Taekwondo Time

I've been shamefully slack in my posting lately, due to illnesses interspersed with activities. In order to prevent this blog from slipping away into the shadows, I'm going to post as and when I can, rather than at regular intervals as I have been. Posts may be shorter and perhaps more focused on day to day life than previously. We shall see.

One of the activities taking up so much time has been my son's imminent Taekwondo black belt testing. His coach has insisted on attendance three times a week as preparation for this milestone test, so the pressure is on.

We recently travelled out of Taipei to a large school in Jilong County to take part in the black belt pre-testing event. To catch the bus taking us there, we had to leave home at 6 o'clock in the morning, when it was still dark. We ate breakfast on the way and arrived in plenty of time to join in the pre-testing practice. I was so glad I was one of the bleary-eyed audience and not a participant.

Still waking up

Feeling a little better with breakfast to hand.

The coach put the class through its paces before taking the test. I was very impressed with their coordination and discipline.

At least a hundred students took part.

The judges looked a little intimidating to me, but seemed friendly enough and very fair when the testing took place.

There were four tests in all: two assessing the sets of moves they must perform without error, one fighting match and one kicking performance.

 Needless to say, the students seemed to enjoy the fighting test most of all, and the audience enjoyed watching the fighting too. In all the fights I saw the girls were more fierce than the boys.

The kicks were also pretty exciting, especially the older students', because they had to break a board with a single well-placed kick.

Finally, the coveted certificate was achieved. Was it worth getting up at 5.30? Gah - I think so.