Key-Yup!

Last night I went for my first grading in Taekwondo. Tonight I got presented with a Yellow Belt, (or Lellow, as Aidan would say) which means I'm one step up the ladder! Quite an achievement for a big lug like me. Both Ethan and I are doing it, with me mainly for fitness, and for Ethan a bit of fitness, a bit of discipline, and a bit of self defence.

We go to a branch which is part of the Pacific International chain of clubs. I'm very impressed. It is well run, and at our particular branch we often have five black belts who help out both the kids and the novice adults. The "one on one" is excellent, and I'm sure I've learnt far more from this kind of interaction than I would have at a single instructor club. Everyone is friendly, and the atmosphere is great for both adults and kids.

The grading was interesting, and I think we'll have to take Ethan to one to get him to see what its really like. I really wish he had gone to this one with me. The Master Instructor is quite strict, and expects a lot of discipline from the kids which is good. He's not so harsh that he belittles the kids, but he has high standards. I hope Ethan can cope! There were about 12 young kids who were doing their first gradings, and one of the classic moves the instructor does is to kick the kids front legs from underneath them. You see, in the particular stance they are in, their weight is meant to be on their back legs - so they shouldn't fall over. Every kid fell over!

Ethan is getting really good, given his relatively short time doing it. I'm sure he'll do fine, and he seems to like it. He's also lost a lot of weight with both tkd and soccer. All we both have to remember to do is say "Key-Yup" when we punch or kick!

Ciao for Now, Lellow Belt Angry Dad.