An Article Describing My Maturation from White Belt up to Taekwondo Blackbelt, 1st Dan

1An Article Describing My Maturation from White Belt up to Taekwondo Blackbelt, 1st Dan An Article Describing My Maturation from White Belt up to Taekwondo Black Belt, 1st Dan. (Essay # 1 of 3). Written by Anthony Peter Vignola, U.S.A., D.O.B. 8/26/69, Place of Birth:Bronx, N.Y. Chapter 1: Introduction. By the time one holds the rank of Taekwondo Black Belt, 1st Dan, if they really have worked hard and received a quality instruction mastery of the basic techniques should be attained. To begin this Article, I will acknowledge the philosophical essence of Martial-Arts to the best of my humble ability and describe some of the aspects that I have contemplated over the years. When achieving a modest schooling in a few Eastern-Arts, while avoiding any เน�โ�ฌย�Cult-Likeเน�โ�ฌย� organizations, I have also earned a, may I say, impressive Western college education. Growing up on Long Island I was able to get an honest assessment of myself, being a little above average in intelligence and slightly more athletically skilled than the norm. Furthermore, when a young teen in my community besides playing sports as a member of the Saint Elizabeth South Huntington Strikers Travel Soccer Team and Memorial Junior High School Lacrosse Team, my Higher Power gave me the opportunity to receive many memorable accolades such as passing the Indoor Swimming Test to become a เน�โ�ฌย�Flying Fishเน�โ�ฌย� advanced swimmer at the local Y.M.C.A., successfully completing a course at my future high school in Motor-Boating to become a เน�โ�ฌย�NYS Certified Operator,เน�โ�ฌย� and when in the Boy Scouts of America Troop 406 after hiking (my Scoutmaster said it was 17 miles) เน�โ�ฌย�The Cannonball Trailเน�โ�ฌย� through the wilderness of West Point Military Academy, we camped outdoors there at the B.S.A. Jamboree for the weekend. During my Higher Education, (when I became certified at S.C.C.C. by The American Red Cross in, First Aid - Responding to Emergencies, and Community CPR), I graduated from Suffolk County Community College with an Associateเน�โ�ฌย�s Degree, เน�โ�ฌย�With Highest Distinctionเน�โ�ฌย� (4.0 Grade Point Average, Phi Theta Kappa, 6/95-9/97), and obtained my Bachelorเน�โ�ฌย�s Degree from Saint Josephเน�โ�ฌย�s College, N.Y. (Graduating Magna Cum Laude, 3.95G.P.A., History Department Honors, Major:History / Minor:Psychology, 9/97-5/2000). When working towards my Bachelorเน�โ�ฌย�s Degree at Saint Josephเน�โ�ฌย�s College, N.Y., I was also employed at Suffolk County Community College for a short amount time as a Test Tudor for disabled students who were beginning college and needed to have the Entrance Placement Exam read to them. This assisted these individuals in successfully completing the exam so they could be evaluated on their academic skills, hence, start their college career registered into the proper courses. I feel that it is also an accomplishment that I completed the difficult process of applying to and being accepted into Graduate School after getting my Bachelorเน�โ�ฌย�s Degree; specifically, this took getting three written Professorเน�โ�ฌย�s Recommendations, submitting a graduate level Entrance Essay, reaching the score required on the GRE Graduate School Entrance Exams, and proving with official college transcripts that I have adequate grades for graduate study in my chosen career field. Keeping my options open and attending St. Josephเน�โ�ฌย�s Collegeเน�โ�ฌย�s Career Fair on March 2, 2000, I interviewed for employment opportunities, working in our government with a Field Representative from the U.S.A. Social Security Administration named Virginia M. Schroder, and a woman from the Department of the Treasury, United States Customs Service, named Marie Ryan. I was accepted for admission into a graduate program to earn my Masterเน�โ�ฌย�s Degree in Teaching Social Studies on the Secondary Level at S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook and was scheduled to begin classes there in September 2000. Unfortunately, certain conditions made continuing with this plan impossible and instead found employment, during the fall season of 2000, at a local Bagel Store. The only government career I ever received any literature about in the mail was a เน�โ�ฌย�Specialเน�โ�ฌย� note from Marie Ryan saying, เน�โ�ฌย�Dear