All Black Junior Belt

Zaky took his 2nd pom TKD grading test in August. With that, he also decided to take a long break regardless of the grading result. Right after the test, his Master did share that he did well and thought that he would pass but unable to guarantee until the official results are out. We were told that the results would be out in 2 months' time.

October came and gone and I didn't hear from the school. I didn't think much about it and one fine day, I got a text from the school congratulating me on my child's promotion and inviting me to witness his belt changing ceremony. So yay, he passes his 2nd pom!

The ceremony was on Sunday early morning. It had been a long while since Zaky dons his TKD uniform. We teased and asked if he can still fit into his uniform. Hohoho.

He fit into them alright.

Soon after arrival, he was ushered into the center.

The kids were nicely seated when the parents were invited into the center.

Master Kim had to start with a speech. I thought I heard variations of it given attended so many of these ceremonies over the years.

They started for the 1st pom 1st and obviously Zaky got bored after a while, fidgeting and disturbing his Master, asking when it would be his turn.

Fortunately it wasn't a ceremony for hundreds or I cannot imagine what kind of mischief Zaky would get into.

He was finally asked to standby and was still monkeying in front of the mirror. Zzz. Isn't part of TKD is about self control and discipline? Bo leh.

Heng ah, finally his turn before he create more mischief.

He is still a junior black belt (JBB) but his belt is now entirely black.

The ceremony ended soon after the full black belts were given out but not before Master Kim made another of his speech about self constraint for JBB and not put what they learnt into trouble. He was illustrating and conveniently got Zaky, who was in the front row to help with his illustration. At one point, he turned to Zaky and asked, "if anyone ask what is your school?" and he was looking for "Ildo TKD" but Zaky instead replied "WGPS" that led to plenty of laughter from the parents. Master Kim tried a 2nd time and Zaky still replied "WGPS". Hohoho. So funny. At least he got it right when Master Kim asked who would he say his teacher is. Lol.

Finally, the boy has a full black belt.

He proudly posed for me.

We were told that on his belt, one end reflected the school's name and obviously not WGPS.

The other end shows his name in Korean.

He was also given this board with a nice message. He got one too when he passed his 1st pom, which he soon broke into half accidentally. Hahaha.

Last but not least, the 2nd pom certificate.

Will he continue with his TKD in the future? We are not sure...

Mummy Lim

TKD Grading Test: 2nd Poom

It had been a long journey. Zaky started learning TKD in June 2015, when he was barely 5YO.

My guess is that his TKD center is largely commercialised; they were quick to push for grading tests that took place once every 3 months. As a result, Zaky had been progressing very quickly, changing belts as he navigated through the series of grading test.

He hadn't been too bad and passed almost all his grading test in 1 try except for his Junior Black Belt (JBB) where he was given a provisional pass in his 1st attempt and a full pass in his 2nd. That was in September 2018. He also partipated in 2 antagonising sparring competitions that comprise of many extra practices and a lot of waiting during the actual day.

Zaky was given an option on how he would like to progress for TKD after his JBB. He wavered for quite some time before deciding that he would continue to try for his pom. Yes, apparently attaining the JBB is the start of another long series of Black Belt grading system.

He roughed it out for another year since attaining his JBB. In this one year, there had been a couple of internal grading tests to make sure that these JBBs are on track. The time has finally come for his official grading test. We last minute squeezed in extra lessons and sparring lessons; we were told that the tester for the coming grading test is known to be strict.

The grading test took place on Sunday; a routine that we were all too familiar with. The students were made to practice their patterns.

While the Master was watching over him, I took a shot of the identification card in her hand. This was Zaky when he 1st took his 1st grading test! So adorable! We have come a long way.

It was long before he was ushered into the exam hall. I guessed not many kids stayed on after their JBB and there was no big numbers being tested.

It didn't take him long to complete the grading test as well. He came out all smiley and said that he thinks he passed the test by a mark bcos he saw the tester wrote a '6' and the test is usually out of 10. Chey, so happy over a borderline pass.

He was one of the last few students to take the grading test. While he went off to change, Master Kim (the center owner) came to talk to the parents, me included. He told me that Zaky did really well and remembered all his steps. He thinks that Zaky should have passed but nothing is official until the results are out. In my mind, I was thinking 'did really well' = 6/10 marks; it can't be that well. Haha.

