Wish me luck!

[cali_tkdbruin]

Bookworm, as long as you've trained hard and are well prepared you should be fine for your re-test, just hang in there! Good luck to you.

 

[Shaderon]

Listen to Kacey, she's talking a lot of sense there Bookworm, remember girl, the only way to fail is to give up. Don't give up!!!

You can do this, you know you can.

 

[chrismay101]

Good luck and stay chilled.Listen to kacey

 

[Drac]

The BEST of luck..

 

[morph4me]

Bookworm, you didn't fail unless you quit,and you're only screwed if you believe you are. You've heard the explanation for your stances when they were taught to you, and you've been doing them since then. Take a deep breath or two, sit down at the computer and write how you do those stances, you can look in a mirror and check them out if you can't picture them. Your explanations don't have to be perfect, your instructor just wants to know that you understand how to do them. If somene at MT asked how you do a front stance and what your fighting stance was like, I'm sure you could answer. The elements are basically going to be, foot position, hand position, weight distribution, and posture. Remember, you are the only one putting pressure on you right now, and you have nothing to lose. Like Kacey said, "Get to it"

 

[Laurentkd]

Everyone is right on Bookworm!!
And I'll be happy to look over anything you are nervous about sending in to your instructor (as I am sure many others would).

Also keep this in mind... you are testing for a blue belt. I don't even look at Black Belt as perfection, but think about it-- if you are perfect at everything now, why aren't you testing for Black Belt now? Because you aren't at that level yet. Perfection isn't required or even expected. As long as you are making progress at each level,THAT is what matters. And just the fact that you are testing after so long is comendable! 99% of people would have never gotten back out there.

Look at this test as a stepping stone. You see what you need to work on, and now you have good goals in mind (probably several things you would like to improve other than just this). Look to do better at your next test, then again better at the next one, and so on.
As someone else said, 6 months from now (with the right attitude) you will be amazed at how far you have come.
And just the fact that you are coming back, completing what your instructor asked of you, and perserving on shows SO MUCH MORE than simply performing the way you wish you would have at the time.
So for that CONGRATS and KEEP IT UP!!

 

[bookworm_cn317]

Tell me if this makes ANY sense whatsoever!

FRONT STANCE
start in ready stance
cross arms over body right over left
move right foot 1 1/2 shoulder widths apart in front
as you do that bring right arm down, kinda like you're blocking & chamber left arm
your right fist should be, like, 2 fists above your right leg
your back leg should be kinda straightish, but not totally rigid--there needs to be some bendyness
to it.
right leg has 30% of your body weight & back leg has 70% of your body weight

FIGHTING STANCE
start in ready stance
step back with right foot--behind left foot but slightly to the side
knees should be slightly bent
your body should be kinda sideways
bring your fists up to in between your chest & face

 

[Kacey]

Tell me if this makes ANY sense whatsoever!

FRONT STANCE
start in ready stance
cross arms over body right over left
move right foot 1 1/2 shoulder widths apart in front
as you do that bring right arm down, kinda like you're blocking & chamber left arm
your right fist should be, like, 2 fists above your right leg
your back leg should be kinda straightish, but not totally rigid--there needs to be some bendyness
to it.
right leg has 30% of your body weight & back leg has 70% of your body weight

FIGHTING STANCE
start in ready stance
step back with right foot--behind left foot but slightly to the side
knees should be slightly bent
your body should be kinda sideways
bring your fists up to in between your chest & face

Remembering that I use somewhat different stances, it looks good to me - the only thing I would suggest is being consistent in using either front/back or left/right.

 

[Laurentkd]

Tell me if this makes ANY sense whatsoever!

FRONT STANCE
start in ready stance
cross arms over body right over left
move right foot 1 1/2 shoulder widths apart in front
as you do that bring right arm down, kinda like you're blocking & chamber left arm
your right fist should be, like, 2 fists above your right leg
your back leg should be kinda straightish, but not totally rigid--there needs to be some bendyness
to it.
right leg has 30% of your body weight & back leg has 70% of your body weight

Makes sense to me! Sounds really good actually! The only thing I see is that you haven't said anything about is if the front leg is bent or straight (I know the answer but it's not my test!).

FIGHTING STANCE
start in ready stance
step back with right foot--behind left foot but slightly to the side
knees should be slightly bent
your body should be kinda sideways
bring your fists up to in between your chest & face

Again sounds good. Maybe instead of "behind left foot but slightly to the side" relate it instead in shoulder widths (for my school's stance I would say that feet are shoulder width apart). Does that make sense?

