[Leo]

::SIGH::

My daughter makes me so proud!

She "solidly" got her 7th gup, orange belt, the other day.

What's cool is that she wanted me to help her with her form. I was like "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???" She laughed. She actually let me show her what her instructors were looking for.

I told her...

1. Always look before you strike. Make believe there's someone, that is your height, right in front of you. Strike them in the sternum, not the face (regular punches were in her form... not high punches).

2. Always snap that punch or kick out there! Put some power behind it, then relax! Don't look robotic... work into your punch and/or kicks with smooth body movements. Work with your momentum, not against it.

3. Always, and I mean always!!! Ki-Hap!!!!! She says "Hi!" but it's loud, and darned cute! LOL!

4. Watch your footwork. When switching to a new position, always return to center first. It helps you regain your balance. It feels awkward at first, but doing your form is not a race. Do it slow at first, and work up to a natural speed that you feel comfortable with.

These four little things really worked magic on her (although they were not apparent, immediately). When I got to the dojang with her, I wasn't even expecting to see what I saw. It was night and day, and the instructors saw it! She even greeted them by saying, "Ahn yan haseo, sir!" We're working on the "sir" part. LOL! I told her try not to mix/match Korean sentences with English words and she said, "nay, daddy." LOL! Little smarty pants!

One of the instructors asked me what I did to help her improve that much. I told him that we just worked-out together. He was like "hmmmm..." LOL!

To end her test, she threw another surprising curve ball at me. She chose a hand strike vs. a kick (they had the choice). She did a Soo Do (chop) and split that wood in the first hit, with no problems! You guys know me... I had to just let out a fruitful "Yeah!" It just slipped out. I was very proud!

I'm officially not worried about my daughter dating. You know... when she turns 35.

Oh yeah... I got my green belt tonight (6th gup). That was pretty cool, too! I'm officially "intermediate." LOL!
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- Leo

Please email me for site ideas and/or concerns:
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[tazemii]

That's awesome Leo . I want my sister to take KMA. Breanna going to collage next month. She's going to heidlerberg (Sp). She seems to want to try but she can't. She ask me about the streach's all the time. Its annoying. I might be able to get her to join KMA. I don't know, she's really busy.

I'm hopefully, going to be a green belt next month. I have my ni sah down. My main form is a struggle for me. I got the basic's down though


Tell your daughter I said Hi and congrats.
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Oh hai

[Master Circle]

Good stuff Leo, I'm happy for your daughter.

I am sure you must be proud.

I think its great she came to you for help, and then got a positive response across the board. I'm sure she'll continue to look to you for guidance.

Congrats on your Yuk Gub, what form will you be working now?
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[Leo]

I'll let her know, Taz. I'm sure you'll do more than well on your test next month, too. Master Circle wouldn't let you test if he felt otherwise.

Master Circle,

Yes, sir! I'm very proud of her and I do hope that she keeps coming to me for more in the future. It's really hard not to "jump in there" and give her unsolicited advice! I just have to keep telling myself to chill-out and let her learn how she wants to learn.

Me? I'll be working on Pyung Ahn Ee Dan, sir. I'm right back where you and I left off, so to speak. Haha! It's a pretty fun form, too! I'm looking forward to it. I also get to learn "Keecho Jang Bong Hyung," which is a basic staff form, so I'm into weapons now. Green belt is going to be a lot of fun!
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- Leo

Please email me for site ideas and/or concerns:
leo.seefeldt@gmail.com