Leaving TaeKwonDo

The subject is slightly misleading, but it did get your attention didn't it :) What I want to talk about here is that down feeling you get when something doesn't quite go right at training and that "I'm going to quit" feeling starts. Its probably happened to all of us at some point or another. For me it was a recent Monday night session where nothing went right. I've been plagued with an achillies tendon injury for about 10 months now along with a shoulder injury for the past year or so. The achillies problem seems to flare up quite often now. Some sessions I have no pain at all and I can do linework, patterns, sparring etc with no issues, but other sessions I can be just beginning in a class and it starts. This is what happened during the first 10mins in of a 90min class, I felt a familiar twinge of pain but I ignored it and kept going through padword and linework. It was into the latter part for the class when we started sparring that it really kicked in (no pun intended). Every time I was on the bounce, every movement, I had pain shooting through my foot so of course my brain says "stop moving", which I did... and of course this is sparring so I get lamped a good few times. What compounded it was next session I got exactly the same with the shooting pain and again in sparring I got lamped a few more times. Mr Chahal eventually pulled me out of the sparring line. I was really angry at myself but there wasn't much, if anything, I could do.

That night and for the rest of the weekend I was down about my performance, beating myself up about this injury and the "why me???" started. Wallowing in self pity isn't pretty and isn't something to do on a regular basis. We all get these doubts and worthless feelings now and then when things don't go the way we planned but what to look at is that you might have one or two bad sessions, but what about all the good ones? or the successes at competitions? or the enjoyment of training alongside the like minded people in your club? These good times more than outweigh the bad ones.

So if you get this sinking, quitting feeling, think back to what you've done and continue to do well at in TaeKwonDo, write it down someplace and keep it to hand in case you need reminding. As for me... well, I might never get past the injuries (being an auld man and all that) but I'll find a way to work round them and keep going. I know I'm never going to be a world class or even a club class sparrer but I'll still try it, even if it means yet again Mr Chahal pulls me out the line, sits me down and then gives me a stick (or just gives me stick) to hobble home with.

MAI This Month & Some News Updates

Getting time to write up something has been quite hard recently. Over the summer months with the good weather this year, I used free time to get out on the road on my bike (pedal power rules!) to try and improve my stamina and conditioning. Currently my cycling runs are taking me on a 30 mile round trip, which is about the equivalent distance from Prestwick to Glasgow. Just need to remember that taking water only on a longish ride is bad idea and that some food intake is needed as well be it fruit or some kind of energy gels. Live and learn! Maybe I could have written something about supplementary training outwith TaeKwonDo?? Foresight is a wonderful thing. With the start of the Autumn months I'll probably get less time on the bike and this might give me more time to write... time will tell... although I have this cycling turbo trainer so I can do some "standing cycling" in the house. Every turn of the pedals count :)

Just before the European Championships in March, the national team coach, Luke McGown, got in contact with me with a view to doing a piece on the TAGB Scotland Squad training and buildup to this competition. Originally this article was to go on a blog or the TAGB Scotland website but after doing the interview with Luke and the Squad it was felt it might be a good idea to submit it to MAI and see what they thought. Next thing I know I'm hearing from fellow scribe, John Clark, to say the article was in the September edition. Hope you enjoy the article as I had great fun working on it. I've already said this in other places but many thanks to Luke and the girls and guys in the squad for taking time out to answer my interview questions and  pose for photos.

In other news.... September is going to be a busy month for Ayrshire and Glasgow clubs with the Scottish Open on Saturday 6th and then the coloured belt grading weekend on 27th and 28th September. I'm planning on attending both and it will be good to catch up with everyone else face to face rather than on the realms of Facebook for a change.

For a few people from the Prestwick & Ayr club there is a blackbelt grading on the horizon. I'm speak of Kiran Chahal and the two leading ladies in my life, Karen and Teagan Harley. Kiran and Karen are both going for their 2nd dan and for Teagan this will be her grading for 1st dan. All three are working hard under the watchful and critical eye of Kulwant Chahal which means they are in good hands. Dates for the diary for the black belt grading at the Bristol Academy is 17th & 18th October.

Also have to say a big well done to Karen Harley and Mark Sawyer who were down at the Bristol Academy for their Instructors Course Part 1. Both passed and are now certified assistant instructors. Well done both, but we all know you've been "certified" for years! :)

I'm still hoping that some of you from any of the Ayrshire and Glasgow clubs will come forward with your own TaeKwonDo stories. Anything will do and it doest have to be a novel, so get your thinking caps on! Failing that you're going to have to put up with my inane rambling for a bit longer... which maybe sooner than you think :)