Congratulations students! Last night marked our 6th Gup Shim Sa and the first ever adult shim sa. I was very proud of everyone’s performance.
A couple of highlights include the white belts demonstrating their hyung. I commented that their performance was one of the best I’ve seen from white belts. Congratulations Cate, Ethan, and Johnny.
The orange belts did a great job as well. Eoghan’s elbow break was one of the cleanest breaks of the test where he was a prime example of striking through the target. In fact, he almost hit the holder.
The adult test was very strong as well and I saw improvement from everyone. What was very enjoyable was the dinner we shared together in celebration. We went to a Korean restaurant and experienced Korean culture at its finest. Their was Kalbi, Japchae, Kimchi, and many other flavorful dishes. I believe we grew together in friendship as a result of the experience.
Returning to the test, Our senior students, the green belts were a real treat to watch. Their sparring was clean and effective. But more than their physical performance, I was impressed by their mental discipline and moo do philosophy.
Sarah was in a cast and Olyvia just got out of a sling. This did not prevent an impressive demonstration from the both of them. The rest had to break a full one-inch pine board. I think everyone was nervous since their breaking hadn’t been consistent.
In the end, Elle and Jacob broke their board. The rest did not. At the end of their test, I saw true moo do discipline in many of them as they grabbed a board and had their parents hold for them. Many continually hit their board repeatedly until their board broke. I was very proud and impressed by their determination. I expected them to leave at that point since they had passed their test.
They would not. Instead, one by one, they turned towards those who hadn’t broken yet and gave them friendly support and encouragement…the epidemy of moo do philosophy and a sign of great leadership.
In retrospect, what a blessing it was that most of these green belts did not initially break. Some still have not. Out of this, character has been defined. And our philosophy put into action. As an instructor, I couldn’t be prouder.
If any students or parents have pictures, please send them to me so I can place them on this page. I welcome you to also comment on your feelings about the test.
