Belt testing is one of the most  exciting events in taekwondo!  It’s a student’s opportunity to demonstrate to his or her instructors the skills and knowledge accrued during the past cycle.   Students are tested in forms, contact skills, sparring drills, free-sparring, knowledge of the martial art (verbal test questions), and board breaks.  Three years later, I still look forward to belt testing!  I love, love, love the energy!

“The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” Exodus 14:14

My board break situation has always been this:  I don’t get excited about boards.  The combination of size and poor technique during the learning process has left me with minor injuries.  I even dreaded breaking, at times.  When I struggled with a new technique at the start of this cycle, I had the terrifying thought that boards would keep me from earning my black belt. And I got angry and frustrated.  That’s when I made a decision.

Have you ever spent so much time and energy, prayer and tears on a situation, hoping to change it, without it even budging?  Days, weeks, months go by and the confusion, hurt, and frustration remain.  You approach the problem from every angle, analyze, re-analyze and over analyze and yet, nothing.  No peace.  No resolution.  This happened to me and I thought I’d hit a wall, until, again, a decision was made, and with it, peace felt beyond what I had imagined.  Our God is truly an awesome God.

“Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”  Romans 12:2

I decided to get friendly with my board.  You know, give it some attention.  Show a little love. In the past, I hardly ever practiced breaks on the board, outside of class.  This time, I vowed, would be different.  I would make myself try, no matter what.  I enlisted the help of fellow tkd peeps and my family and what seemed a hopeless situation, with (often painful) practice, became not only promising, but enjoyable.

The kick was a #2 round kick.  #2 indicates the leg with which you kick- the back leg.  A properly executed round kick board break should include the knee pointing to the target, kicking accurately at the line on the board, and the ball of the foot hitting the target.  I practiced 2-3 times a week, outside of class and, though I was not always consistent, I became more comfortable with and less hostile toward my lovely blue board.  For the first time ever, I RELISHED board breaking and could not get enough!   When I broke my board at testing, I felt so powerful and humbled, all at once, because when I do something I once could not, I give that to Him.  It was, after all, Christ who strengthened  me.

It is well with my soul

I prayed for change- for myself. We may not have control over some situations or people’s behavior, but we can change the way we react to those situations.  We are capable of improving.   I realized this, through the depths of pain and frustration, anger and hurt- somewhere along the way, the knowledge was whispered to me by my loving God.  It took awhile to get to a place of peace, to make the change a habit, to shift my perspective, but I did it and Im all the better for having done so.

Belief in yourself, faith, work- this is the “stuff “that makes “it” happen in your life. Whatever you are aspiring toward, whatever you are going through,  you are loved and peace is only a prayer away.