Tuesday, May 24, 2011

How To Prepare For Your Tae Kwon Do Belt

Belt SwitchImage by Cayusa via Flickr
So you’ve been practicing tae kwon do for awhile and now you’re getting ready to graduate to your first colored belt. Perhaps you’re a bit nervous and wonder what you can do to prepare yourself. Or, maybe you haven’t started a martial arts class yet but you’re interested in it and wonder what’s involved with getting tae kwon do belts. Here’s some information that can help you.

Practice

Weeks before you’re going to take your tae kwon do belt make sure you practice. This may seem like a foolish thing to mention, but too many people are disappointed when they fail their belt test and realize it was because they didn’t practice. Taking the classes themselves is great, but you should do the exercises at home too.

The Night Before

Prepare yourself by being sure your uniform is clean and ironed. You’ll also want to cut your nails and eat a healthy dinner then get to bed early so you get at least 8 hours of sleep.

Visualization

While you’re in bed before falling asleep visualize yourself performing your test the following day. Imagine in as much detail as possible that you’re doing perfect low blocks, middle and high blocks. Go over the patterns in your mind and imagine yourself doing your very best. Picture your footwork and see yourself powering through the board then the broken pieces there on the floor after you smashed it. 

Optimism

Stay positive on the day of your test. You might be waiting around awhile before your test so use this time to watch others. See how they’re performing and think about what you’d like to do and not do during your test. If you begin feeling nervous push the feeling away and visualize your performance as you did the night before. If you begin feeling too nervous simply walk around a bit, take slow deep breaths and shake your arms, shoulders, and legs. Imagine all of the tension draining out of you.

If You Don’t Pass

The worst thing you can do if you don’t pass your test is to give up or get angry with yourself. Be thankful for this opportunity, pay attention to what you could do better next time, and keep practicing.

By keeping these tips in mind you’ll soon be proudly wearing a colored belt!

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