Anthony, On the outside chance that you might be willing to relocate to Washington State, I am sending you this announcement,เน�โ�ฌย� with an attached Recruitment Bulletin for the position of Import Specialist. Particularly, since the age of eighteen, I have studied Martial-Arts very diligently trying to เน�โ�ฌย�Live the Way of Lifeเน�โ�ฌย� of a Martial Artist instead of just working to become a good-fighter. Although, many Masters teach that becoming a เน�โ�ฌย�good-fighterเน�โ�ฌย� is what the goal of Martial-Arts practice, really is, not just having false confidence and preaching some kind of Esoteric Teaching. Out of all the different points of view that I have learned in the Yin/Mental study of Martial-Arts some teachings come to mind. One is something I heard from a woman Martial-Arts Master. She taught this in a VHS Videotape that I rented from Blockbuster Video. Namely, she used the metaphor of Human Beings being compared to a glass of water: เน�โ�ฌย�Living throughout oneเน�โ�ฌย�s lifetime, a person becomes increasingly clouded as life goes on, first with one Food-Color, than a different Food-Color is added, on and on as life continues to move forward. Eventually, the clear glass of water becomes totally clouded with many different hues of color. Through the practice of Martial-Arts, the novice first removes one color from their body and mind, then over-time he/she clears up a different color from the เน�โ�ฌย�glass of water,เน�โ�ฌย� and on and on, the เน�โ�ฌย�Pendulumเน�โ�ฌย� goes in the other direction. Ultimately, after many years of studying Martial-Arts the Human-Being again becomes a totally clean and clear glass of water.เน�โ�ฌย� In 1987 immediately after graduating from Walt Whitman High School I was on my way on Highway 87, (or alternate route 17), going upstate to S.U.N.Y. Brockport, New York. Though often lonely, I loved going to school away from Long Island. I recently read an old essay written when I was a proud freshman, describing their Outdoor Sculpture Artwork done by a great Soviet Artist, which Legend has it, was the only gift ever given to the United States by the Soviet Union. In December 1988 I was Academically Dismissed from Brockport College at State University of New York after completing just three full semesters because I did not pay much attention to the official course work; nevertheless, I do remember some of the lessons taught during lectures. For example, in a debating course the professor told how he sits at home at night, gets intoxicated on alcohol, and thinks deeply about philosophical issues. One popular opinion held by him was that, เน�โ�ฌย�He would just shoot the guy with his firearm if a lunatic expert in Martial-Arts was bothering him.เน�โ�ฌย� The instructor taught the students enrolled in this course how to debate. The point of debating was not what one actually thought about the issue. We only had to argue the position held by the particular team we happened to be on, in front of the class. Similar to many courtrooms found in the United States where a defense attorney argues the plaintiffเน�โ�ฌย�s case for them, in order to win the court case, and vice versa. In Astronomy class I treasure the cloudless night when the professor brought the class up onto the roof of the collegeเน�โ�ฌย�s Planetarium to view the planet Saturn through the telescope. As I recall seeing Saturn through the collegeเน�โ�ฌย�s telescope, the planet and its rings were a bright color orange. Moreover, I will never forget my awesome Geology professor who appraised potential building sites for the Mafia, loved Noel Cowardเน�โ�ฌย�s theatrical productions, studied the beautiful geological rock structures of the highways around New York City, and thought that the main threat to mankindเน�โ�ฌย�s survival was that eventually we will run out of fresh drinking water. The last instructor I will mention from S.U.N.Y. Brockport was my Anthropology teacher who lived with a group of American Indians, Indigenous People of North America, and was included in a Rain Dance that, according to the professor, actually worked and made it begin raining from the sky above, เน�โ�ฌย�by everyone present there believing, without a doubt, that IT WILL RAIN.