Orange belt in Tae Kwon Do

Well, we did it! Collin and I passed our orange belt test today with Mamaw, Papa (my dad), Heather, Caris, and friends Jake and Suzanne in attendance. What a workout!

They started us on the Chon-Ji form (kata in other martial arts) which took the longest for us to perfect for this test so that was perfect. Then, we did all of the punches, kicks, and combinations. We broke up with partners next and demonstrated self-defense and one-step sparring. One-steps are a basic set of four movements to defend against an attacker (one block with follow-up counters). It's like a mini-form, not really fighting.

Before putting all of our pads on and really sparring (touch fighting), we did board breaks which is the most fun part but mentally challenging. We don't ever practice it except for the tests, but it's really fun because you have no idea if you can really do it! I was so proud of Collin! For our last test, the Gold belt, we only were "required" (really only required for age 13 and above) to break one board with your hand. Last time, the board really intimidated Collin and he kept stopping his hand at the board instead of going through it for the break. For our Orange belt, we were "required" to break two boards -- one with our hand and one with our feet. Our favorite instructor, Mr. Garner, worked with Collin very well and told him exactly what to do. Collin broke both boards and was walking on air! It was so fun to share that with our family and friends who were there. Collin broke his boards with a hammer fist (think of using your fist like a hammer) and an axe kick (coming down on the board with your heel). I broke my boards with a knife hand (think karate chop) and a side kick (using the outside edge of your foot toward your heel).

Sparring is Collin's favorite part, it's so fun to see this sweet, gentle boy really going at it! It was a lot of fun, but exhausting! Thankfully, we went out for a great lunch afterwards to celebrate. It was a great lesson to both of us in hard-work paying off and the rewards of self-discipline, practice, focus, and giving our best effort.