18 days

There are only 18 days until the USA National Championships in San Jose California for Taekwon-Do! Only a few of the Las Vegas Taekwon-Do Club members are going, but the students that are will attend along with Master Bosse (though he is not a competitior) to compete in pattern competition and sparring competition as non-qualifiers. I am very excited and I am practicing both my patterns and my sparring, as I am competing there along with two of my family members that are fellow Taekwon-Doins. It would be great to come home a national champion, but although winning would be awesome, the knowledge gained from the tournament will be far more valuble than any gold medal can be, even if I don’t get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. But that doesn’t mean I am not going to try! I would really like to win- but that isn’t all I need to focus on. Master Bosse says: “It isn’t who wants it the most; it’s who refuses to lose.” That will be one of the things on my mind at the tournament and before then. But in the meanwhile, I will continue to work on my smooth, flowing motion, concentration of power, accuracy of technique, speed, endurance, power, and mindset so that I will compete my best- and my best is all I can do! So in that case, what I am I doing writing this at 11:30 at night? I’d better get to sleep- that is important, too!

Not nervous anymore

Above: someone doing a Taekwon-Do pattern

Mysterious- I don’t get nervous anymore. Since performing a play a few months ago, I haven’t been nervous. I wasn’t nervous when acting, didn’t get nervous when going to the past end-of-the-month tournaments since May; I seem to have lost my ability to be nervous in competition! How did this happen? I guess I just get so into what I am doing, the nervousness doesn’t come. It is kind of hard to explain. It is a bit easier with acting, and slightly harder with Taekwon-Do. But I can do what I want when in the pressure of the moment without being nervous. I wish I could tell other people how to do this. I guess that you just need to think of what you are doing- for example, your pattern,- and only think of that. It stops the nervousness from coming. If you stop thinking of being nervous, the nervous feeling dissapears. Has anyone else had this happen? Though I can’t say that when thinking of doing certain things I don’t get nervous, but when I actually get out there to do what I want, the nervousness goes away.

No red and black belt class!

There is no red and black belt class on the 10th this week!
Don’t come to class- Master Bosse won’t be there!

Taekwon-Do USA National Championships Reminder

As taken from http://www.itf-usa.org/2010 USA World Qualifiers and National Championship
This year, the World Qualifiers and National Championship will be held in San Jose, California, USA on August 13 to 14! Come on out to the west coast and compete for your place on the team to go to New Zealand in March 2011! More information found at: http://www.mightyfist.com
Official ITF rules

Additional Information:
— Non-Qualifiers is now open to BLUE BELTS and above.
— Sparring is broken down to Female and Male groups. Additionally, in individual sparring matches, competitors shall participate in the category according to their weight. It is not allowed to participate in any other weight class.

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Remember to register! Your registration form must be recieved by mail by July 23rd, 2010! Download the registration form at http://www.itf-usa.org/events.html
“August, 2010- USA World Qualifiers & National Championships
Thomas More School
San Jose, California, USA”

Also, your equipment MUST be blue or red. If you are competing as a qualifier (must be member of the ITF) you have to wear Top-Ten Sparring Gear, also in blue or read.

A non-qualifier is someone just competing in the nationals but not attempting to compete in the World Championships in New Zealand.

Taekwon-Do Belt levels

In every sort of ITF Taekwon-Do, the belt levels are the same, though sometimes the ‘stripes’ are called ‘tags’ depending on the school. Above are all the belt levels up to 1st dan (or degree) black belt- after that there are degrees of black belt up until 9th dan/degree.

I won a Taekwon-Do book!

In a Totally TKD Magazine contest, I won a volume of Start Paul Anslow’s Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do Patterns! My name even appears in the magazine as the winner. You had to answer which pattern three tecniques represented, I guessed Won-Hyo and was correct, my name entered a drawing for the book, and I won! I’ll write about the book when I get it!