เน�โ�ฌย� If even one person there did not truly believe that it would start raining during the dance, it would prevent it from raining. Furthermore, this professor taught us of an African Tribe, (whoเน�โ�ฌย�s name is possibly pronounced เน�โ�ฌย�The Kung,เน�โ�ฌย� and language he actually spoke, with of a type of เน�โ�ฌย�tongue to pallet of the mouthเน�โ�ฌย� snapping sound), who consumes a type of high protein nut found in their environment on a tree, that enables them to eat a more nutritious diet than most Americansเน�โ�ฌย� meals that are eaten. In addition, he showed a documentary video to the lecture hall of the African Tribesเน�โ�ฌย� males actually elephant hunting, demonstrating the entire dangerous, lengthy process used to bring an elephant down with throwing-spears on a safari (I do not recall if they used an atlatl), cut up the remains to carry home, and then cook the meat over a fire. Another teaching that I would like to describe is something one of my college professors taught in เน�โ�ฌย�Ethics Class.เน�โ�ฌย� The first thing we learned in this course was the definition of Ethics. Ethics is defined as the philosophical study of morality. I was a fairly new returning college student beginning my entire college education over again from the beginning. For academic reasons, I disregarded the 14 college credits that I had previously earned at S.U.N.Y. Brockport in the 1980เน�โ�ฌย�s. When I was a returning adult college student, in the summer of 1995 at the age of 25 years old, I enjoyed taking part in classroom discussions too much. At times I admit feeling embarrassed that the Ethics Professor voiced that, เน�โ�ฌย�he must allow other students to answer.เน�โ�ฌย� He tried to include many students of the class in a เน�โ�ฌย�Socratic Methodเน�โ�ฌย� teaching style, questioning different conclusions reached with Philosophies and Ethics. Eventually I realized that too much classroom time was being taken up by me and began conducting myself appropriately for a student during a professorเน�โ�ฌย�s lecture. This realization prepared me to do well in the more advanced courses of college, allowing the professor to include the entire classroom in very detailed discussions. Also, I became aware that in the less advanced college courses taking great class notes during lecture and taking the time to do excellent homework assignments, allowed me to sit in the back of the classroom, arrive late to class occasionally, leave the room before class time was over, and sometimes take restroom breaks. Not to ignore reality, maintaining a consistent เน�โ�ฌย�A-Levelเน�โ�ฌย� of grades from the instructors was not an easy task in the least. The Ethics Professor actually caused me to feel an enormous amount of self-esteem because in classroom discussions he used to call me, เน�โ�ฌย�The Formidable Anthony.เน�โ�ฌย� Now, being a 40 year old man after everything has literally been stolen from me, including my own identity, I see that the most precious gift is giving one an honest opportunity at earning an education. In my opinion, this includes teaching one to love and fear God. I believe Mary, Jesus, and God the Creator of Everything saved my soul by protecting me from ever committing a crime. What is confusing to me is the fact that in my Worldly Existence, God does not save everyoneเน�โ�ฌย�s souls, nor does the Lord protect all innocent souls from becoming victims of criminals, accidents, and disease. I should tell you that my Ethics Professor, who was a superb instructor, was one of the most complained about professors at Suffolk County Community College; in regards to this he addressed the issue, เน�โ�ฌย�It is written in the College Professorsเน�โ�ฌย� Contract of Employment that he has freedom of expression to teach his students whatever he wishes to.เน�โ�ฌย� In Ethics class he brought up the Martial-Arts an couple of times. I remember, this was when the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) Mixed Martial-Arts (MMA) was increasing its fan base and drawing large audiences on Closed Circuit Cable television. Talking to the professor about Martial-Arts, I said UFC is traditional Martial-Arts study. The professor quickly corrected me, เน�โ�ฌย�No! the Traditionalists would not consider UFC traditional Martial-Arts practice.