Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Nerves!

Ok...I am getting nervous about my testing. It's still weeks away. I can't let my nerves start getting to me already! I guess it really started when I looked at the calender and realized it was May and at the end of the month I test. But then last night in class we really began to discuss what testing is really like. When I tested for my yellow belt in Chattanooga I tested early. Therefore, I have never experienced a true testing. I have never done my form with multiple people at the same time. I probably won't know the judges. It will be loud. They might ask me to do my form facing various directions. Ok, actually this last one scares me the least. I really don't get confused when facing different directions of the room. However, if they were to put me on an angle...I might just be doomed. Last night in class we practiced doing forms in close contact and also doing them facing different directions. We even had to do them with our eyes closed after being turned. I did pretty good on that one. It was a little weird, but it actually ended up being the best time I did my form in class. It will also be loud and distracting during tests because lots will be going on. All the schools will be coming together....people I've never met. Ugh...I'm scared! And perhaps this nervousness stems from my feeling of not being ready. There's still lots of time, but seeing that date circled on my calender is scary and looming...always looming nearer.

I am loving class though. I have come a long way since that first Saturday...hehe. It's everything I remember loving that one summer so long ago. I hate that I had to take the time away, but I'm truly glad that I did come back to TKD. I could have easily never gotten back into it. Last week I was showing Bryan my medals and certificates from that summer when I participated in the International TaeKwonDo Alliance Tennessee Regional Tournament. It made me think what a fun time I had in class and doing the tournament that summer. And doing that tournament was extremely terrifying. Do you know how dumb I felt being a white belt adult competing? I realize I shouldn't feel like that, but it was just odd to be older and the lowest rank in a competition. At least looking back I know that if I can do that, this testing will really be nothing. Besides they give you 3 chances. However, the goal is to only need one. :) I'll keep you updated as May 31st draws near.

Sorry for the sporadic writing/thoughts, but that's how it comes out when I think about it...a flood of nerves. Practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect...and all that good stuff.

I found this video on YouTube.com of my form. I am not making any comments on this video. I wanted to use it for illustration purposes only.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eA3wefxIAG8

4 comments:

Ryon said...

Congratulations! It's so nerve wracking getting up in front of people and strutting your stuff. Before I go on, let me state my qualifications: Black belt in two martial arts, and a red belt in yours :) And... I still get nervous when I test! Nowadays I DO have the advantage that a six-month delay in testing for my next belt is a 'short delay'!

Anyway, the trick is not to fight the fact that you're nervous. When you try and fight it, that just brings it to the forefront of your mind, where it asserts itself and takes altogether more of your attention than it should!

If there's a trick to it, that trick is just to focus your mind on other, more important things; the room around you and your position in it, your body and limbs and their positions in space, especially relative to each other and your body.

The idea here is to aggress on the environment with all your senses. The nervousness doesn't go away, it just becomes a tiny, tiny part of your sensory experience in any given moment in time, and not an all-consuming beast!

Most of all though, focus on what a great time you're having and how proud you are to be doing what you're doing!

yellow_gin said...

Thanks!!! That is good advice. :)

BlueSparrows said...

You'll do great, but I understand the nerves, I'd be the same way.

BlueSparrows said...

You'll do great, but I understand the nerves, I'd be the same way.