A Post More Than 2 Years In The Making

Yesterday Liam took his final color belt test in Tae Kwon-Do to earn his third (and last) black stripe on his red belt.  From this time on, there will be no more tests until he tests for his black belt. We anticipate that happening in April of next year as long as he keeps up the hard work.

I admit I was a little apprehensive about his performance at this test. After his slip up at the last test, I wanted to make sure he felt confident in all the patterns he had to do. We threw an extra class in here and there over the last 2 months and that seemed to prepare him.

He had to do 2 patterns that he had done before for other belt tests and one brand new pattern - Chin-Moo. Which, I am shocked to say, he learned in its entirety in a single class. That kid has a mind like a steel trap.

(A word on the videos - I did the best I could but an adult who was testing kept getting in my line of sight. Also, I got a little wobbly. Sorry, folks.)

First, he had to do Te-Ge.

Next was Fur-Ahn (I missed the first couple of movements in this one).

Last, Chin-Moo.

Flawless.

After he performed patterns they sparred in groups.  My pictures from that are mostly blurry but he did a pretty good job.  Then, it was time for breaking, which he crushed.

Like a boss.

Finally, it was time to be awarded with his stripe.

Three! Three black stripes!

When it comes time to test for his black belt, Liam will have to perform all nine of the patterns he learned to earn his black stripes. It's a good thing we have 8 months to prepare!

I know he can do it, though. He started out 2 years ago having no real idea how to make his body be so coordinated. He was so awkward - all elbows and knees sticking out. But he kept at it. He worked hard. He did all they asked him to do. He practiced at home. He went to class twice a week every week; summer, fall, winter, and spring. Now he is poised to prove he's worthy to wear a Young Brothers black belt. I know he is. I can't wait to see it happen.

Two Black Stripes Earned, One To Go

Over the weekend, while my parents were here, Liam tested for the second black stripe on his red belt.  I expected this to go as smoothly as all his other tests have gone.

I was wrong.

This was the first test in which Liam struggled.  When it was time for his group of kids to get up and do their patterns (he, again, had to perform three), Liam got lost about halfway into the first pattern and got very confused.  I don't know if it was heightened nerves because he wanted to show his Oma and Puppa how hard he's worked or if knowing I was video taping him distracted him.  Whatever the case, he stopped and had to start over.  When that happened, I put down the camera because I didn't want to put pressure on him.

He was pretty upset by his mistake.  I could see him holding back tears and he had to wipe his eyes once.  But Grandmaster Kong encouraged him by saying "We all make mistakes and we all lose our focus. Just start over and do your best, I know you can do it."

And he did.  He got all the way through his first pattern without mistake the second time he tried.  Then he went on and performed the second and third patterns flawlessly.  When he sat down again, I could tell he was still upset and kept looking at me with a sick look on his face.

When he came over to suit up for sparring, I looked at him and said "You did great.  It's OK. You're going to pass and I'm proud of you." Then we got him ready for sparring.  He did fine after that.  Sparring went well and breaking was a piece of cake.

I told him afterwards that I was most proud of how he got himself under control, started again, and did his very best.  After all these tests and all the times he's breezed through without a problem, I was really glad to see that he didn't give up after one mistake.  Sometimes he has the tendency to get very upset if he doesn't get something right the first time he tries it.  He proved to himself that he can do it.  I'm so proud of him.

He has one more stripe to earn in August and then he'll begin preparation for his black belt.  He won't test for his black belt until April of 2013.  He'll have plenty of time to master the necessary skills by then.

Puppa and Spud

Kicking Butt And Taking Names

Liam had another tournament for Tae Kwon-Do this morning and he did fantastically well.  I'm tired so this is going to be a bit of a truncated post in terms of narrative but you can get the idea from the pictures.

Liam competed in patterns, sparring, and breaking.  He did not place in pattern, took 1st in his sparring group, and 3rd in his breaking group. Competition was tougher this time around.  He's now in a group of kids that are more practiced and to win you have to be really on point.  I wasn't too surprised he didn't place in pattern.  He was by no means the worst in his ring, but there were other kids who were note perfect.

But that's OK with me because of two things.  1) He got up and he did his best and 2) I love watching him do it at all.  No matter where he places I'm proud of him.

When it came time for sparring I was practically bursting watching him. Sparring has never been Liam's strong suit - he does pretty well but he does tend to back down to more aggressive kids.  I don't know what exactly changed his mind today (not placing in pattern?) but he just refused to back down. He blocked his opponents and went on the offensive from the word 'spar.'  That earned him the first place trophy in his group. It's nearly as tall as he is.

Liam on the right, blocking the kick

Liam on the right, blocking the punch and landing a point

First place!

