Hello all and sorry for the hiatus.  I’m finished with school until fall, settled into my summer job and new living environment and finally able to bust out the writing paraphernalia.

This two-part post was inspired by a search term used to find my blog: “why can’t I get my green belt”.  When we’re white belts, the entire world seems open to us.  Testing comes easily, we gain a little rank, and become excited that we’re no longer at the bottom of the dojang food chain.  Unfortunately, we don’t realize that Taekwondo is a commitment and a lifestyle.  We can no longer effortlessly sail through class and are left wondering as to what is required of us.

I’ve attended many testings (including my own) and saw a pattern in the problems students face.  While I’ll provide you with some useful tips, remember that your best resource is you master or high belts.

Why can’t I gain belt rank?

Memory

One of our biggest downfalls during a test can be our memory. We could speed-break with acrobatic kicks, but as soon as we’re asked Korean terms, our brains fall right out. As we stutter in front of our master, we feel our ship slowly sinking. If a person fails completely in one category, that’s it – no belt for you! A memory blank could spell huge disaster.

Don’t kid yourself about the importance of memory. Each belt has their own specific set of things to know (be sure to carefully check the list!), but here’s a sample of what we generally need to know:

  • counting and/or numbers in Korean
  • telling someone to bow, stand at attention…etc.
  • recite the meanings of the Korean and American flags
  • instinct 1-step, combos, and escapes
  • philosophy
  • meaning of belt color and form (the form is more for the ITF people)
    • for example, what does “chon-ji” mean?

Now this is just a small sample of what we need to know. Sound intimidating? Not really – here are a couple tips.

Memory Tips

  • terms
    • I look up all my terms, complete with the English phonetic spellings. I write them in large marker on a sheet of paper and stick that paper on a conspicuous surface (bedroom wall or refrigerator). Every time I pass it, I recite the words and English meanings – the repetition makes sure that all the words stick in my head.
  • forms
    • Practice all your forms every day! They should be immaculate and second nature – there’s no cramming for forms!
  • the rest
    • Don’t be afraid to ask for help before or after class. Learn 1-2 techniques at a time, then practice them at home. Come to class early if you have some techniques that require another person’s help. Continue practicing older and new techniques, and you’ll add to your knowledge base quickly!

Endurance

We could all stand to have better endurance. In fact, a lack of endurance almost compromised my last testing! Your master tests not only practical knowledge, but your ability to represent your desired rank. For example, would you trust a black belt who couldn’t make it through 1 round of sparring?  If you’re tired out during warm-up, you may need to improve your endurance before your next testing.

Endurance Tips

  • Some of the best advice I’ve gotten is “go until you can’t go anymore…then push yourself to do another five minutes”.  If you’re looking to build endurance, you can’t grow unless you push past your comfort zone.  Obviously, don’t put yourself in danger, but give yourself a gentle push.
  • During your testing, don’t spend all your energy in the warm-up jog.  If your endurance is poor to begin with, don’t be a hero.
  • Put in some time outside of class.  Running is a great way to build endurance and teaches athletes the importance of breathing.
  • BREATHE!  Oddly enough, students have a tendency to hold their breath, especially during forms.  Your breathing should be natural.

Memory and endurance are two big bears you’ll need to tackle in preparation to be the best martial artist you can be.  In part 2 of “Why can’t I gain belt rank”, we’ll explore a couple other reasons why some students don’t achieve their next rank.