So here’s the thing: I was going to have a little Friday martial arts philosophy - you know, going the whole mind, soul and body route.  Turns out, I feel like a mega-copycat, because Brett does roughly the same things on Fridays.  Now I feel like a dufus >.<  I still want to do something relating to the martial arts, so I’m going to retool this for Sundays.

Sunday Meditations: “That is why you fail”

After including Yoda quotes in my last post, I started thinking about the martial arts undertones to many of Yoda’s speeches.  A friend of mine really likes a certain quote and I believe that it applies both to training and our daily lives:

Luke: I don’t believe it

Yoda: That is why you fail

After throwing a half-hearted go at raising his X-wing out of a Dagobah sinkhole, Skywalker gave up and pouted against a tree stump.  “You ask the impossible,” he whined.  Yoda, watching from a distance, shook his head: when would Skywalker finally humble himself to Yoda’s wisdom?  Yoda visualized the X-wing floating out of the swamp, felt the Force running through him and pulled the X-wing to solid ground.  Luke stood and stared: “I don’t believe it.”  Yoda reproached him: “That is why you fail.”

Skywalker’s main problem was that he was acting in what he believed was a realitic manner.  It’s similar to how I want 1 million dollars, a Macbook Pro, and a car that runs - They would be nice to have, but I’m not putting all my eggs in that basket.  I really can’t count on magically receiving millions of dollars.  Realistically, I’m going to be living in a small ranch-style house, typing on a homebrew Frankenstein computer and…still driving my 1987 Mercedes.  When I realize that having 1 million dollars is impossible, I can move on with my life and achieve something more “realistic”.

I’m sure that Skywalker thought that getting his X-Wing back would be pretty groovy, too.  But again, by not having his eggs in such a fragile basket, he was able to try to think of a more “realistic” solution.

Application

Think of your very first dream - you know, the one where you were going to be an astronaut, a dancer or even a Jedi (c’mon - admit it!).  What response did you get from the older, more experienced people?  Probably something along the lines of “get real”.

And for the martial artists: what’s your craziest dream?  Do you want to own at a competition, perhaps compete in the Olympics?

Please don’t sabotage yourselves by being “realistic”.  You may feel that going to the Olympics is unrealistic, but remember: Skywalker believed that levitating an X-wing out of a swamp was impossible and Yoda pulled the ship out with ease.  Yoda even chastised Luke for trying to be realistic and at one point needed to tell him to “unlearn what [he has] learned”.

Meditations

Your meditation for this week is to do as Yoda recommends and unlearn what you have learned about being realistic with your goals.  Stop making judgments as to a task’s realism value and start working toward a crazy dream.

In part 1 of why can’t I gain belt rank, we looked at improving memory and endurance in anticipation of your next testing.  In this final installment, I’ll review two more problems I see in students testing for rank.

Health

As I sip my eightieth cup of coffee for the day whilst munching on a chocolate chip bagel with cream cheese, I am reminded that no one is perfect in maintaining health.  Even so, we still need to make the best go of it - poor health will affect everything from athletic performance to emotional stability.  Health seems to be a difficult problem to spot.  When we feel sluggish or uneasy, we ignore it as a symptom of stress and if the problem goes on long enough, these feelings become normal for us.  If you don’t feel quite right, it’s time to mind your health.

Disclaimer: if you’re having health problems, please consult your physician.  I give tips - not medical diagnoses.

Health tips

• Just say “no”

Step 1 is to take a look at the obvious: drinking, smoking, and non-prescription drugs.  Sure, we all need to unwind after a day of hard work and when we joined Taekwondo, we didn’t intend to live like monks.  The problem is that alcohol dehydrates a person and smoking reduces lung capacity.  If you must do these things however, keep it to a bare minimum.  Drinking, smoking and drugs all reduce your ability to perform, so you make a huge sacrifice by partaking in these substances.

• Got water?

Hydrate!  I notice that when I’m sluggish, it’s usually because I’ve had about 300 cups of coffee and neglected to follow up with water.  Proper hydration means 8 glasses of water (at 8 oz each) - more if you’re a caffeine addict or if you work-out.  That means the bare minimum of the day is 64 oz, so bust out your Mason jars and get drinking!

• Wax is not a delicious treat

Start cutting processed foods out of your diet and start eating natural foods.  Put away that macaroni and cheese - that shade of orange is freakish in a food, anyway.  Long story short, by eating a good number of processed foods, you’re eating wax.  Unless you’re into munching on crayons, please do yourself a favor and eat some fresh fruits and veggies.

