What you get when you pass a taekwondo black belt test

Last week I picked up my taekwondo black belt certificate. I've had my actual belt for a while but it was good to collect the rest. I had to wait about three months to get my hands on this up due to the insane amount of people who take the test and the backlog of processing them all. It made me feel that the whole things was a little more legitimate.


As with hapkido, included, in English and Korean in the folder is documentation from the Korean Taekwondo Association and my Dan certification card proving rank and date of test passed. The picture of me on the card is mortifying but I'll have to live with it. As I say to anyone who asks me, learning hapkido and taekwondo has taught me a lot, helped me and given me a lot of pleasure in Korea and I'd recommend either to anyone interested in taking up a martial art.


Training for the next test, which is in June has started in earnest. Of course I won't be here but that's the direction we're headed in. Training is a bit more intense and we all agree that's for the best. I already feel like I will have everything prepared by January. I have most of the movements already fixed in my head and it's just a matter of honing technique, which of course is not so easy, especially the kicks. My motivation for the remaining months is this - I want to leave with everyone in the dojang knowing that if I took the test I would pass.

Taekwondo: Learning the steps for the 2nd dan test

The black belt test was only ten weeks ago but right now it feels like ten months. The break over August has knocked the stuffing out of me and motivation is low. The gap has made me lazy and my muscles have been too inactive. I have found the return difficult. The sessions are too relaxed and I feel we need to be pushed harder than we are, but that's not to criticise my Master as he's a great guy who has trained me well so far. I just think I personally need to be forced sometimes into doing something to get me to improve.

Never mind, that's my problem and I have to deal with it and be more disciplined if I can. After passing the black belt test we started to learn the next formation (9th) I believe called Koryo. It is here where it starts to get a little difficult. The movements come much faster and of course are harder. I won't be in a position to take the next test (June 2011) but at least for I can try to reach a stage where I feel I would pass if I able to take it.

Before today we had been shown only the the first 50% and have been practicing. I think I will be OK in time on that but the Master then showed us the remainder of the poomse before we gingerly repeated his moves. Right now it feels as if it will take me months to get to a decent level. Thank god the weather is slowly cooling down and I can actually enjoy going to the dojang.