I related the conversation with Master Kim  to Zaky in the car. That was when Lil Shauna asked if he had '9' marks instead of '6'. "Oh ya! It was a 9 bcos it was opposite!" The boy excitedly exclaimed. Lol.

This could be the last grading test for a long while. Though the boy likes his masters and had loads of fun during most lessons, he has decided that he would take a long break for now. His TKD qualifications are recognised and he could always pick it up when he is older. Again, I was the one who is more 舍不得, asking if he would like to focus on competition or demonstration instead. He rejected me flat.

The kids are allowed 1 CCA each; let's see if the next journey brings him somewhere.

Mummy Lim

Inter-School TKD Competition

Zaky signed up for the inter-school competition while he was training for the Koko Krunch championship. Since February this year, we had  been busy ferrying the kids for extra training in prep for their various competitions. It is sheer hard work and a total mess to our routine. I cant wait for this last one to be over.

It was however, a good excuse to remind Zaky to keep to his diet. In fact, we had some leeway; the weight limit was 36kg, 1kg higher than the earlier competition. But I played dumb; Zaky had way too much reserve and it would do him good to maintain his weight. He still had his occasional ice cream and chocolates and was 34.8kg at weigh-in with his gears. Nice...

The competition was on a Wednesday morning. It would stretch into the afternoon if he wins. He didnt have to report to school and was super thrilled at that, more than the competition. As he was the only one from his school partaking in the competition, we had to bring him to the competition on our own. We were told to report at Toa Payoh Sports Hall at 8.30am.

Remembering how much waiting there was at the last competition, we had asked his Master for the realistic lastest possible time to report. We took a Grab at 8.15am and panicked when there was a heavy jam on PIE.

The weather was so good.

We arrived on the dot at 9am.

It was a lot more organised this time. His Masters (and many more of them this time) were already at the Sports Hall bcos the girls' competition took place earlier in the morning.

Then, it was a lot of waiting.

His 1st game was scheduled to start at 10am.

But the games overran and we waited and waited and waited. Zzzzzz. It was warmed up and cool down and warm up and cool down again.

Even I got bored, let alone the active boy. At one point, I was taking a call and he almost dozed off waiting, until his Master called him to proceed to the contestants waiting area. Finally!

Then, there was more waiting at the waiting area but at least there were activities like collecting their tags/ foot guard.

After like forever, it was finally Zaky's turn. Time check - 12.10pm! We waited for like 3 hrs. Zzzzz. At that point, I didnt know if I should wish for him to win, which meant more waiting or lose and we can go home. Haha. Zaky was obvious lethargic; he told his Master that he wanted to lose so that he can go home.

It was obvious that he wasnt using what he had learnt. The 1st set ended with a 2-2 score. His opponent kicked him and his 2 points were earned when his opponent was penalised for kicking too low (I think).

The 2nd set started and ended in less than 10s. His opponent tried to kick him and accidentally brushed against his face mask. For that, his opponent was disqualified and Zaky won the 1st round. Hahaha. The win was non of his efforts but the boy was pumped up for more. At that, I was glad that he had won; 3 hours' wait for that slightly over 1 min on the arena was too painful. Zaky said that he did feel bad for his opponent for being disqualified but couldnt hide his winning smile. I feel so bad for whoever that has brought the boy to the sports hall and waited with the boy.

The wait for the 2nd round was much shorter. Within half hour, he was asked to proceed to the waiting area. This time, his opponent looked bigger and stronger than him.

After 2 sets of 1-minute each, his fate was sealed. He lost the game at 10-2. His opponent was obviously stronger and we were subsequently told that he was 11. Then again, Zaky was again not listening or using what he had learnt. Why like that?

The boy was less upset as compared to losing at the last competition bcos he had at least won once. He even thought that he won the 2nd place bcos he lost and got bronze the last competition. Sorry young man, life isnt so simple.

With that, we headed home and this should be the last competition for a while..I think... his Masters told him that there is national TKD sparring competition in September. What??!!! Anyway, I have told Zaky that he has to show me that he is using whatever he has learnt in whichever 3rd competition that he is participating. If he doesnt listen or learn, then he can bid farewell to competitions.

