One small step closer...

[TrueJim]

I finally noticed that I "cheat" with almost every kick. I take a tiny step forward with my front foot before I turn for a roundhouse kick, spinning kick, back kick, whatever. I never even noticed, but my masters both do...

That's something to watch out for in poomsae too. Without realizing it, people often take a tiny step forward with the front foot before stepping properly with the rear foot. In poomsae, it also happens with kicking too: people take a tiny step forward with the front foot before kicking. In fact, now that I think about it, maybe that's another benefit of learning good poomsae: it teaches you to eliminate that tiny step.

Next time you're doing poomsae, check to see if you're doing the tiny step there too! I sometimes tiny-step, but I fight against it mightily.

 

[serietah]

Funny you mentioned that extra step in poomsae. I don't do it (that I've noticed, yet), but I was teaching a student yesterday and noticed he was doing it! I corrected him and had him focus on not taking that little step before kicking at the end of Taegeuk 2.

 

[serietah]

Just a little update, next belt testing is a week from Friday. I'm ALMOST ready, but not quite. We learned our last technique tonight, and need to practice it a lot for the next few days. It's a little confusing right now, but I understand the point so I have no doubt I'll get it. Still just really worried about spinning kick. I just can't seem to figure out how to tell my foot to just TURN in one go instead of taking that small cheater step first and/or the pivot stopping midway through the kick, then finishing. I also tend to start the turn on the ball of my foot, then shift onto my heel because it's easier for me to turn that way, but that's a bad habit.

I am getting decent on tornado kicks, though I wish I could just jump higher! But spinning kick is one that I doubt I'll ever had to my "arsenal" during sparring lol. I just can't seem to get it.

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

. I just can't seem to figure out how to tell my foot to just TURN in one go instead of taking that small cheater step first and/or the pivot stopping midway through the kick, then finishing

I don' think the cheater step is so bad. If you were to start out more square than sideways, I think it's pretty much needed. To me, it's cheating just as much to start sideways, which many people do when demonstrating the back kick or spinning hook kick. Regardless, in a demo, a better spinning hook kick with a cheater step is more impressive than a poorer kick without the cheater step. So I would still do it if needed.

Since Master Ken has been a recent example of "how to" here's a video showing the cheater step at about 1:00. It doesn't look so bad to me!

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Yeah, the "cheater" step is absolutely appropriate sometimes. The trick is to have the body control and situational understanding to do the kick either with or without the extra step as necessary.

 

[TrueJim]

I just can't seem to figure out how to tell my foot to just TURN in one go instead of taking that small cheater step first and/or the pivot stopping midway through the kick, then finishing.

Being an older person myself, personally I need an initial cheat-step on any kind of spinning kick. My body doesn't "twist" like it did when I was younger.

I also tend to start the turn on the ball of my foot, then shift onto my heel because it's easier for me to turn that way, but that's a bad habit.

Here there be dragons. It's more than a bad habit -- it's a good way to injure yourself. Says the guy who rolled his ankle badly doing this.

I am getting decent on tornado kicks, though I wish I could just jump higher!

This is another thing I leave to the yung'uns. I can give you height, or I can give you a good spin, but I can't give you both. So I opt for spin. My tornado has very little height. I launch off the kicking leg and pretty much land right as my kick makes impact. At our school, several of us oldsters do it this way. I think this approach stresses my knees less too.

 

[Jaeimseu]

Being an older person myself, personally I need an initial cheat-step on any kind of spinning kick. My body doesn't "twist" like it did when I was younger.



Here there be dragons. It's more than a bad habit -- it's a good way to injure yourself. Says the guy who rolled his ankle badly doing this.



This is another thing I leave to the yung'uns. I can give you height, or I can give you a good spin, but I can't give you both. So I opt for spin. My tornado has very little height. I launch off the kicking leg and pretty much land right as my kick makes impact. At our school, several of us oldsters do it this way. I think this approach stresses my knees less too.

Height is for demos, right? I much prefer to stay low to the ground for a "functional" kick.


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[serietah]

I got my tip for self defense Friday after spending the majority of class practicing one on one with one of the masters. He makes me *really* do the techniques correctly so it is much harder, but extremely helpful. When my normal partner comes back to class, she might be surprised lol. Belt testing is Friday, and I still need to earn my final tip to be approved to test. We did figure out what has been throwing off my spinning kick during one-step sparring and fixing that fixed my issues with balance. I was scared to kick my partner so I was not fully straightening my leg before sweeping the kick. That bent leg made the kick 1) look terrible, and 2) way off balance. I wasn't doing that before and I'm not sure when it started, but at least I know how to fix it. Hopefully I can do it right next Friday! Spinning kick isn't going away...it's part of our curriculum from blue belt all the way to black so I have time to continue improving.

