© Kate Wall

I had my second pretest today.  The last one before I will (fingers crossed) test for my first degree black belt.  Even more awesome is that my dad is finally (fingers crossed again) testing for his fourth degree on the same day.

I went to  my dad’s black belt testing for his first degree.   I remember standing in Grand Master’s school and being in total awe by the synchronization of the students doing their poomses.  The things that they had memorized and how confident they all looked.  It’s amazing to me that I will soon be testing for my black belt.

I’m also amazed by the amount of confidence that I’ve gained in tae kwon do.  I remember being near panic attacks before testing.  It wasn’t until after my (I think) blue belt testing that I became more comfortable.  Probably because at that testing I completely blanked on my poomses.  It was in front of a bunch of people and being video taped.  Needless to say I was completely mortified.   It was the worst case scenario and I lived through it.  It helps too, that I know what to expect, and  most of all, I’m  much more confident in my skills.

© Kate Wall

One of the questions that was asked of me today was “How has tae kwon do improved my life?”  My answer was  my health and that I get to spend more time with my Dad.  My health and spending time with my dad are definitely the most important but in retrospect I realized that there was a  hole in my life that tae kwon do fills.  It was something that I didn’t even realize was missing until I started kicking.

Tae kwon do is more than just poomses, blocking sets, kicking bags and sparring.  One day I will write a post about the numerous ways that tae kwon do has changed my life.

© marialaitan.com