For breaking, he broke three boards individually (some kids were stacking boards; Liam chose not to) with various foot strikes.  I saw several much more complicated breaks in his group but those kids didn't place because they either failed to break the board or it took them multiple tries.  Liam had to try twice on one board but otherwise broke on the first strike.  This was enough to land him in third.

An extremely proud Spud

All in all it was a really great day for him.  There was a lot of waiting and waiting and waiting (and more waiting) involved but he sat through it all without a single complaint.  He did his best, tried his hardest, and showed off his skills. I couldn't be prouder.

Liam and his trophies

Black Stripe!

Today was a big day for Liam; he tested for his first black stripe.

This meant that today's test was different from past tests.  Instead of being asked to perform one pattern, he had to perform three.  In addition to his regular sparring requirement, he also had to break two boards.  He was really looking forward to the board breaking.

For the patterns, Liam had to execute the first three patterns he ever learned - his white belt pattern, yellow stripe pattern, and double yellow stripe pattern.

For comparison, here is Liam doing Chon-Ji as a white belt.

Here is Chon-Ji as executed this morning:

I am impressed beyond words with the progress Liam has made.  I know he's been at this for two full years and by now he really ought to have improved (and he has!) but the video proof of exactly how far he has come is just astonishing to me. I am so proud of him I could burst.

Here are the other two patterns he had to do - Dan-Gun and Do-San.

All flawlessly executed.

When it was time for breaking, I could tell that he was beyond excited.  I managed to get a primo spot for photos and here is the proof of his breaking prowess.

Jumping side kick.  BAM!

Turning back kick. Please note the board broke in THREE pieces - piece 3 is between the master's arms.

He was duly awarded his black stripe and I was so proud of him I practically burst into tears.  That's my baby kicking ass out there!

We all needed a little something to celebrate around here and we got it.  Congratulations, Liam.  Your perseverance and hard work are an inspiration.

Last, the man responsible:

Grandmaster Young Bo Kong

Red Belt Earned

Yesterday Liam tested for his red belt.  Being a red belt means new things for Liam in Tae Kwon-Do.  It means that he'll move out of the class he was in and up into the more advanced class for red belts and black belts.  It also means that from here on out he must break boards at each test (something he's very much looking forward to). Last, it means that he's on his last color belt before black.

As always, video of his pattern:

I also got at least one decent sparring photo:

Liam, center right

Now that he's a red belt he's on the last major leg of the road to black belt.  He must earn 3 black stripes on his red belt and for each stripe he must perform 3 of the the patterns he's previously learned (1st stripe, 1st three patterns, and so on).  Once he's completed that he must be a triple black stripe for 6 months before he will be eligible to test for black.  Our dojang runs black belt testing twice a year in April and October.  Given the timing of things it looks like he'll be testing for black sometime in April of 2013 as long as everything keeps going well.

We're very proud of how hard he's worked and how much dedication he's had. 

Red Stripe!

No, not the beer.

Liam tested yesterday for his red stripe on his blue belt.  It was sort of a formality given that he took a bronze in tournament with this same pattern a month ago.  Needless to say, he passed with flying colors.  BUT! I got lucky this time out.  There were only three kids testing for red stripe and Liam was the closest to me so I got great video of his pattern.  So, here it is!

He did a great job.  Now, it's on to his red belt and the last new pattern he will learn for a long time.  Once he earns his red belt he must earn three black stripes before he can test for black belt and for each of those stripes he must perform three of the 9 previous patterns he's learned.  Come February (when he tests for red) he's going to be doing a lot of review of patterns.

Keep it up the great work, kiddo!

Proud

Liam has been a student of Tae Kwon-Do for a year and a half now.  In that time he has gone from a clumsy, awkward white belt to a blue belt with control, balance, and a certain grace.  I am immensely proud of all he has accomplished through his hard work.

Today he participated in his very first tournament and he did so very well.  This was an inter-school tournament that included all 9 of Grandmaster Kong's dojangs.  So, there were a lot of kids there that Liam has never met, never sparred against, never seen their skills.

This was only half of the gym full of kids

Liam competed in patterns and sparring.  They also had categories for breaking but as he hasn't done that yet, we didn't sign him up for that.

First, he did his pattern.  This is the same pattern he will do next month when he tests for his red stripe. I apologize for the camera work - we were in the bleachers with lots of other people.

When all of the kids in his group had demonstrated their pattern and been scored, they awarded medals and certificates.  They gave a gold, silver, and bronze medal to the top three kids and certificates to the others.

Liam won a bronze!

Look!  I got a medal!

These aren't chintzy participation medals either.  They're heavy and large with emblems on both sides.

