Yesterday, the B-man (who is 7, if you recall) tested for his red belt in tae kwondo. He executed his forms perfectly, with such grace and precision that I forgot for a moment that this was MY kid smoothly kicking, jabbing and punching in an exquisite dance-like flow of trained physical art. He is now only two belts from becoming one of the provinces youngest black belts, and the careful training and practice is more evident than ever.After the forms, there was a demonstration of power and agility. It seems strange to say that when you are talking about a group of elementary school children, but I have seen the "impossible" happen in that studio and I am a believer. My little boy broke 4 boards with the side of his little hand yesterday. Watching him, I saw the confidence that his sensei had instilled in him and it brought tears to my eyes. Master L. believes in the B-man and my son trusts his judgement. That's ALL it takes.
After the board-breaking demonstration, Master L. asked the B-man a quiet question in Korean. He nodded vigourously and ran to the far end of the room. I've been to a lot of these test days and I knew that it meant a running kick break. What I wasn't prepared for was seeing two of B's classmates crouch down in front of Master L., tucking in their heads. The B-man came flying across the room, leapt across the bodies of his friends and broke the board with his foot, before landing lightly and running past Master L. Everyone watching gasped and applauded. It was stunning. He broke a provincial record for the youngest person to successfully execute that particular break. The B-man confessed to me later that he was so afraid that he was going to fall on Miranda, he put extra strength into his jump. He also confessed that he had not done the flying kick over people before ... but he trusted Master L.'s judgement.
What does it mean to trust that completely? To my son it means, for that moment in time, he could FLY ... and now, he will always believe that he can.
I am more grateful than I can express.
(I'll load pictures this weekend.)
3 comments:
That's fantastic!
Fitness, discipline, trust, confidence, and courage...that's what sport should teach kids. Throw in sportsmanship and the idea of fair play, and we're laying an outstanding foundation.
THIS is wonderful!
B-man, you can do anything you set your mind to doing and I know your mom has instilled that in you. What a wonderful accomplishment for you.
Mom...be so very proud!
Oh goodness, I hope you got that on film. If not, at least you have a wonderful memory of your son digging deep in side and finding his inner man.
Post a Comment