Mummy Lim

Back to Training for the Next Competition

While Lil Shauna trains hard for her competition, Zaky has also gone back to work on his. The TKD whatever association really need to buck up. Just like the last Koko Crunch competition, we are 2 weeks from the upcoming competition and all we know so far is:

No other information is available, let alone details. I dont even know when to take leave. Win already.

We had changed Zaky's normal class to sparring class for the time being, as per his Master's advice. On Sunday, it is a Competition sparring class and he gets to spar with the other kids who are also joining the upcoming competition. On Tuesday/ Thursday, he gets special attention from his master, working on his basics. We have been told multiple times that he needed to work on his turning kicks and we had been making him practice at home whenever we could.

Does it really help? I think the time is really too short. Despite the many turning kicks that we made him do, they become horrible during sparring class; no more turning kicks, just anyhow kick. Oh well, we did what we could.

He recieved his medal from his master last week. It is a greay booster for the hard work so far. He had worked hard too.

Mummy Lim

Back to Sparring Classes

We took a rest last week after the competition; the boy needed to recover physically and emotionally and so do the parents. I is tired.

Master Kim, the head of the school, reached out bcos he wanted to provide and ask for feedback on the competition. That is a nice gesture. I was jokingly telling Daddy Lim that maybe he reads my blog. Haha.

Zaky spent the entire Sunday on gadget; I know I should limit him soon. The excessive screen time made him tired and lethargic. He barely had any energy left by the time sparring class started. There werent many kids partaking in the upcoming interschool competition, leaving only a few of them in the competition sparring class. This could be good, allowing the Masters to focus on correcting their techniques.

After class, Zaky's Masters (A - the one who led the team for the competition and another who had been teaching Zaky) shared their thoughts about the competition and I highlighted too how Zaky appeared to lack strategy and techniques. His opponent was obviously more experienced and skilled. Master A pointed out Zaky's lack of stamina, which I totally agreed. As a result,  he was mindlessly attacking usessly, which in turn left him even more tired. Master A said that he couldnt take in a word of instruction during the break bcos he was so physically drained.

The Masters shared their training plan to help the kids strategized and improve their techniques. They asked that he stopped the usual TKD classes and instead come for 2x per week sparring classes. They were truthful that one month is too short to create miracles. To further help, they have a "home training plan" for the students, making up of 100 rope skipping, 20 squats, 60 kicks and 30 mins jog PER day. No joke! The Masters particularly pointed out Zaky's weak turning kicks that isnt impactful and asked specifically that we helped him train on that.

Master Kim came soon after and shared the feedback that he had recieved from the other parents, which arent different from mine. Basically, the lack of information, the lack of strategy and insufficient Masters during the competition. The pattern competiton was the day before and he seemed to indicate that the school was more well-prepared for that. Like Daddy Lim suggested, the school appeared more oriented towards pattern and demonstration than sparring. I suggested the school to train the kids in the competition format so that they are better prepared physically and mentally. Also, to garner on the parent volunteers; we were all sitting and waiting there anyway.

The feedback session was very much a confident booster. Master Kim reminded that the kids will take a while to gain experience and in the next competition, Zaky should at least aim for a higher score and to close the point gap. That is very fair.

We did our home training plan yday. Again the boy was on gadget the entire afternoon; I hid his phone in the morning. Muahaha. He was lethargic and whinny initially until we finally got the adrenaline pumping. We did a lot more than the required except for the jog. I hope it isnt the 三分钟热度. Haha. Let's work hard!

Mummy Lim

Nestle Koko Krunch Junior TKD Championship

Yes, that had been what Zaky had been training  for and what kept the ice creams and chocolates away from him for the past few weeks. I like the 2nd part. Haha.

We were informed by the school last Friday of the competition details - report on Sunday at 8am at the JE Sports Hall. It was estimated that his competition will be at 9.15am. The competition was right smacked with the 1st "without kids tree top walk" that we had planned to commemorate our big 4-0. Sob. I know that I needed to be present for Zaky's 1st competition and contemplated joining the girls and turning back when time is up. However, I called off the idea when I realised how tight the time was. I highly suspect that Zaky will not win the competition and I think he wants mummy to be around for his 1st major setback.