เน�โ�ฌย� That was something that I had to think about for a while. The Ethics Professorเน�โ�ฌย�s other lesson that I remember is, เน�โ�ฌย�On the battlefield being a skilled Martial-Artist is not a guarantee that a small guy definitely will defeat an huge guy. An small guy will only have more of a chance to survive, without guaranteeing victory on the battlefield, if they are a skilled Martial-Artist.เน�โ�ฌย� As a young teenager riding bicycles with a friend close to home, looking at the colorful orange and blue sign in the window saying เน�โ�ฌย�American Combat Karate,เน�โ�ฌย� my friend and I decided to take lessons. We went to the Dojo with our fathers and inquired about possibly studying some Karate there. Describing the style that was taught I think the man at the front desk might have said the Masterเน�โ�ฌย�s system of Karate included a bit of Taekwondo. Our fathers saw it was a safe environment for us and we signed up. The classes were taught at Rabเน�โ�ฌย�s Health Club, the largest Weight Training Gym on the East Coast which was owned by Master Richie Barathy. In total, I ended up taking a small amount of lessons in the Dojo during my grade school summer vacation, not having any promotional testing. Educated in the basics of Karate, I retained the styleเน�โ�ฌย�s movement of the hips, the Backfist Strike, and the process of attacking with an Front Kick inside the opponentเน�โ�ฌย�s leg and sliding upward to hit the groin. The Master had other Senseis teaching his system of American Combat Karate. Thinking back to one evening, at the beginning of the lesson the students were doing some athletic stretches on Rabเน�โ�ฌย�s Health Clubเน�โ�ฌย�s Dojo floor. Stretching my muscles, (next to my younger brother), I may have possibly seen Master Richie Barathy walk across the Dojoเน�โ�ฌย�s floor as he left his office. Three Senseis who taught the classes were named Sensei Dเน�โ�ฌย�Angelo, Sensei Romeo, and Sensei Williard. Only studying this style briefly, I do not know much about American Combat Karate; though, I recollect Master Williardเน�โ�ฌย�s lesson describing how to hide my attack in a self-defense scenario by falling on the opponent and rolling off as he is on the ground, so when the police officer is deciding whether to arrest me or not for being noncompliant with the man who is attacking me, any witnesses will confirm that I simply fell on the criminal. I recall Sensei Romeoเน�โ�ฌย�s lightning bolt earring, his personal opinion that after seeing The Karate Kid in the movie theater he thought the film was ridiculous, and him inspiring the students by describing how one feels going into a crowded bar walking with a group of Black Belts after training. I remember Sensei Dเน�โ�ฌย�Angeloเน�โ�ฌย�s lesson about punching Karate style. During class, when the students were practicing punching with a training partner I asked Sensei Dเน�โ�ฌย�Angelo a question. เน�โ�ฌย�If we have a choice should we punch the face or stomach?เน�โ�ฌย� His facial expression indicated to me that he approved of my question, advising that striking the face is preferable to punching the opponent in the stomach. Furthermore, I do not have in mind the specific Sensei teaching this particular lesson, though I can still visualize the class a Blue Belt student demonstrated punching properly by twisting the hips into the technique to gain all the power possible. I only sparred non-contact a little because of holding the rank of Beginner White Belt. Non-contact sparring one night I focused on the adult training partner with a Backfist to the face and a Front-Kick to his groin. Since this short introduction to Martial-Arts, I have seen some stories about Master Richie Barathy in the media. I read an article, in a store that sold magazines, about Master Richie Barathyเน�โ�ฌย�s battle with cancer and how he joined a very great Karate Dojo in Manhattan, NY, to learn เน�โ�ฌย�Mind over Matterเน�โ�ฌย� training. Also, I read in a Martial-Arts magazine, where they sold reading material, that Master Richie Barathy had recently passed away from this Earthly Life. On television, I viewed Master Richie Barathy giving a Martial-Arts Demonstration wearing his red, white, and blue Karate Ghi with white stars on it, on a repeat of The Johnny Carson Show, using a Power Punch and Spinning Back-Kick when giving the Breaking Demonstration. Former World Heavyweight Boxing #1 Ranked Contender Gentlemen Gerry Cooney was trained by Master Richie Barathy for his return bout, after losing to Larry Holmes in the Championship. In his