This is my last essay examining an individual form. Unless I can talk one of the senior black belts into teaching me Sipjin or Jitae I’ve gone as far as I can go with black belt forms…for now. I plan on teaching myself Taeguk color belt forms, so that will definitely give me some insight to write about at a later date. But for now this is the end of the direction I’ve been taking with The Poomsae Series.
[Warning: I was in a really corporate-y mood when I wrote this, so you’re getting a taste of Work Melanie’s voice rather than my usual silly, contemplative, self-deprecating Black Belt voice.]
I’m a learning and leadership development consultant, which in a very tiny abstract nutshell means that I listen, diagnose problems or needs, and help people make decisions and take actions that improve their performance on the job. As a bonus they very often end up happier too, which is my favorite part.
Continue reading “Leadership Toolbox: the Power of Practice”
All I wanted was a little time off.
I decided to take the last week of August off from taekwondo because of a few lingering injuries that kept getting irritated and frankly, I was burned out. I had been going to taekwondo five or six days a week, attending my own classes, plus I showed up at the lower ranking classes to help teach and hang out with the instructors. It was all good fun until one day I thought, “I need a break.” I enjoyed my week off and was thoroughly looking forward to starting up classes again plus attending my gym more often and cleaning up my diet.
Continue reading “Be Careful What You Wish For…You Just Might Get It”
So it’s still the plan that I will be testing for second degree black belt in about two months. Even though I’ve had two years to prepare for this test as opposed to six months for first degree, I’m more nervous and leery about it this time around. If you’d like to read more about the psychological aspects and musings on it, read this post. I’ll continue with that theme in another post. Now I’m going to talk about what I plan to do with myself until that eagerly awaited day.
Continue reading “Two Months Until Second Dan Begins With Rest, Wine, and Whataburger”
This article was originally a guest post on the website BookMartialArts.com.
Did you know you become a leader the first time you wrap a white belt around your waist? Black belts are usually seen as the leaders in their martial arts schools, but other students, regardless of age or rank, can begin working on their influential leadership skills long before they reach advanced levels. While it is the responsibility of the instructor to coach and mentor his or her lower ranking students so they are ready to lead when they reach black belt, it is just as much the student’s responsibility to actively develop their leadership skills along the way.
Continue reading “My Guest Post: How to be a Martial Arts Leader Without a Black Belt”
A few weeks ago my Grandmaster presented me with a small patch for my uniform. In bold yellow letters it read, “INSTRUCTOR.” Technically as a first dan black belt I’m an “assistant instructor,” but Grandmaster and the other instructors decided to give me a little promotion since I always helped out in my own classes and classes for lower ranking students. Or maybe they just figured they’d better give me something to do since I hang out at the dojang so much. Either way I was pleased and very humbled.
Continue reading “Teaching Means You’re Learning for Two”
“I believe in my own skills. I just always try to look forward to what they can be rather than to always look back on what they used to be.”
This was my brother’s response to a friend complimenting him on his musical talent. My brother is a musician (primarily piano and keyboards), and has been able to support himself with his talent since graduating college. He’s proud of that fact, as is the rest of his family. His passion isn’t just his hobby; it also happens to be his paycheck. If only we could all be so lucky.
Continue reading “You Can Rest on Your Laurels, But Don’t Stay There Too Long”
“Whew, that was a good workout! I needed that,” I said to my chief instructor as I sipped water and leaned against the back of a chair in the dojang waiting room. It was Monday night, the first night back after an “off week” due to an abbreviated workout schedule and a little bit of Spring Break indulgence (okay, more than a little bit). That night’s class had a simpler structure than our usual classes: foundational kicks and a little bit of partner work with blocking and striking. That was it.
Continue reading “Spring Has Sprung”
This article was originally a guest post on the website BookMartialArts.com.
Have you ever felt like something was off in your martial arts practice? You find that it’s becoming harder to drag yourself to class, and if you make it there, you’re stealing glances at the clock the entire time. Or perhaps you do enjoy going to class and working out, but it feels like you’re going through the same old motions over and over. Maybe you don’t feel challenged enough, or you’ve hit a plateau and feel frustrated that you can’t get past it.
Are you burned out, or are you just bored?
Continue reading “My Guest Post: What to Do When Your Martial Arts Practice Feels Stagnant”
Practicing taekwondo has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I’ve changed inside and out, and I feel like a million bucks. Women, however, are still sorely underrepresented in martial arts, so I’d like to encourage all the ladies out there who want to do something healthy, challenging, and fun to give it a try. Here are a few reasons why martial arts is especially helpful to women:
Continue reading “5 Ways Martial Arts Can Benefit Women”