Not nervous anymore

Above: someone doing a Taekwon-Do pattern

Mysterious- I don't get nervous anymore. Since performing a play a few months ago, I haven't been nervous. I wasn't nervous when acting, didn't get nervous when going to the past end-of-the-month tournaments since May; I seem to have lost my ability to be nervous in competition! How did this happen? I guess I just get so into what I am doing, the nervousness doesn't come. It is kind of hard to explain. It is a bit easier with acting, and slightly harder with Taekwon-Do. But I can do what I want when in the pressure of the moment without being nervous. I wish I could tell other people how to do this. I guess that you just need to think of what you are doing- for example, your pattern,- and only think of that. It stops the nervousness from coming. If you stop thinking of being nervous, the nervous feeling dissapears. Has anyone else had this happen? Though I can't say that when thinking of doing certain things I don't get nervous, but when I actually get out there to do what I want, the nervousness goes away.

Model Sparring

Here is a video of a demonstration by the Korean Taekwon-Do team. It first shows some sort of Step-Sparring, and then shows more including breaking and Ho Sin Sul. I found it looking for a video with Model Sparring. The beginning might have some sort of Model Sparring, but I don't know.

I need to make up Model Sparring for my 2nd dan test, and watching movies of it will help me understand and maybe give me ideas.

If anyone knows of a good Model Sparring video, please comment with the link or post it here on the blog.

Thank you!

I'm Learning Free Sparring Pattern # 11/ Black Belt Free Sparring Pattern #1!

Hello, Taekwon-Doins! I am learning Free Sparring Pattern #11, or Black Belt Free Sparring Pattern #1. In case you readers take Taekwon-Do but not at the Las Vegas Taekwon-Do Club, the Free Sparring Patterns (Or Free Spar Patterns for short) were created by Master Park and the Young Brothers Taekwon-Do Associates. As far as we know, Master Bosse is the only person left in the world that teaches them. He teaches 10 of them, and you learn one at each belt up until black stripe, but there were originally 13 patterns. And I am very fortunate to be able to learn number 11, meant for 1st dan black belts! I am about halfway through the pattern (I'm on number 7 of 13 movement groups)and it is really fun and cool!

In case you are wondering how they go, they consist mostly of kicks with punches at the end of each series of movements, and they are patterns to learn alongside the regular patterns (Chon-Ji, ect.) They too have you end where you started from, and they are full of great combinations of kicks that, unlike quite a few of the combinations in the regular patterns, are very helpful in sparring.

Also, if you know of anyone who teaches these patterns, please comment here! I'm very interested to find out if we are the only students of Taekwon-Do that learn these 'lost patterns.' It's hard for me to imagine Taekwon-Do without them- testing would be way too easy for the color belts!

"The Only Thing You Have To Fear is Fear Itself"

They say the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. I wish that was the only thing I feared! You see, breaking boards with side kicks, jumping front kicks, and flying side kicks normally aren't too hard for me. But when I do reverse hook kicks and reverse turning kicks, I stop at the last second and don't break the board. It's because at the last second, I get afraid of the board. I don't go all the way through; I barely even kick hard! I don't feel scared at first, but when I spin, my foot just stops. I wish I could stop this, I wish I could get over my fear. I remember when it used to be like this for me when I did jumping high over the head front kicks. But I wasn't as afraid, I was extremely FRUSTERATED. But when I got to the Christmas Demo, when I looked at that board, I felt nervous. Very nervous. But soon, it wasn't regular nervousness. It became excitment, confidence, exhilleration. All on top of the nervousness, as if the nervousness only empowered these - I guess I'd say brave- feelings. I'd say that this would be'getting into the zone.' I barely even remember breaking the board on the first try. After that, I felt like a champion!
Above is a video of that moment. I was a blue belt, at 12 years old. If only I could do that with reverse turning kicks. It isn't too difficult to preform these kicks, it's just I get freaked out. This is harder for me that a jumping high over the head front kick ever was! This is more than frusterating; I know that at the moment I should be braking the board, I feel fear instead of my heel flying through the board. And now, when I go to kick, I automatically assume I'm going to get scared at the last second and do bad, so I don't even try hard enough, accidentally!

This is a question: how did you overcome your board breaking fears/chokes/lack of power? Did you ever have any problems with certain breaks?

If you could please answer this question, I would be very thankful.

Because the only thing that you should have to fear is fear itself, and if I can get rid of this silly reverse turning kick and hook kick fear, then I'll be one step closer to getting to that point.

Thanks!

Does Anyone Have This?

Does anyone have a picture or video of Gino and Austin doing the flying side kicks at the Christmas Demo, 2009? We don't have the movie of Gino breaking the board, and would be really happy if someone else shared this. Could you post it here, maybe?
Thanks!

Controlling Aggression

I'm having a hard time controlling my aggression during free sparring. I'm naturally a competitive person and sometimes the moment will get the best of me. I've tried to spar defensively but my counter attacks are just as aggressive. I really like my sparring partners and I don't want to hurt anyone. In the spirit of the tenets of Taekwon-Do, does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?