return to professional Boxing Gerry Cooney fought George Foreman. Watching the sporting event on television, I analyzed the inside-fighting Low Blocking of Cooney, and wondered if he learned that from Master Barathyเน�โ�ฌย�s style, adapted to the Boxing Ring. The match was for the New York State Heavyweight Championship. After George Foreman won the bout against Gerry Cooney he went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Foreman stated after the fight that he was hurt by the Left Jab punching power of Cooney; although, after Master Richie Barathy proudly lifted up his fighter, Gerry Cooneyเน�โ�ฌย�s loss ended his professional Boxing career. One evening while waiting for my ride home after Karate class, as I was totally warmed-up from the lesson I practiced a Side-Kick on the telephone pole; unfortunately, the manner which we were taught to roll-up our Karate Ghi caused unremoveable mold spots all over it, due to the fact that I did not unroll it and allow it to dry off from my sweat. Years later, taking two college courses at S.U.N.Y. Brockport in the summer of 1987, when leaving the Weight Training Room, I met the President of the S.U.N.Y. Brockport Taekwondo Club dressed in the traditional Taekwondo uniform. We spoke for a moment, and he told me about the Taekwondo Club. When I began the full semester of college at S.U.N.Y. Brockport in the fall, I decided to join the Taekwondo Club. The S.U.N.Y. Brockport Taekwondo Club had just moved into a brand new privately-owned training space in town; consequently, they did not need to work-out in the collegeเน�โ�ฌย�s general gymnasium any longer. The Master who taught the collegeเน�โ�ฌย�s Taekwondo Club was from Malaysia and had a very extensive resume in Taekwondo, Karate, and Kung-Fu, including training the Royal Malaysian Navy. When I affixed my signature to the Taekwondo schoolเน�โ�ฌย�s contract at Kuekเน�โ�ฌย�s Martial Arts Academy in September 1987, a couple of weeks after my eighteenth birthday, as the Instructor and I were leaving his office and entering into the Dojangเน�โ�ฌย�s training space, Master Kenny Boon Teck Kuek asked me if I had ever taken any Martial-Arts lessons in the past. However, Master Kuek had not previously ever heard of Master Richie Barathyเน�โ�ฌย�s style of American Combat Karate. To move forward chronologically to 1993, while I was employed at Subway Sandwiches a Black Belt came into the sandwich restaurant and gave us advertising pamphlets for Y.H. Park Taekwondo School located across the street at the Commack Corners shopping center. I went there to inquire about the Taekwondo classes and was very interested, knowing the legendary Taekwondo Masterเน�โ�ฌย�s name. My fears about signing a long term contract were calmed by the Black Belt signing me up, as he advised, เน�โ�ฌย�If you go to a doctor and get a note from the MD stating that you are injured the contract will be cancelled.เน�โ�ฌย� I have an enormous amount of gratitude for the opportunity to study at Y.H. Park Taekwondo in Commack, even though it was only for a short amount of time. I feel the High Brown Belt rank which I earned at the Commack School is the cornerstone of my humble education in Korean Martial-Arts. Furthermore, I was happily surprised at the first class when I saw that every class began with practicing the Nunchaku free-flow. Being taught to use Nunchaku properly was a lifelong dream of mine; and as for เน�โ�ฌย�Empty-Handเน�โ�ฌย� techniques, Y.H. Park School taught their students various self-defense moves that I have not learned anywhere else. The school even had a เน�โ�ฌย�Toll-Free 800เน�โ�ฌย� telephone number for any student who needs assistance in an emergency self-defense situation. At Y.H. Park Taekwondo School in Commack, NY, similar to many of the Taekwondo Masters who managed Master Parkเน�โ�ฌย�s schools, the Head Instructor in charge of that particular location, named Master Kim, was a member of the Tiger Team in South Korea. He emigrated to the United States to teach Taekwondo under Master Y.H. Park. I am still proud of myself that all my hard work studying Martial-Arts paid-off when, after the Promotional Test for the rank of High Brown Belt, Master Y.H. Park walked up to me in the hallway, made a fist waving it in the air, and shook his head up and down without ever saying a word, indicating that he