It's test time...

by Mr. Weidenbacher, Sam Dan

It's test time. People are nervous and wondering what the panel of black belts are looking for. I'll give you an idea what we are looking for and you will be surprised. The night of the ranking test has arrived; the students are lined up and are bowed in. The test starts now. Are the students Do Bohk clean and pressed, or are they dirty and wrinkled? If clean and no wrinkles this tells me that the student has respect for his Do Bohk and the art that he is learning. Are they standing at attention hands straight down at side, eyes forward? Or are they fidgeting and looking around. If the student is attention and looking straight ahead that tells me he has discipline.

The stance:
Front stance - back leg locked, front leg is bent
Fighting stance - front leg bent foot facing straight; back leg bent and foot vertigo.
Horse stance - knees bent, feet facing straight ahead.
Is the weight distributed correctly for each stance?
When you are moving, either doing your form or demonstrating your kicks, are you moving correctly?
A stance is like a foundation, a good foundation is strong and sturdy.

Counter force:
Every time you block or strike you should have counter force.
The counter force should be pulled back tight, parallel to the ground, wrist straight.
Counter force will give your speed and power. For every action there is a counter reaction.

Blocks:
Are they blocking correctly.
Does there arm end where it should be.
Is it positioned correctly?
Do the have power and speed.
You must remember you have to equal or greater the force that is coming after you.

Punches:
When you punch is your wrist straight, if not you could hurt your wrist.
Is your thumb tight and in front of your fingers?
Did you hit the target with your knuckles?
Did you hit where you were aiming?

Kicks:
When kicking, are you hitting the target with the proper part of your foot? Depending on the kick you should know which part of the foot should hit the target (blade, ball, or heel).
When kicking are you bringing back your foot correctly or letting it drop?
You must have good balance. Do not wave your hands around but keep them where they should be in guard position.

When defending or attacking an opponent:
Do you know your defenses?
Do you keep your eyes on the opponent?
Are you hitting the correct area?
Are you doing it correctly?
Does it work?
Are your blocks working, blocking the right area.
Do you hesitate or follow through.
Do you have the confidence in your skill, trust that it will work?
Do you have your distance?
Is the power and speed you need there each time?
Remember when you are being attacked you have to be able to defend your self and adapt to the situation. That is why you should be able to show us you know your defenses.

Breaking:
This is to show that you have confidence, distance, and power. You are able to hit the target and go through it. This will give you confidence in yourself knowing that you will be able to defend yourself.

Free fighting:
You must have good technique and know your distance. We look for multi-kicks and hand techniques. Be able to react to what is thrown at you. Never take your eyes off your opponent and never turn your back on them. Be aggressive but most of all have good control.

Forms:
We watch for a good stance. We are looking for good foot and hand technique with full extension. Your hands closed no finger sticking out. You should have power and speed, but not sloppy. When moving in your form we watch for good hip movement, also checking to see if you look before you move. Your eyes should always be looking at your opponent. We watch to see if you know your form. The spectators that watch you do your form should be able to know what you are doing. Whether they know the form or not they should recognize the technique. Where a form starts is where you should end.
Remember you are always fighting an imaginary opponent, one that is the same size you are so you should always be hitting the correct area.

These are most of the things we look for. As I said in the beginning, the surprise is you should already know what we are looking for. Because you are always reminded in class the correct way to do the technique, and not to develop bad habits. Remember instructors can tell you how to do something but it is up to you to check yourself and correct any mistakes.

Tang Soo