I woke up before 6am on Sunday. Why? Daddy Lim burnt like 4,000 calories from the bike rally. I had a fraction of that from the same rally but also had 2 bfasts. Hohoho. The weighing machine instructed me to head to the gym and I had a short quick run before home to wake all the sleepy heads.

I was slightly worried about the weigh-in bcos Zaky had a huge dinner the night before at USS. With his uniform, he was 34.4kg at home and I was glad that he was too sleepy head for a proper bfast. Soon, we were on our way to the sports hall.

As expected, the girls started later than planned too. We are afterall mostly mummies, which meant a high rate of hipcups. This kid needed to suckle, that one needed to poo, somebody spilled milk... whatever. If I had joined the girls, I probably only have time for warm up before needing to rush off. Haha.

We arrived on time to find a fairly empty hall.

I had also expected a lot of waiting for such competition. I was half wondering if the girls would complete their hike before Zaky's turn.

We saw the schedule; in his age and weight group, there was a total of 3 pax. He was up against a Korean boy and the winner would spar against the lucky guy who is guaranteed at least a 2nd place.

There was so much waiting. Only 1 Master had arrived and the other one was on her way. The other TKD schools had much greater strength in support.

The Master helped the kids to warm up.

So were the kids from the other TKD schools. It was then that we realised how much stronger the other kids were. Some of them were really fast and strong. Gulp... swallow saliva.

Then it was back to waiting and waiting. The boy was constantly whining about how scare he was and squirming everywhere. Maybe it wasnt such a good idea to be with him. It was so irritating and I really wanted the competition to start really soon, to get the boy off me. Haha.

The bout 1 to 12 were asked to report. Bout is like the sequence or something. Zaky was bout 21. Finally, the game started.

While his peers were gathered to see the games' progress, Zaky was happier playing with the phone. It distracts him and made him calmer.

Finally, it was his turn to report for registration. The weigh-in was in full gear and I was worried. Zaky said that he was 34.9kg with all the gears. Phew! But I dont think they were really super strict; I didnt see any kids get turn away for being "overweight".

After registration, their nails were checked and they sat with their opponent.

Before they slowly make their way to the arena.

The chest guards were electronic and the scores were immediately displayed when contacted.

There were a total of 3 games of 1 min each. The game would stop if the scores were too wide (20 points) or if one of the player is disqualified, meaning any head contact.

Zaky got the 1st 2 points but he clearly lacks technique and strategy. His opponent blocked off his kicks while Zaky hugs his chest guard as taught in protection but scores were still registered when the opponent gave hard kicks. His opponent waited for Zaky to attack and use the split second where Zaky recovers to counter attack. The scores widen in favor of his opponent in the 2nd match. His opponent went for multiple kicks, while Zaky still attempted single kick and flight. This also wore him down physically.

The gap was super wide in the last match and his opponent strategically played defensive, opting to mainly flight. Zaky's inexperience was obvious, maintaining his attack and flight game instaed of aggressive attack. It was impossible to even narrow the gap and Zaky was visibly more tired as the game wore on.

Of course he lost the game with a huge gap. It was a huge blow to the boy and I was glad that I was there.

We went through the video and I pointed out to him what his opponent did to win. There was unfortunately no more chance to learn bcos there was only 1 game. The boy didnt want to stay on and we left in search for lunch.

He was sobbing in the car on the way to lunch but soon calmed down by the hearty lunch and ICE CREAM! He has worked hard and we will just have to try harder the next time.

Zaky has another sparring competition coming up in mid April. I already told him that his diet continues after the hearty lunch. Haha. At least that competition is sub-36kg and we have a slight leeway.

I told Daddy Lim that Idlo TKD is probably not the school to continue if Zaky really wanted to continue to train and compete. It was obvious that the competition sparring classes are lacking; most of the Idlo TKD kids lost in the championship and I attributed that to the lack of proper sparring techniques and strategies. The other coaches/ masters were yelling encourgaements and advices to their kids in arena but the Idlo TKD masters were mostly quiet and watching. I wonder if they even advice the kids properly in between the games. We will see how it goes for the upcoming competition but I forsee another big lost. Oopsy.

On a side note, Lil Shauna commented that I was so easy on Zaky and so hard on her training and competition. I tried to deny but she is right. Daddy Lim said that it is bcos I had all my hopes on her. I think he is right too. The woes of being the 1st born.

Mummy Lim