 

[serietah]

Well I got my last tip last night and took a rest today during class. We had a first time trial student so I spent curriculum time helping her with basics. I'm going early tomorrow to open the school in the morning so I plan on getting some extra practice time in throughout the day.

This time tomorrow I should be a red belt!

 

[serietah]

Well, I did it! My board breaking was horrible. Another student and I both had to switch boards for a different one from the box because they just weren't breaking even with solid kicks. That threw off my confidence a LOT. With a new board, it still took two tries, but ok. I passed anyway. Everything else went pretty good. My spinning kick during one step sparring wasn't perfect, but it was ok. I feel great about my form and self defense techniques.

Now I'm a red belt. Time to start learning Taegeuk 7. Wow!!!! But first, before I even get to have one class as a red belt, we are doing the 4th of July parade in town. Last year's parade, I was the highest belt with green stripe. So cool to see how far I've come.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Well, I did it! My board breaking was horrible. Another student and I both had to switch boards for a different one from the box because they just weren't breaking even with solid kicks. That threw off my confidence a LOT. With a new board, it still took two tries, but ok. I passed anyway. Everything else went pretty good. My spinning kick during one step sparring wasn't perfect, but it was ok. I feel great about my form and self defense techniques.

Now I'm a red belt. Time to start learning Taegeuk 7. Wow!!!! But first, before I even get to have one class as a red belt, we are doing the 4th of July parade in town. Last year's parade, I was the highest belt with green stripe. So cool to see how far I've come.

As someone who does not do board breaks, what was the issue with the boards? I would imagine that as long as the thickness is the same it wouldn't matter what board you use, but clearly that's not the case.

If it was one of those re-breakable boards, did you practice before the test? How did you compare beforehand? It may have just been an issue with nerves rather than the boards themselves.

Last - what is the belt progression in your style (what kyu are you now)?

 

[serietah]

As someone who does not do board breaks, what was the issue with the boards? I would imagine that as long as the thickness is the same it wouldn't matter what board you use, but clearly that's not the case.

If it was one of those re-breakable boards, did you practice before the test? How did you compare beforehand? It may have just been an issue with nerves rather than the boards themselves.

Last - what is the belt progression in your style (what kyu are you now)?

They're the same thickness, but when I first picked up the one I was holding for the other student, it felt heavier. More solid. Even our master didn't break it with a spinning kick. It went flying across the room. That could have been a holder problem, but after that he switched the boards and she broke it just fine. When I started having the same issue, a new board solved it. They're solid, pine (I think) that we order from Vision. Same box of boards we used last testing too, so I'm not sure what was up. The re-breakable boards I usually nail on the first try. I was a little nervous testing for my final tip the other night and it took two tries (I literally bounced off it the first time lol).

We go white, yellow, green stripe, green, blue stripe, blue, red stripe, red, black stripe, double black stripe, black. Double black stripe is "just" a review of everything and prep for black belt test, no new curriculum. So red belts learn Taegeuk 7. Black stripe learn Taegeuk 8. I've tested consistently every 2 months until blue belt, then every 3 months.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

They're the same thickness, but when I first picked up the one I was holding for the other student, it felt heavier. More solid. Even our master didn't break it with a spinning kick. It went flying across the room. That could have been a holder problem, but after that he switched the boards and she broke it just fine. When I started having the same issue, a new board solved it. They're solid, pine (I think) that we order from Vision. Same box of boards we used last testing too, so I'm not sure what was up. The re-breakable boards I usually nail on the first try. I was a little nervous testing for my final tip the other night and it took two tries (I literally bounced off it the first time lol).

We go white, yellow, green stripe, green, blue stripe, blue, red stripe, red, black stripe, double black stripe, black. Double black stripe is "just" a review of everything and prep for black belt test, no new curriculum. So red belts learn Taegeuk 7. Black stripe learn Taegeuk 8. I've tested consistently every 2 months until blue belt, then every 3 months.

From how I'm reading it, it sounds more like a holder problem then the board problem. The board should go across the room unless the holder lost his/her grip and let go of grip. Maybe switching boards gave him/her more confidence to hold it better?

That said, I dont have much experience in breaking boards, so others (*cough cough @Dirty Dog *cough cough) may have advice for you for future breaks. Congratulations on your new belt, and I hope you have fun at the parade

 

[JR 137]

Congratulations on your promotion!

Wooden boards aren't very consistent. The grain pattern, placement and number of knots will all change its strength, even in boards that are the same size, thickness and type of wood. As will amount of moisture it's holding. I'm sure there's other factors too. I remember one time a classmate wasn't able to break a single line board during a demo. He punched the thing 4 times, and left knuckle impressions in it every time. He asked the head of our organization what he was doing wrong, and he took one look at the board and chuckled, saying "with all those knots in it, a sledgehammer MIGHT break it." There was a cluster of about 5 knots right in the middle of it. Some people prefer to break concrete because it is far more consistent in these regards.

