturdy enough, and apparently was bowing whenever it was struck, making it almost impossible to break the boards. To stop this, someone came and stood on the board holder to give it support and hopefully lessen the bowing. I prepared myself again and struck it a second time, just as hard as the first.

Once again it did not break. At this point, all I could do was double-over and wince. It was the worst pain I've ever felt. One thing is for sure: I didn't recoil my strike out of fear - two times I hit those boards as hard as I possibly could, and I was paying the price for that in terms of a wrecked hand. It was physically impossible to make a third attempt, I couldn't even hold my fingers together. The testing board recognized this and told me to stop. The boards were removed from the holder and it was at this point that we determined the second problem with the break, this one even more devastating: the grains of the boards were misaligned. For those not too familiar with wood, this can make it almost impossible to break. I was furious at myself when I figured this out, because ultimately it was my responsibility to ensure that the boards were positioned properly. Often I can get so focused on one thing that I completely forget about everything around it, and this is exactly what happened here. Unfortunately my mistake nearly led to me breaking my hand. After the second attempt, involuntary tears started down my face - while I wasn't crying per se, my body was definitely reacting to the pain and decided to express that. Luckily, though the pain was intense, the actual damage was minimal - at least that's what I curently think. It appears that, besides the several cuts from the sides of the boards, the whole outer side of my hand was bruised pretty strongly. But most of the mobility was restored without pain after a couple of hours, so I think it's safe to say that it is not broken.

Thankfully Mr. McDaniel brought his own board holder with him, so we were also able to eliminate the other lingering problem for the rest of the breaks. They were going to make Ms. Hunt do the rest of her breaks all in a row, in order to give me time to recover from the strike, but I refused to let that happen. There's no reason that she should be inconvenienced because I was hurt. Plus, any pain in my hand would have no affect on my ability to break with my feet, so I went ahead on schedule to do my power break. When I lined up for the 5-board break, I was so furious at those boards that I completely let loose with a combination of power, anger, and blind fury. Needless to say they crumpled under the force and didn't stand a chance. Based on how easily they broke, I'm pretty sure I could have broken 7 or 8 boards with the same kick.

That left only the technique break to do, which was the one I was most worried about all long, because I felt it to be technically the most difficult. I don't know if my anger was still fueling me, or if I just did a very nice set of kicks, but I broke them both easily on the first attempt. With the exception of the hand break, the breaking section went much better than I expected.

This concluded the test, and after some time to deliberate, the testing panel decided that we had performed acceptably and were awarded our respective promotions. It was such a joy and relief to receive my III Dan Black Belt because it has been so many years in the making, since my last test in 1997 when I was practically still a child. It is not something I take lightly, because it is not something that many people ever achieve. I know that from here on out I will be reaching points where fewer and fewer people have been, and to reach these points will require my most dedicated training and devotion to the art. I look forward to continuing my training, even if I have to do it on my own, and I also look forward to the day when I can have my own school, even if only part-time. But these are all things for the future.

As I alluded to earlier, the seminar after the test was extremely informative and really gave me a glimpse at the way I would like to be able to teach someday. Mr. Van Hecke is extremely gifted, amazingly knowledgeable and has a teaching method that I envy. I learned a lot in that two-hour span, but most importantly, I think it clarified the vision I have of what type of instructor I'd like to become. Let's hope that with enough studying and application I can reach a point where I can impart such knowledge to other seeking minds.

That night, and all of the next day, practically every muscle in my body was sore. But that's a good sign, because it shows that I worked hard, and I believe that it made the achievement that much more worthwhile because of the level of exertion that it demanded.

On Sunday I headed over to the home of one of my Medtronic co-workers who I didn't get a chance to see at the poker tourney. We chatted for a minute, after which I borrowed his internet connection to check on my departing flight information. It was at that point that I realized what an idiot I was. Let me explain. I think that most people would set their rental car return time to be previous to their actual flight departure time. That way, they know they have to have the car back at a certain time, and then they would already be at the airport, and on-time for their flight. However, I decided to set my rental car return time after my departure time. Thinking back, my rationale was that, since I know I'm going to get to the airport on time, I might as well extend the rental car return time by a few hours, just to make sure I don't get hit with a late fee on the car. What happened instead, was that I knew my rental-car return time, and I assumed my flight left awhile after that, so I did not even think to look at the actual departure time. In retrospect, that's really dumb thinking. I mean - what's worse, a late fee on the rental car, or the fee for missing your flight and catching another one? Plus, I think if I was a few minutes late with the car, or even an hour late, they wouldn't make a big fuss. Anyways, I mention all this because, when I checked the information on my friend's computer, I realized my flight was leaving in 45 minutes. Naturally I freaked out and headed out the door. I felt really bad, because he had waited on me to get some lunch, and was looking forward to the chance to catch up, and I had to run out on him after 5 minutes. But there wasn't really an alternative - thank God he lives 10 minutes from the airport!

I zoomed down there, got the rental car back as soon as possible, and ran all the way to ticketing. I was fully expecting them to tell me that they couldn't check my bag, because I was arriving less than 30 minutes before my flight. But, surprise! Thanks to Atlanta being completely crippled by a little ice, my flight had been delayed so I had time to check my bag. Actually it worked out perfectly - the flight was only delayed 20 minutes, long enough to allow me to check my bag, but not long enough that I would be stuck at the airport for hours. Plus, had I been flying out the day before, my flight would have been canceled because the ice storm wreaked havoc on the airport Saturday. But it was all good - I jumped on the flight not long after that, and slept soundly all the way back to ATL.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend - between the testing, the opportunity to see all the students and instructors I used to train with, and the chance to get together with some old Medtronic buddies, I really had a fantastic time. Even the weather cooperated - who would have thought! So now it's back to normal life. No trips planned in the future, no tests to prepare for - back to the grindstone of daily life. Hopefully some (positive) speedbump will introduce itself to shake things up a bit...

(For those interested: The first wave of testing pictures is available here. More pictures will be forthcoming, as well as videos once they are sent to me.)

Posted by sdishman at January 31, 2005 12:30 AM

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