After the patterns were finished, they moved onto sparring.  Liam sparred twice, losing the first bout but winning the second.  The bout he won was against a red belt.  

Liam is on the right.

Liam on the left, facing the camera.

And he medaled again!  He won another bronze for his sparring.

Getting his medal (Liam second from left)

Grinning from ear to ear

He's worked very hard over the last year and a half and this is such a marvelous validation of all that hard work.  He earned those medals.  We couldn't be more proud of him.  More importantly, he couldn't be more proud of himself.

Blue Belt

It's the time again folks - time for belt test.

This time around Liam was testing for his blue belt.  As with previous tests he was well prepared with knowing his pattern.

Then, sparring (Liam on the left):

And finally, after all the questions, answers, demonstrations, and speeches from the Master, he was awarded his belt.

Way to go, kiddo!  Keep it up!

Blue Stripe!

Liam had a belt test this morning and he passed with flying colors.

If he keeps it up at this pace, he'll earn his blue belt in October, be a red stripe before Christmas, and earn his red belt just after his birthday.  Once he's a red belt he gets to start breaking boards.  After red belt he has to earn 3 black stripes before he gets his black belt.  So, as long as nothing derails him, he'll get his black belt sometime when he's eight.

I can't tell you how proud of him I am.

Green Belt In The House!

Today Liam attended his first all-school belt test at Tae Kwon-Do.  Until now he has attended belt tests run on Friday afternoons for the youngest kids in the school at the lowest levels.  There's usually only 5 or 6 kids at these tests so this was our first experience with the full school test.

It was different and very fun to watch.

The table prepared for the Masters.

The Masters seated and getting testing underway.

Students lined up to begin.

As you can see there was a range of ages from 5 years old up to adult and a range of belts from white with one stripe to red with two black stripes.  I didn't count but there had to be close to 50 students testing today.

When it came time to do patterns, they separated everyone out by belt level and had each level come up and do the pattern en masse.

Getting lined up for pattern.

You'll have to forgive the video quality.  I had other kids in the way.  I did the best I could.

After all the students had done their patterns and the adult students had demonstrated their sparring combinations (which was cool; they were throwing the masters around the dojang), it was time for sparring with pads.

Spud is the one on the left.

Liam sparred twice, once with a yellow belt and once with a blue belt.  They paired the kids up based on height and one of the blue belts is a shorter Korean boy so Liam got paired with him.  I expected the kid to make mince meat of Liam because he's three belts ahead of Liam.  Liam proved me wrong.  I watched him bust out a crescent kick on the blue belt and he landed it, too.  Proud Mama.

After all of that, they lined the kids up by belt level and the masters walked through and started asking them questions.  I asked Liam what he was asked and he said he has to recite the Tenets of Tae Kwon-Do and count to 10 in Korean.  I asked him if he was able to and he responded, "That's way easy, Mom."

Then, Grandmaster Kong gathered them around to give them a talk about how he's there to teach them and give them constructive criticism.  How he's not going to pass them just to pass them and that he's like a parent, he's going to tell them right from wrong.

Grandmaster Kong imparts his wisdom.

Finally, they passed out belts, stripes, and certificates and testing was over.

Our new green belt!

It's been almost exactly one year since he started in Tae Kwon-Do.  He's come so far since he started and he's doing really, really well.  Way to go, kiddo!

Achievement Unlocked: Green Stripe!

Yesterday afternoon, Liam earned his green stripe.  He did very well at test (as he always does) and passed with flying colors.  He was the only one who didn't have to do his pattern twice because he did it right the first time.

Getting his stripe 

One proud Spud

Congratulations, Liam!  You've consistently worked hard and done your very best.  I couldn't be more proud of you.  

Yellow Belt!

Liam tested for his yellow belt this afternoon.  He passed with flying colors and now I must play proud parent and show him off.

Here he is doing his pattern:

What is amazing to me about this pattern is that he had it memorized correctly about 6 classes after earning his second yellow stripe.  If I had still had a mind like a steel trap, I would be so much happier.

Getting his new belt from Master Cohen

A very proud Spud

He did a fabulous job.  I could hear his voice well above the others when he was reciting the tenets of Tae Kwon-Do (Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control, Indomitable Spirit, and Modesty) as well as the Student Oath.  He clearly knows all he should to be a yellow belt.

Next stop:  Green stripe!

Life, Lately

I've been having trouble trying to come up with blog posts lately because we're so busy but life is also very routine.  This is good news in a lot of ways as it means Scot's health issues (which I haven't talked about on here very much) are beginning to resolve themselves and my stress level is beginning to reduce itself.  Thank God for small favors.  But, on the other hand, it makes for rather boring blog posts, no?

