(A black-belt and a red-black belt are waiting the adjudicator to be seated)
When my trusty GX200 met the fearless young masters, I came up with these photos in a Taekwondo grading test which I attended last weekend.
(A father is waiting patiently for the test to start)
(The young masters are less patient and keep on with small talks)
Taekwondo is one of the many popular martial arts that parents enrol their children in. Judo is another. So are some better known branches of the Chinese Kungfu. Children are fast learners and one can tell in such a test. They copy the actions better, kick higher and stretch legs easier. The gradings start from the white belt, yellow, green, blue, red to black, with interim grade of colour tags in between like a black tag on a red belt. The black belt grade is further splited into several ranks.
(The black belt master is forewarning the participants that the test is going to be demanding and the rules strictly observed)
(An adjudicator is ready to roll call the younger masters to take the test)
(I like the children doing the slap kick best because it is the hardest for their level. They must master how to stretch the tendons and apply force with their waist to the heel before doing the slap kick right)
(Unknown to many, the right way to clench a fist for a combat required the person to use the thumbs to press over the index fingers tight. The children are taught to do combating in lessons. They all know how to move their back and waist to give the greatest force to the fists.)
(The young twin masters are feeling bored waiting for the results to be announced. I asked them if they know what grade they were tested for a promotion. The answer was given on their puzzled face)
(The children are going to the next section for a test on breaking wooden planks. Some had cuts on their feet and some showed us their slightly swollen back of their hands after breaking the planks)
There are lots of waiting to be borne for a turn to do kicking and fighting in a typical taekwondo lesson. Practicing the same actions over and over again for months can be boring to children too. The combats and breaking wooden planks with bare hands and feet take much courage too. These are all the qualities that children in this modern world are too protected and spoiled to possess.
(As there have been lots of children learning Taekwondo, young black-belt masters are plenty)
(A kicking test is being done by a red-belt girl. I once saw a Hong Kong black belt champion doing a similar kick to break four wooden planks being held around 6 feet high with two jumps in one go. He jumped as if he had some springs underneath his feet)
That's all for today. I'm fairly satisfied with the photos.
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