was impressed by my Taekwondo skills. This moment of positive reinforcement made joining Y.H. Park Taekwondo School for that brief amount time all worth while for me. To tell the truth, many years after ending my training at Y.H. Park Taekwondo Schools I returned to the Commack location to see the Taekwondo Dojang and it was closed. At a later time, one afternoon I decided to take a leisurely drive and ended up in East Meadow. I tried to see the Y.H. Park Taekwondo School there once more; disappointingly, I could not spot the East Meadow School in the area where I remembered it to be and did not know the specific address. Possibly, the high costs of having a privately owned small business such as a Martial-Arts School on expenses like Student Insurance, Rent, Electric, Heat, and new training equipment, may have negatively affected profits and caused it to close its doors. I would also like to mention that in addition to the External Martial-Art of Taekwondo, I also studied a bit of Internal Eastern Arts. I held the rank of Blue Belt in Taekwondo when I began taking some classes of Hatha Yoga taught by a wonderful Yoga Teacher named Joyce Wasserman. I also started attending more than a few classes in the Martial-Art of Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Chเน�โ�ฌย�uan, at a school named, Mugen Dojo (Yanagi Martial-Arts School), in Farmingdale, NY, when I was a Red Belt in Taekwondo. The Master at Mugen Dojo, named Marc Isaacs, led the classes in Grand Master Cheng Man-Chเน�โ�ฌย�ingเน�โ�ฌย�s, 37 Posture Yang Short Form of Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Chเน�โ�ฌย�uan. Although I do not have, even nearly, the amount of knowledge or experience required for one to be considered an advanced practitioner of Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Chเน�โ�ฌย�uan or Hatha Yoga, in the short time that I learned from the Yoga Instructor Joyce Wasserman and the Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Chเน�โ�ฌย�uan Teacher, Master Marc Isaacs, I feel that I did learn enough to begin finding a balance of External and Internal Martial-Arts practice, that I am comfortable with. Master Isaacs once said, เน�โ�ฌย�A person can practice Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi for an entire lifetime and not practice Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi at all.เน�โ�ฌย� Thinking about this statement, often, I have truly tried my best to, เน�โ�ฌย�Really practice Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi, when I am practicing Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi.เน�โ�ฌย� I also have a lot of gratitude for having the opportunity to learn Yoga, from such a knowledgeable teacher. In fact, I had to ask for Joyceเน�โ�ฌย�s phone number a couple of times from a Therapist who was counseling me, named John Rubin. I told him that I wanted to, เน�โ�ฌย�Get into some sort of Meditation,เน�โ�ฌย� and he suggested Yoga. I did not even know what Yoga was at that time! When I was talking to Joyce after class one time, I told her that I was also practicing Taekwondo at the same time. She told me something that I had to think about, เน�โ�ฌย�Maybe you will even be better at Taekwondo now that you are taking these Yoga lessons.เน�โ�ฌย� Chapter 2: Certified Taekwondo Promotional Testing of Fighting Skills, Board Breaking, Forms/Poomsaes, and Self-Defense Techniques that were conducted at my Mastersเน�โ�ฌย� Dojangs as an entirely different process than traveling to, and competing in, organized Tournaments. Before I write about the competitions that I participated in, (which were priceless to the growing experience of accumulating Martial-Arts skills as one advances in Certified Rank), I will list the specific dates of the separate Promotional Tests. Dates of Promotional Tests held by Master Kenny Kuek, at Kuekเน�โ�ฌย�s Academy in Brockport, NY: 1)October 24, 1987 / Senior White Belt, 11th Grade. 2)December 7, 1987 / Yellow Belt, 10th Grade. 3)March 7, 1988 / Senior Yellow Belt, 9th Grade. 4)May 8, 1988 / Green Belt, 1st Grade. 5)September 28, 1988 / Green Belt, 2nd Grade. 6)October 30, 1988 / Green Belt, 3rd Grade. 7)August 6, 1989 / Blue Belt, 1st Grade. 