• “…and I’m going to be high as a kite by then”

One of the reasons why I love my coffee is because it’s a legal “upper” (a.k.a.: stimulant).  My brain gets a jumpstart in the mornings when I caffeinate and an upper puts you in a good mood.  I like to joke about my coffee intake, but really I’ve limited it to a cup in the morning and another in the afternoon (like a proper German).  This way, I never have a mid-morning crash.

Caffeine is only one of many discreetly addictive stimulants.  Sugar and chocolate fall into that category as well, threatening to crash you after a couple hours.  “Energy drinks”, therefore, are death in a can.  But I digress.  The main issue with these stimulants is that they spike your blood sugar for a little while, and then drop you on your arse.  That’s the reason why you want to nap a couple of hours after a big helping of chocolate chip pancakes.  Try your best to avoid food highs - the higher you get off food, the harder you fall.

Attitude

Once upon a time, a hot-shot student focused on performance.  He kicked the highest, threw the hardest and never missed his mark.  Boards exploded beneath his might.  He probably lifted weights in his free time, just to be the strongest.  Unfortunately, he was well aware of his prowess and wanted everyone else to be equally aware.  In training exercises, he hit his partner extra hard, then chastised him for not having the strength of a warrior.  He showed no mercy with the young women, expecting a woman to throw all 120 lbs of herself into a punch equal to his own and the ladies frequently left with bruises - both on their bodies and attitudes.

What came of this guy?  He was eventually booted from the school.  No questions asked.  If Taekwondo was only about performance, this fellow would have been top of the class.  Fortunately, your instructors are looking to foster good attitude.  If your performance isn’t lacking in the least, you’re probably being held back by your attitude.

Attitude Tips (quotes courtesy of Yoda)

• “Size matters not”

When I was a young blue belt, I was charged with instructing the new white belts in basic stances.  One of my students was a good 30 years older than me and a good couple feet taller.  I’m not going to lie: I’m a tiny woman.  I heard scoffs and I was often corrected by fellows such as him who thought that size, age or gender mattered in the dojang.  Yet, I could still push this man over when his stances were poor.  In fact, I can throw a man 3x my size and hold him against the floor indefinitely.

Moral of the story: don’t judge your teachers based on size, gender or age.  If you find yourself scoffing at a high belt who’s younger or smaller than you, your attitude needs adujusting.  They earned the belt and can likely school you if they tried.

• “Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter”

While we don’t use the Force in the dojang, it’s important to remember that muscle isn’t everything.  Lift weights all you like, but strength will never overpower good technique.  Humble yourself to mastering the basics.  If you cop a ‘tude about your strength, it will likely lead to a bullying attitude.

• “Anger, fear, aggression: the dark side are they.  Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny”

When we study the martial arts, we’re given a special force that no one else has: the force to be able to defend ourselves from powerful attacks.  We’re also given a choice, much like Darth Vader was given: use the power for defense or use it to cause severe harm.  When Vader chose to give into feelings of anger and aggression, Obi-wan couldn’t instruct him further.

Our martial arts instructors know full well the powers of the real-life version of the Dark Side.  When we strike an opponent out of anger, we have the intent on hurting her/him.  Our instructors will not provide us with ways to more effectively hurt our classmates.  If you find yourself lashing out out of anger, fear or downright aggression, please get to the root of the problem before you severely injure your friends.  You will not be promoted if your instructors see a hint of Vader in your attitude.

Wrap-up

When you’re frustrated with your ranking, you need to take a look at your memory, endurance, health and attitude.  We all have room to improve in all areas, so as long as you focus on some good-natured self-improvement, you’ll eventually achieve the next rank.

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.

First thing: I’d like to give a big shout-out to Brett over at 6 weeks for inspiring me to get off my lazy butt. Go here to check out this inspirational post!

The dream

Ever since I was a white belt first learning how to NOT fall over in horse stance, I’ve loved Taekwondo.  I fell in love from the beginning and since then, I’ve dreamed of progressing.  I remember seeing the blue belts and thinking that they were pretty 1337 (”leet” - I’m a computer geek, so what? :D).  I got my blue belt and started looking toward grasping the holy grail: black belt.  Here’s a secret: I got it!  I used to be a black belt!

Here’s the thing: my “master” wasn’t registered with any federation (turns out, he thought it was anti-Christian) and I was stripped of my belt by the real martial artists.  To keep my black belt wouldn’t have been fair to the other black belts, so I respect the decision 100%.  Since then, I’ve not only dreamed of becoming a black belt, I’ve dreamed of finally proving myself to the martial arts community.

