I had my test for E Dan (2nd degree black belt) this morning and it went well. I noticed a few mistakes myself, but overall everyone said I looked really good. It was only me and a young kid testing for it. (Which I don't agree with, but that's the school's choice) The kid did very poorly, and I doubt if he passed. Nonetheless, I was bound and determined to rock and roll on this. I couldn't care less how the others looked. (not in a conceited way, but more in that I was only focused on myself and the task at hand) My forms went well, along with one steps. I had to do 2 on 1 sparring against two Kyo Sa Nim E Dans who were bigger and more experienced than me. That's why they call it a test, right? I did well. I didn't defeat them both, but I put up a good enough fight to be commended for it, considering the odds. My knife defense and break were flawless. For the knife defense, we had to defend against random, full force attacks. I didn't get cut a single time and was able to control the weapon as well as take down my adversary. For the break, I had to do a double jumping front snap kick. I feel the break is a little too easy for a test like this, but nonetheless I still broke them perfectly on the first try. (wasn't it supposed to be a test? ) I got most of it on video and it'll be good to see where I can improve my technique. On another note, I feel confident in my technique in Tang Soo Do and will probably move on to a different style in the near future, like Tai Chi. It's my feeling that once you grasp something, you should always broaden your horizons . I still love Tang Soo Do and will still practice its techniques personally, in the future. Anyways, thanks for reading my long description hehe.
Congrats on a good test and on your (most likely) promotion Training in another art will help you see how much you've learned in your primary one as well... broadening horizons is always a good thing! It also can help prevent feeling "in a rut" with your current training. Good training!
don't just give up on TSD, keep training. As for testing, never care what anyone else does during a test. I never even look at someone else's work during a test. Its all about YOU.
Thank you. I'm still going to keep practicing Tang Soo Do on my own. And about the kid, the only reason I mentioned him is because I had to do one-steps with him for a couple minutes. He didn't know any of them and it made me look bad... actually it's probably the other way around. It probably made him look bad since he didn't know his material. I suppose rephrasing it as, "I don't care unless it affects me in some way" is better in the testing context. Either way, it was still a good test.
Congrats on the test. do you get your rank right away or do you have a ceremony where you do a demo and then presentation of rank?
Good going PsiCop - sounds like you knew your stuff and went out and proved it. If your sparring test is as pressurised as that - I think an 'easier' break should have a simple 'Thank You' You know what you can do, and I'll bet your examiners do as well. Congratulations, and Tang Soo!!!
Thank you, sirs. As for the awarding of the rank, there will be a ceremony in about a month. There's isn't a demo. It's simply a belt award ceremony with the new Cho Dans and any Dans who have achieved new rank.
Hey - I've just checked your profile. It looks as though you've been training since the day you were born, so you should be good... Or perhaps there is a little 'transposition' in your birth date??? Any follower of Bab5 is OK in my book EDIT: OK, OK - So I can't count this late at night after a weekend at SENI'05. You are still disgustingly young regardless
Lol, well the more disgustingly young I am, the faster I heal. Plus I have more time ahead of me to take in yet more martial arts goodness BTW my birthdate is real as is everything else.
3 years is the tradition, yes. I'm not sure if I'll be around long enough for that, though. I know I want to continue martial arts for the rest of my life, in some form. Heh, I couldn't have it any other way. I'm addicted. If I don't do martial arts for a week or two, I get an uncontrollable craving to train. I suppose that means I'm meant to do this for a long time. I would never brag about my knowledge, though. I am satisfied with my technique, yes, but there are many more in real life and on this forum with more experience and knowledge than I have.
Well done! Reccomend you take a good hard look at Bunkai now and analyse the hyungs. Rick Clark has some good ideas on this. It will enhance your understanding of MA.
Congratulations on passing! My instructor, as well as being a Ju Jitsu Dan grade, is also a 2nd Dan in Karate (Shotokan). He still regularly practises the Hyungs as he personally enjoys doing them. Moving to a different art whilst still keeping grounded in TSD will definately make you a more rounded Martial Artist.
thats exactly what im doing... except ive been out of training for almost 9 months because of lifting, school, and baseball. but next year in college im going to look for a new style and place to train congrats im sure u passed
see i told you almost all of the SBD Dan tests are the same my e-dan test was exactly like yours. good luck in training and cangrats once again
Congrats psicop,sounds like everything went fine to me. Since you have a solid base in a stand up art,might I suggest maybe a ground art to come full circle self defense wise. Just a thought. JS
I've certainly considered it, Jason. I understand the advantages of being well-rounded. Bruce Lee said that to confine yourself to a single style is to put a hamper on your development as a martial artist.
