Returning to Taekwondo After 40 Years

I was looking through some old news papers, and found the advertisement for my 1 week Free Tae Kwon Do class - back in 1977-78 (I was 15 year old). I believe that classes back then costed $30.00 per month which allowed you to attend as many classes as you want (and I did).   My first school was part of the United Tae Kwon Do Federation which is part of the large International Tae kwon Do Federation.  My rank in the UTF was a greenbelt as of June 6th, 1979.   I was part of this school until the owner sold the school to another martial arts owner that taught multiple martial art disciplines including Tae Kwon Do.   This owner name was Jami Betha Epstein, and claimed the rank of 3rd degree black belt, and a national heavy-weight champion.  Here is an ad that was place in the paper during a grace period when the two were merging.  At that time I did not know what Tae Kwon Do Style Karate was - but I found out three years later in Sept 1980, ...

 On March 20th, 2024 I took my Purple Belt Test.   Here are some pictures:                                                              Here I broke 4 boards with a spinning back kick.  Took 4 tries.  I felt very much ready for this test, and while I saw improvement, I feel as if my improvement wasn't as significate as it could have been.  This is my lessons learnt:  1.  I was dedicated to doing particular stretches (sitting leg stretch, touch toes, butterfly stretch), but I need to expand my number of stretches.  Want to add one legged swat stretch, lunge stretch, front and side splits).   2. I need to spend more time working on my 1 step sparring.   My kicks were rushed and not very good.  Want to work on quality of the movements, whi...

 Just one year ago I resolved to get back into Tae Kwon Do (TKD), and at least three years down the line to get a black belt.  It seemed like a crazy thing to think never mind to do in my 60's, when most of my friends are talk about playing golf, going on cruises, and moving to mature retirement communities.  Also the choice of activity seems a bit nuts at my age, since TKD is all about high jumps and high kick and challenging attacks.  The journey has been hard on my mind and body, but also has been exciting, challenging and a true joy.  One last thing to share.  I get a little upset with my slow progress over the last year, but you can see from the pictures below,  how my kicks has become higher and more powerful over the last year.   That blur in the picture on the right is a board I broke which flew up and hit the ceiling.  :)                              ...

 I was going away on a cruise, so I requested a private blue belt test.   There were the standard three parts in our test.  1) Poomsae or forms 2) 1 Step Sparing and 3) board breaking.   I did a good amount of practice and preparation for the test, but I was not feeling well.  Something has triggered my asthma and sinuses (basically meaning I had difficulty breathing).   Anyway, while I did not perform my best - I did well enough to pass the test.  

 I've been working to increase my Stretching and Leg Strength since I have returned to TKD, but feel as if I am working at it at a different level.   My focus has been increasing the level of my side kick.  Getting it up higher and holding the food out for a second before rechambering it.  I've been doing more splits (front and side) for the last month, and been holding my side kick out for a second each time for about 10X per leg.   Progress is slow - but there is progress.  :)   This training between belts is going to be tough - since I am planning on spending a week in the Southwest running in several states, and also plan on doing a week cruise with Jennifer in December.  So my plan is to get ahead of the class - by getting my strips early and perhaps do my exam one-on-one with one of the masters.   I've only received my green belt a month ago - and I am so hungry for my next belt, and continuing the journey....

Like Bruce Lee said, i love belts, they great for holding your pants up. :D I took my green belt test last week and on leaving the Dojang, I told my Sahyun that it's not about the belt but the journey and he agreed. While I believe that with all my heart - a part of that journey (within the classes) is moving up in rank because in class rank determines what forms you do - what sparring you do, what level of kicks you work on. So while I agree that it's not about the belt - it depends on how your classes are setup and if the belt level keeps you at a beginners level of training you may want to work within the system.

Just passed my green belt test! Hooray!! My heart was pounding and the adrenaline was so intense my hands were shaking and did not stop until I got in the car and was driving home. Also given to me (since I pre-bought it) was my sparring equipment. Looking forward to do some sparring in class with the higher belts. Grandmaster Kang, Master Kang, and Master Nam and the rest of the class.                               Master Nam                                         Certificate, Belt and Trophy