The goals

Within the next year, I plan on finally getting my balck belt.  I’m ONE step away, but I have a whole lot of training until I get there.  I’ll also continue participating in tournaments until I’m considered to be tough competition.  I want to be able to distinguish myself in a male dominated sport.

On the smaller scale, I have plans on losing my last couple pounds (I’m so close to my goal weight - yay me!!) and improving my endurance, so that I can fight at a good pace for more than a minute without having breathing difficulties.  Because man, that’s an embarrassment in the dojang.

Today

As silly as this may sound, today I’m going for a run.  Here’s the thing: I don’t run voluntarily.  I crap out after about 2 minutes.  It’s hard, monotonous, and I feel like crap afterward.  Well too damned bad!  I’m sucking it up and I’m going to learn how to make running work for me!  Pil-sung!

Okay all, I’m really sorry about the lack-luster blog these days, but the post-spring break workload has gotten me down.  Not to worry, though - I still have my posts slated up.  Up next is a piece on how to earn your next belt.  I’m also planning 3-part posting on my experience with false masters and how to deal with them.

On a more personal note, I’ve recently competed in my first tournament and came away with a trophy in sparring!  The rest of the team was amazing, so I’m excited to see what they do in our next competition.

I’m sorry that I’ve been letting this blog stagnate over the past couple of weeks, but I’ve been so crazily busy.  Don’t worry, though - it’s a good thing.  I was preparing for my belt test, took the test and passed!  The test kicked my ass, but I’m now a black stripe

I’ve had a couple of posts in the works, so hopefully I’ll be able to get a couple things up.  I do have mid-terms coming up, followed by spring break, so we’ll see what I can do.  If I’m not commenting on any of your blogs sometime in the next 2 weeks, it’ll be due to lack of an internet connection/being out of the country.  Sorry!

How about I start with the good news first: I heard back from a freelancing job that I’ve recently applied for. It’s looking promising The client sent me a couple things in the e-mail and he’ll be getting back to me on an assignment in the next couple days. This would be my first big assignment, so I’m starting to get a bit pumped.

On the downside, my training isn’t going as well as I would like. When I recently got back into training, I was under the impression that if I practiced enough, I’d be able to do anything. It’s all muscle memory, right?

No. No, it’s not. I’m not invincible - Hell, I’m not even up to par with my peers. Bits and pieces of me go numb. I’m significantly weaker than my peers and when I leave class, I sit down at home without being able to get up for another half-hour.

I have never had to come to the realization that there are some things that I physically can’t do - that I can never do. My father complains of his old age in much the same way and every little piece of me screams, “I’m too young for this!”

So what’s the moral of my story? Pil Sung is more than winning in the ring or coming to class, even when you don’t feel like it. Pil Sung is a constant mental and physical struggle to be the best martial artist that you can be. I need to be able to conquer my attitude - If I can’t say, “I can do that”, the least I’ll be able to say is “I can try”. I think one day I’ll surprise myself.

Yoda has his “do or do not”, but I disagree. A person gains something by trying, especially those of us who really CAN’T do certain things. That applies to everyone: go apply for an impossible job, learn that language you’ve dreamed about, or try a difficult hobby. In the meantime, I’m going to go off and conquer this “I can’t” mentality, as I continue my battle with Pil Sung.

Some of us can be the most logical beings since Spock (of Star Trek fame) in our daily activities, but the whole dynamic changes when we have some sort of huge test or competition.  All of a sudden we start implementing a good luck ritual, whether it be a lucky pencil or a movie night.  But here’s the best part: it always works!  We could be creating good luck mojo or the ritual may calm our nerves.  Back in my musician days, I used to spend the day before a performance not practicing my piece, listened to a professional recording before bed and then again in the morning.  For some reason, I played way better.

These days, it’s a whole new ball-game: competition and rank testing.  I actually have high-belt rank testing 1 week before my competition.  Yikes!  I’m nervous, so it looks like I’ll be learning new ritual-style coping mechanisms.  I do have a couple time-tested rank testing strategies that I’ll be using.  I invite you all to share your ideas for getting hyped up, whether it be for a huge interview or just a little work-out

• Crank the groovy tunes

Cranking the tunes is still the first thing I think to do.  I don’t care how young I’m supposed to be, I still think that Vincent Price in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is groovy as heck.  My playlist consists of “Thriller”, “Smooth Criminal”, “Billy Jean” and a bunch of Dream Theater (to name a few ).  Grooving out the morning of a rank testing wakes me up and because of my mad kitchen dancing, my blood gets pumping and my muscles start warming up.  Let’s face it: we’re a little too nervous to get some pre-test stretches in - that’s my justification for grooving.

