Black belt achieved

Here's what my son gave me for my birthday - a black training dobok, because I'd got through my tae kwon do black belt grading the week before, after nine years.

Black belt & dobok, with training book

I might have done it sooner if I hadn't devoted so much time to my doctorate, and then had the breast cancer. But, I never planned to get a black belt in anything.  I just took my daughter along and found I could train with her.  Most times when a parent takes a child out - to ballet, karate, swimming or piano lessons, - they have to sit there and wait patiently.  I'm not so patient.  Sooner or later my child was going to have to get herself there, or not go.  But once I realised I could join in, I also found that playing tag for the first time in decades made me laugh - another first in a while when you're a woman in your early fifties.  Then I tried to catch up with my rapidly improving daughter, so I went to more classes, got to an intermediate grade and got fitter.

One tag at a time, one new colour at a time, I went up.

As I got higher, I realised more and more people were helping me, not only the subum (teacher) but also lots of black belts, particularly the junior black belts, who courteously showed me how to do something better, and despite my poor and slow technique were willing to partner with me, thus demonstrating that getting to black belt isn't a solo achievement.  Then I realised that middle-aged, middle-grade women were seeing me a a role model, and that spurred me on too. And Christie Bytom was there in the background cheering for me.

The BBC Radio 4 programme iPM: Share What You Know asks for one sentence items of listeners' news, which they then select and read out over the air. I wrote:

"After nine years of training, including a year when I had breast cancer, I've been awarded my tae kwon do black belt" 

On 16 November, they got Dame Jenni Murray to read them and she read my sentence too - she who herself had breast cancer. The podcasts are at http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ipm and the listeners' news is towards the last couple of minutes of the programme.

New Year resolution

New Year resolution has to be not to give up.

1. I have to support husband and our two families. I start by refraining from offering my three beautiful step daughters juicy apples and spinning wheels. I have already refrained from hanging a notice in the window:
"Three lovely step daughters
living here with wicked step mother,
need handsome princes to rescue them."


Fortunately two of them have already found their handsome princes, who are really nice young men, even to me, their step-mother-in-law. And step daughter number 3 has turned quite happy over the last year or two.


2. I'm going to carry on avoiding other people kicking me at tae kwondo, while not thumping them too hard. I like the exercise and the laughter, not the thumps. I might move up a kup if I grade and get another belt. That's one of the tenets of tae kwondo - perseverance.
   


3. Then there's the research work, which has its good moments and its bad moments. Never ever give up until the dissertation is handed in, in September 2010.
   


4. And I'll keep writing this. Thank you those people who tell me they read it and even mention it on Christmas cards to us. You are so encouraging. I really appreciate it.
   

Sadistic subum

The Subum (means teacher) at tae kwondo was a bit grumpy tonight. As people arrived a tad late he stopped the warm up jog and made us do press-ups until the new-comers were ready. He wanted to do pad work but not enough of us had pads - these pads aren't cheap, so a family of four tends to have only one pair between them all. So he decided to do the tae kwondo twelve days of Christmas instead, with an evil scowl on his face.

1. burpy
2. squat thrusts
3. punches
4. star jumps working with a partner to clap as we jumped
5. front kicks
6. press ups
7. sit ups
8. side kicks
9. double punches (means 18)
10. jumping kicks
11. some other kick
    
12. some other exercise - does Subum think we're still moving?
    

He tells us this all adds up to 365 exercises, and so one for each day of the year, but I think it's 362 - how nice not to have to do three more. It's
1 * 12 twice, plus
2 * 11 twice, plus
3 * 10 twice, plus
4 * 9 twice, plus
5 * 8 twice, plus
6 * 7 twice
-----------
which is 24 + 44 + 60+ 72+ 80+ 82 = 362
Don't tell subum, or he' ll think up some evil excuse to make us to three more.

Taekwon Do grading results

I passed the grading and the subum (teacher) presented me with my new certificate and blue belt. I am now officially at an intermediate grade.

The subum was very complimentary as he gave me my belt, because I've been doing the extra classes and sparring, and am 'of an age .. ' He didn't say my age, though it's obvious I'm the oldest in the class. The kids were great afterwards, congratulating me, and asking my age and even a couple of really energetic teenage lads saying I was better than them, which I'm not and they've got the potential that I haven't. But it was nice to have the praise.

I just hope I don't get beaten up in the tournament on Sunday.

Taekwon Do grading

I went in for my blue belt grading, which is scary. I had to do several patterns, 3 and two step sparring, pad work with a black belt. And then free sparring with three different partners of the same grade. I find sparring exhausting. I got a tiny bruise over one eye when I didn't block fast enough.

Tae for two

We do tae kwondo, my daughter, my grandson and me - well, all right, to be exact, my step-grandson. We all go together on Sunday evening. We're different grades.

• Grandson is white belt - for innocence and beginner.
• I'm blue tag, so my belt is green with a blue strip. It means the grade is half way between green and blue - for growing and getting there.
• Daughter is red tag, which is half way between blue and red - red means danger and she's getting quite scarily good.

We start with jogging and warm ups and then perhaps sparring in pairs. This Sunday for the first time, grandson and I got paired together. Imagine it! It's not often that Nanna and six-year old get to beat each other up.

Now grandson doesn't talk much - a bit like his grandfather but he can laugh. He didn't say a word as we hit with one fist, ducked and hit with the other fist, but he laughed fit to burst as he jumped to tag me on my head. And he laughed and laughed as we sparred. And when we had to take up press up position and try to knock each other off balance by pulling or knocking an arm, we both collapsed on the floor laughing.

That's why I do tae kwondo because it makes me laugh.