1st Dan, yes we dit it!

It has been some weeks since my last post in the personal section of my blog. This was mainly because of the intensive preparations for the 1st dan exam in Taekwondo which was held on April 15th, 2007. The last six weeks it meant literally seven days a week of training in hyongs/tulls, stap sparring, self defense, and last but not least the breaktest of a hard plastic beam (kyepa). Moreover, one needs to know about the theory and historical background of teakwondo. The exam was an exciting event. The final training last tuesday didn't go that well, so I was a little tense before the exam started. The first part (hyong) went well, which brought a lot of relief already. The stapsparring and self defense were also quite ok I believe. The most stressful event (at least for me) is the breaking of a beam/plank. For some guys it's no problem at all (they seem to do it with their eyes closed), other (like me) have to concentrate in order to perform the right technique. Using the right technique means that you hardly feel the impact on you arm, hand or foot. If the timing or technique is not right it might cause some pain or even more serious injuries. It was a big relief to me that the breaking of the beams went very well this time.

A special dimension of this dan exam was that I did it together with my 13 year old son. I am convinced this will be one of those father-son lifetime events that me and my son will still remember in 30 years. It was an honour to me and I am truly proud of my son, who sometimes had doubts whether he should continue in Taekwondo. Maybe it was the fact that I joined the club that motivated him to move forward. When I started Taekwondo (at the age of 37) I never thought I would be able to achieve a level that is good enough to become a 1st dan (black belt). Today, more than 5 years later I can look back and say that I managed to achieve quite a challenge. It's a great feeling, achieving a sort of milestone, almost to be compared when you achieve your final exam in secondary education. On the picture (from left to right): Atmane Qoubbane, Andrew Portier (my son), Sabum Ad Dekker (our trainer) and me.