Addisyn advanced from a beginner white belt, to yellow, then purple belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Towards the end of our 6 month commitment, she had decided that she was no longer interested in the sport, so after her last belt test (Jan 28) & awards (Feb 11), which coincidentally was the end of the 6 months, we let her stop so she could try her next diversion--ballet.
 |
Practicing forms in class--Addisyn is center in the red shirt.
|
Her interest in TKD was in self-defense, but she didn't see that connection in classes, so she didn't get what she wanted out of it. MY interest was for her to make gains in confidence and focus, and she did well with that. She was a good listener, focused during class, and had good execution of her moves.
 |
| She had a solo testing experience and really showed off her skills for her large family audience. |
Master Taylor demands attention in class and even though he had trouble remembering all his students' names, he certainly had the interpersonal skills that show he cared about them. He also taught the kids about having pride and self-confidence. Whenever a child was anxious to find out if s/he passed the test, he would only ask in return, "how do YOU think you did?" Of course he only allows a child to take the test if he feels they are prepared in the first place.
 |
| Congratulations Purple Belts! |
Addisyn had the chance to do another sparring tournament next month, like the one she did in October as a yellow belt, but she didn't want to. She was quite intimidated by the experience the first time around. Despite her opponent being clearly more experienced and unafraid, Addisyn gave it her best, wore a brave persona, and did NOT give in. She was clearly both physically and mentally exhausted afterward, but it was a hugely proud mama moment. I hoped she'd get another opportunity but class practice will have to do until she is older and wants to learn self-defense again.
*****
 |
| Awards were getting late and someone got tired. |
No comments:
Post a Comment