• Pack a lunch/survival kit

This is more common sense than anything.  In some schools, high belt testing is a day-long ordeal - the morning may be filled with a seminar with your Grandmaster and the afternoon may have the testing.  In that case, pack a sandwich, banana, and some juice.  Bananas are (supposed to) help with hydration - in musical endeavors, we ate them to prevent dry mouth and to stop the nervous shakes.  Be sure to have some water, obviously.  I also like to have a thermos of tea for relaxation, a compact to touch up make-up, and solution for dry contacts.  I recommend some snacks as well - mainly, because I’m always hungry but also, it’s a great way to make friends.

• Eat a light breakfast

Never fill your belly right before a long day!  I typically grab a coffee, a small portion of fruit and yogurt.  Sugary cereals are a no-no, as are a big stack of pancakes.  Coffee should be a no-no, but caffeine keeps me awake.  Use a lunch-pack to stay pleasantly full through the day.  Start hydrating right away as well.

• Night before: the Karate Kid

Okay, this is dorky, but I’ve loved this movie since I was eight years old.  Daniel-san triumphs in the end, despite his physical limitations.  I want to be able to pull through no matter what happens, so I watch “The Karate Kid” to get myself all pumped up.  If Daniel-san can do it, why can’t I?  This movie also reminds me why I love the martial arts and that while the training may seem silly or too intense, if we obey our masters, we’ll prevail.

• Divine intervention and positivity

I visualize myself succeeding and think positive thoughts about the upcoming test.  I try to anticipate what’s going to happen and then visualize my reaction.  There’s also something to be said about divine intervention (if one believes in these things).  I pray to chosen deity - not for ultimate success, but that I try my very best.  Trying is most important and I believe that a person shouldn’t be rewarded for sitting on one’s bum.  But of course, that’s me being philosophical.

These are just a couple things that I’ve found to be helpful.  What are some of your ideas?  How do you all prepare for big events?

I’ve been in training for about 2 weeks now and so far, I haven’t died! I take that as a sign that my training is going pretty well.

I’m still easily intimidated in the dojang. Though I (for lack of a better word) suck, I’m still looked to as a high belt and sometimes, I have highest rank in the students. “What does that mean?” you may ask. It means that I get to embarrass myself with my Korean. A little piece of me dies every time I’m asked to start class, since all I can remember is “thank you” and “teacher” (and some numbers, if I’m lucky). Then, if I’m asked to demonstrate a kick, I can point out a yellow or green belt who can do it better. Or I should say, correctly.

While I may sound a bit sturm-und-drang here, training is actually going well for a person in my position. It’s only been 2 weeks, but in that span of time, I’ve learned how to actually hit the pad in most tornado kicks. My endurance seems to be up a surprising amount: we can take a bit of a run in class and I’m starting to enjoy it (as opposed to my previous wheezing).

As far as dealing with my handicaps, I have a couple strategies. For example, I take a decent dose of Naproxen a couple hours before I work out. Before anyone starts chastising, I hasten to add that I have a legitimate handicap and irritating my large amounts of inflammation make my limbs go numb. I hope that building muscle will help keep the inflammation down after a while. I also have a REALLY nice pair of Taekwondo shoes and a pair of shoe inserts - it’s an excellent back-saver and I recommend them to anyone with bad foot/back problems (heh, like me).

Here’s this week’s icing on the cake: I joined the club officially, which means I get a uniform with our logo. The kicker is…(you may need to sit down for this…) I took the plunge and joined our competition team (which henceforth will be referred to as “CT”). That means more crazy practices, getting the crap kicked out of me daily, and eventually venturing forth to make a mockery of myself in front of other schools.

Actually, I’m just being sarcastic :). Competing is something I’ve always wanted to do and I don’t care how much I suck. Even if I have to be dragged out bleeding, I’m going to go out there and do my best! PIL SUNG!

I was checking my Gmail today and Google gave me a link to a cooking blog.  The link here goes to this fantastic-looking recipe for “Big Sur Power Bars”, made with espresso, nuts, and other various yummies.  Once I get the chance to get to the store, I’m going to try my hand at this recipe.  I’m thinking that these will be decent pre-workout treats :)  I’ll post again with results later.