Instead, I'm just going to give you a "here's how it's going in the Two Kids and a Beagle household."

1.  Liam continues to attend kindergarten with gusto.  Loves school, loves his teacher, loves riding the bus, is making friends - what more could I ask for?  We don't have parent-teacher conferences until November but I'm hoping for a good report - both academically and behaviorally.

Liam is also continuing apace at Tae Kwon-Do.  Moving up into a color belt class was like moving from kindergarten to first grade.  It's not at all the same except that he's still supposed to behave himself and listen.  However, if he doesn't, he gets to do push ups.  But he's holding his own pretty well and he's already learning his next pattern.  The biggest change for him is that his class is now at 6:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm so he's busy from 5:00 (dinner time) until bedtime on TKD nights and that kind of ticked him off for awhile.  He's adjusting to it now, though, and pretty soon it will seem like it's always been like this.

2.  Jamie is now 19 months old and 28 lbs 12 oz.  He is, for lack of a better term, a tank.  I was honestly shocked when he weighed in because I expected him to be at least 30 lbs.  He certainly feels like he is - the kid is dense!  He, too, is enjoying his two days a week at daycare and practically throws his shoes at me if we're not moving out the door fast enough.

He's also expanding his language at lightning speed.  The other night, while I was at TKD with Liam, he looked at Scot and said "UPSTAIRS!  BATH!" over and over until Scot figured it out and said "you want to go upstairs and take your bath?"  Jamie snatched up his stuffed animals and made a beeline for the stairs as fast as his chubby little legs would carry him.  He certainly gets his point across, that's for darn sure.

3.  The beagle?  Continues to pee in my house.  There are no words.

4.  Scot and I will be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary next week.  We've been together for 11 years now.  It's amazing how slowly 11 years seems to go when you're a child and how quickly they fly past when you're an adult.  And yet, here we are, with two kids, a dog, a mortgage, and being subversive in the suburbs.  ;)  When I was 17 years old, the thing I wanted most in life was to have children (and yes, I knew that college came first, thankyouverymuch, and then marriage).  I have my share of bad days being a stay at home Mom, but the truth is that I wanted this very much and I wouldn't chose differently if given a chance.  I love you, Scot!

5.  I remain corpulent.  There are no words for this, also.

6.  I become less enamored of my soccer mom title the longer soccer goes on.  The kids are fine; the parents are not.  They yell at their children from the sidelines.  They reprimand them for not being aggressive enough.  They give me dirty looks when I clap for the *other* team when they score (because, dude?  It's six and under and there's barely any rules.  The kids are trying and it's a good job reaching the damn net at all).  I clap when our team scores, too, but I don't feel the need to denigrate a gaggle of 5 and 6 year olds just because they scored against us.

The longer this goes on the more I hope that Liam loses his love of the game.  I'd rather be a dojang Mom any day of the week.  It's just so . . . suburban.  Or, more accurately, suburban nightmare.  I'm all for kids learning that not everyone is awesome and not everyone gets a trophy and how to be a good sport but this is U-6 soccer - most of these kids have never played the game before and it just isn't important at this age to be so damn competitive.

7.  Otherwise, life is life.  I clean the house, I run children to school, I pick kids up off the bus.  There's play dates and grocery shopping and bills.  One of these days there will be time for me - I begin to see a glimmer of those days but it's a faint glow on the distant horizon.  We'll get there.  Eventually.

One Stripe Down, One To Go

Tonight Liam took his first belt test in Tae Kwon-Do.  If he passed he would earn a yellow stripe on his white belt.  He's been working toward this since his first class and we were surprised to find out he was ready at the end of his class on Wednesday.

Well, he was definitely ready because he passed with flying colors!

Here's Liam executing the pattern he had to learn:

(Pardon the background noise, there was class going on in the background.)

Getting his stripe from Master Cohen

Receiving his certficiate

I'm very, very proud of him.  He worked hard to learn everything, he payed attention in class week after week, he has improved immensely from the first class.  I don't care if he's the best of the class.  I don't care if he advances the fastest.  I care that he tries his best and continues to improve over what he was capable of before.  

Now he'll begin work on earning his next yellow stripe.  I know he can do it.

I Defy You To Make Kids Look Cuter Than This

I don't know what it is about 5 year olds in a dobak and white belt but it is just about the cutest thing on the planet.  Line them all up and it's an overload of cute, especially when they're still at the awkward stage of learning to punch and kick.

(Liam is on the far left)

If you're wondering, that huge sign in the background says "HOUSE of DISCIPLINE."  I hope Liam gets to know it well.