I know this is just your rough draft, but I would also take out the "likes" and change the "kindas" to "basically" or "just about" or even just "kind of" since you are turning it in written rather than saying it.

But if I had a student orally respond with exactly what you've written at a testing I would give them an A grade! You talked about foot positioning, body positioning, and hand positioning. You gave a good step by step process of how to move into the stance. All around looks really good!!
Type it up nice and neat and send it in

 

[bluemtn]

I failed. At least, that's how I view it. My instructor says we just took a break. I was doing fine until my instructor asked me to explain how to do a front stance, and then I started freaking out (tears, hyperventilating). I told him I'm bad at explaining stuff, and then he got upset at me. So, I have 'til Saturday to e-mail him with the explainantion of how to do a front stance and a fighting stance.

So, I'm basically screwed.

You didn't fail- he's giving you a chance to get your nerves back in order. The explanations of the stances are fine, just be a little specific with the width of your feet, and add the angle that they're supposed to be. I know, you wouldn't think it would matter, but some instructors feel it does. I've had to explain stances, and that's what I was told.

 

[morph4me]

Tell me if this makes ANY sense whatsoever!

FRONT STANCE
start in ready stance
cross arms over body right over left
move right foot 1 1/2 shoulder widths apart in front
as you do that bring right arm down, kinda like you're blocking & chamber left arm
your right fist should be, like, 2 fists above your right leg
your back leg should be kinda straightish, but not totally rigid--there needs to be some bendyness
to it.
right leg has 30% of your body weight & back leg has 70% of your body weight

FIGHTING STANCE
start in ready stance
step back with right foot--behind left foot but slightly to the side
knees should be slightly bent
your body should be kinda sideways
bring your fists up to in between your chest & face

And you said you weren't good at explaining things. Looks good to me, I can follow and understand it. Good Job.

 

[jim777]

It looks good to me as well. In my school however, it is stressed that if an instructor does not say right or left in regards to a stance, it is ALWAYS the left foot that ends up out in front. Also, if you can move one foot to be in your stance, it should be the left foot that moves if possible (like charyo to chunbi). I don't know if that is an ITF thing or just how our instructors teach, but I watch the kids classes all the time (my 3 daughters are in them) and they pound those points into the kids.
So, I would likely be stepping back with my right leg into a left front stance, rather than stepping forward with my right leg into a right front stance. Again though, I'm below you in rank and that's how my instructos like to see the stances gotten into from chunbi. I don't know if those are universal things or just local to my school.

jim

 

[Shaderon]

It looks good to me as well. In my school however, it is stressed that if an instructor does not say right or left in regards to a stance, it is ALWAYS the left foot that ends up out in front. Also, if you can move one foot to be in your stance, it should be the left foot that moves if possible (like charyo to chunbi). I don't know if that is an ITF thing or just how our instructors teach, but I watch the kids classes all the time (my 3 daughters are in them) and they pound those points into the kids.
So, I would likely be stepping back with my right leg into a left front stance, rather than stepping forward with my right leg into a right front stance. Again though, I'm below you in rank and that's how my instructos like to see the stances gotten into from chunbi. I don't know if those are universal things or just local to my school.

jim

I think that must be how your intructors teach, we're ITF and it's right foot that moves first for us.... except in Sagi Magki.... that's always different to enable us to rotate to the right first.

 

[Kacey]

I think that's how your intructors teach, we're ITF and it's right foot for us.

I agree... we were ITF, and it's left foot for blocks, and right foot for attacks... unless the instructor tells you otherwise.

 

[jim777]

Well, that's why I posted it, to put it out there. See, now I've learned something new hours before class starts!

 

[bookworm_cn317]

And you said you weren't good at explaining things. Looks good to me, I can follow and understand it. Good Job.

Thanks. It only took me, like, 2 hours.

 

[morph4me]

Thanks. It only took me, like, 2 hours.

2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks, what matters is that you did it, and you should give yourself some credit.

 

[Laurentkd]

Thanks. It only took me, like, 2 hours.

So have you sent it in yet?

 

[bookworm_cn317]

So have you sent it in yet?

Yup, haven't gotten a response yet.

 

[IcemanSK]

Have ya heard yet? Have ya heard yet? Have ya heard yet?:uhyeah: