The formal test began with Terry SBN taking everyone for a "run in the park". All students were led through a very spirited warm-up session by Elmier Penid. Master Amsell emphasized the performance of some important exercises like squatting and the plantar fascia stretch. Even GM Yun joined in to demonstrate that he could still squat despite his major physical impairments.

Students moved into Poomsae next. They did Palgwe and Taegeuk forms with the lower ranked students dropping out until only the Black Belts were left to perform the higher level forms. the Black Belts performed the yudanja forms starting with Koryo and continued on to Pyongwon which was done solo by Terry SBN.

Jasmine doing breakfalls

Poomsae was followed by pre-arranged sparring (3 step sparring and 1 step sparring). The stuudents then pulled out the mats to do 1 step knife self-defense. After 1 step, they performed ukemi (breakfalls). Next, the students demonstrated various kinds of specialized breakfalls. Once again, Elmier served as an obstacle and the Black Belts jumped over him to do a shoulder roll as he made himself a taller and taller obstacle. All finished the jumping breakfalls by attempting to jump over Elmier’s head. Terry SBN and Marcus SBN took the challenge and impressed everyone watching. We finished with face falls.

That was followed by Nage-waza (throws). Those students and instructors, who were able to do so, performed various throwing techniques that increased in difficulty as the ranks got higher. Throwing is always a rather popular aspect of our tests, so I made sure that the spectators had a good opportunity to see each techniques several times. As usual, all of the students performed a randori, which is kind of a “king of the hill” competition. Elmier surprised everyone by winning each match including those with the Black Belts and claimed the title of King of the Hill.

That was followed by the demo phase of our test. The first demo was a review of the Aikido basics. That was followed by martial arts training that Master Amsell learned in the military that has become a popular part of our tests: Rifle Kyorugi. Terry SBN & Riley SBN did the demo with great crowd reactions. All the Black Belts and Senior Ranks participated in a "first ever" joint Soft Styles Demo. The final demo was a kiddie demo. Nathan & Elmier added to their Star Wars Lightsaber duel that incorporated their Kendo and Taekwondo training. Elmier did a wonderful job of "acting" out getting hit in the head...twice! It was only fitting that it ended with Elmier (the younger brother) "cutting" Nathan in half.

The final martial art for us to cover was Kendo which Nathan & Elmier already gave an introduction on with their demo. Terry SBN put on the bogu (full gear) to take the hits. The first part of the demonstration was the warm-up exercise, kiri-kaeshi, which is normally performed at the beginning and end of a Kendo session. This was followed by various strikes learned in Kendo.

The final portion of the test was kyukpa (breaking). The crowd really gets behind the kids during their breaks. Breaks are always selected to challenge and emphasize some special quality in each student. This time was no different. It is always a bit scary for beginning students to do their first break, but even advanced students feel challenged because they must do a new kind of break. Every student was successful in his or her break.

We always conclude the test with Q&As. Master Amsell pretty much asked the same question of several students, “How do you think that you did?” Many commented on Marc’s “special” break selected because he could not do anything physical as he was recovering from surgery. His special break was to have Master Amsell break a board over his head. All of the Parent Representative examiners made comments about the growth and attitude of the students during testing. GM Yun made special mention of the idea of never giving up when performing in testing, especially during breaking.

As always, In appreciation for those who came to testing, I made up special baseball cards for all students and instructors in attendance. We finished testing with our formal finish and bow out and then took a group photo. Everyone started getting their boards signed and it became a very bonding experience for all. This was an excellent test due to attitude, espirit de corps, pace, energy, and spectator involvement. One final note: All people who tested should understand that testing is not over until the results are announced. What you do after the actual test could affect your result. Food for thought... -LSA