Don't beat yourself up over your mistakes or "short comings." No one is perfect, and we are usually our own worst critics. You don't need a 100% to pass; you need what your teacher determines is the passing point, and 100% is impossible for anyone, even people well past your current rank and abilities.

On the flip side of that, don't look at the new rank solely as time to learn new material. Think of it as time to sharpen up all your stuff too. If you don't address your weaknesses, they'll certainly show up again. Part of why we're our own worst critics is because we feel the technique, whereas the people testing us only see them. We can feel when our balance is off just slightly. The better the teacher, the better they'll see it, but even they won't be able to see it 100%. The more experience we get, the more obvious the small and almost impossible too see by others flaws become to us. The better you communicate to your teacher the way they feel to you, the easier it'll be for him/her to help you address them.

Keep working hard, and just as importantly, keep enjoying yourself!

 

[TrueJim]

As someone who does not do board breaks, what was the issue with the boards? I would imagine that as long as the thickness is the same it wouldn't matter what board you use, but clearly that's not the case.

Just to pile-on with what others have said...

We see this all the time at our school. Two boards, same size, from the same shipment -- but very different difficulty to break. When testing, our young kids break thin balsa, our adults break 1 inch pine -- and this inconsistency applies to both kinds of wood.

Even with the thin balsa, you'll find one board that that snaps very easily -- and then a moment later a board that actually takes significantly more impact to break.

 

[serietah]

Thanks guys! We were really thrown off by the inability to break those boards. Last time I did a spinning kick board break I did it on the first try with no problem at all (mothers day class demonstration, so it was about what, 5 or 6 weeks ago, and I've improved my kick since then lol). Anyway, I won't dwell on it. I passed. Fortunately (well, unfortunately lol) spinning kick remains a breaking technique for the remainder of my color belt training. Red belt level is a knife hand strike, then spinning kick, so two breaks. So I still have time to continue to improve this kick. Eventually I will I can get it so it's consistently good.

A few weeks ago during one class, we decided to do a really fun "warm up". We started with the basic white belt form and went up from there. If a person messed up or didn't know a form, they sat down. I was the ONLY person to go all the way through Taegeuk 6. I try to keep everything fresh and keep improving technique for every form. I've also been reviewing all the one step sparring and self defense techniques so I can be more confident when teaching. We promoted a couple of little ones to blue belt last night, so I need to actually go focus on Taegeuk 5 and make sure I'm ready to start teaching it next week lol.

 

[Flatfish]

Nice! Board breaks are the one thing my kids hated during their belt tests. It was always hard for them and very stressful. We used 1 inch pine from Home depot at varying widths. Narrower boards for the younger kids, wider ones for the older ones.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

They're the same thickness, but when I first picked up the one I was holding for the other student, it felt heavier. More solid.

That sounds like there was more moisture in the board. I think that gives it more elasticity, which makes it harder to break. Imagine the difference between breaking a stick a bit bigger than your thumb, depending upon whether it's nicely dry, or a green limb just off a tree. The former will snap quickly, while the other will flex a ways before even starting to crack. Breaking depends upon the wood failing suddenly and catastrophically, which wet wood won't do predictably.

 

[serietah]

It's been two weeks since belt testing and I've learned Taeguk 7 up to count 10. We've been working on doing details from the first moment for the past few belts rather than memorizing then polishing later. I've been trying to figure out how to use my waist with each movement to help with the power, but even though my brain understands, my body pays no attention. It just looks funny when I try, rather than powerful like when my master demonstrates. It's frustrating, but he keeps reassuring me that's an advanced technique and it's just time to start learning how to really do it. I'm loving Taegeuk 7. Tiger stance hurt for the first few days, but I'm getting used to it. This form is really a good muscle builder, haha. Tiger stance and back stance...phew.

Today we hosted a birthday party, and my spinning kick board break demo was actually decent. I got raised eyebrows from both masters after the kick haha. I was just focused on breaking the board the first time and trying to twist my shoulders around at the end rather than worrying about my cheater step. That worked.

We also finished up a week of summer camp at the dojang, so I am wiped out. Time to rest and get ready for a normal week.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I've been trying to figure out how to use my waist with each movement to help with the power, but even though my brain understands, my body pays no attention.

Whats the disconnect here? What does your brain understand that your body doesnt? From my own experience, once my brain understands, if I remind my body to focus on it every time I focus on said technique, my body will obey it. I'm assuming there's something here that youre missing, thats preventing you from moving your body/hips in the proper way.