8)September 20, 1989 / Blue Belt, 2nd Grade. Promotional Tests held by Master Atef. S. Himaya, at American Taekwondo Center, Brentwood, NY: 9)April 26, 1991 / Red Belt, 2nd Cup. 10)August 17, 1991 / Red Belt, 1st Cup. Promotional Tests held at Y.H. Park Taekwondo School, Commack, NY: 11)October 15, 1993 / High Red Belt. 12)January 29, 1994 / Brown Belt. 13)May 28, 1994 / High Brown Belt. In 1996 I began training for, and eventually passed, my Promotional Test for Black Belt at American Taekwondo Center, Brentwood, NY: 14)Promoted to the rank of Black Belt, 1st Dan / February 22, 1997. Tested by Master Atef. S. Himaya, with witnesses present, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to official Promotional Tests done in my Mastersเน�โ�ฌย� Dojangs in order to advance in Certified Rank, and participating in some Public Demonstrations, an essential element of studying the Korean Martial-Art of Taekwondo is competing in Official Organized Tournaments. Chapter 3: Actual Full-Contact Olympic Style Taekwondo Tournaments from Yellow Belt up to 1st Dan Black Belt. In my personal Competitive Fighting analysis, I would like to describe some important Official Taekwondo Style Competitions that I have fought in: A) Yellow Belt. March 19, 1988. Pan American Taekwondo National Championships, held in Ramsey, New Jersey. Major lesson learned: I need to penetrate into the opponent to เน�โ�ฌย�hurtเน�โ�ฌย� them, without missing my actual intended target. In the ring, during a bout, not only is it important to kick and strike a legal target area of the opponent, so I will be awarded credit from the judges for scoring, it is also an important part of proper sportsmanship to make sure that I do not injure the opponent during a fight by executing an illegal technique, even if it is unintentional. In the first Taekwondo match that I ever had in the ring, I scored a left Roundhouse Kick to the abdominal. I know I won at least one bout. This Competition was described in the Brockport, NY, Township Newspaper. (I was a member of the Pan American Taekwondo Federation at the time of the tournament). B) Yellow Belt. April 30, 1988. Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Taekwondo National Championships, held in Fulton, New York. Major lesson learned: If I talk aggressively and try to intimidate the opponent before a bout, I better have the เน�โ�ฌย�readinessเน�โ�ฌย� to back it up. In the first bout, the opponent was a much better fighter than I expected. As soon as the fight began, the opponent began scoring on me with devastating kicks to my head. I was losing the fight; but, I was able to switch from attacking unsuccessfully with kicking techniques, to using punching techniques to his body successfully. Scoring with punches to the opponentเน�โ�ฌย�s body, not only enabled me to start adding up some points with the judges, it forced the other guy on the defensive and stopped him from scoring, on my head and body. I ultimately was awarded the win in the first bout. In the second bout, my terrible cardiovascular breathing stamina caused me to lose. To tell the truth, it was a wonderful gift that I was able to see exactly what my weaknesses were, and live the experience of เน�โ�ฌย�running out of gasเน�โ�ฌย� in a fight, while I was in a somewhat controlled environment. Losing a fight in this way is an horrible feeling, but at least now I am aware of what I honestly need to work on to be the best Martial Artist I can be. The Guest of Honor for this tournament was Master Choi (the Father of Taekwondo). I tried to mentally intimidate the opponent by talking aggressively. This did not work in my first bout because my first opponent was much more skilled with kicking techniques than me. I was able to win because my hand techniques were strong enough to counter the opponentเน�โ�ฌย�s kicking skills. With the proper sportsmanship, this fighter came up to me after the bout and told me that I hurt his left shoulder with my right Punch to his left upper-body area. I lost my second bout because of inadequate endurance. This Competition was written about in the S.U.N.Y. Brockport College Newspaper. (I was a member of the Amateur Athletic Union at the time of this tournament). C) Green Belt. October 8, 1988. 1st Empire State Open Martial-Arts Championships, held in S.U.N.Y. Brockport Campus,เน�โ�ฌย� Tuttle North Gymnasium. Major lesson learned: If my shoulders pop-out, or jam up on me, in a self-defense fight for survival, it means certain death for me. The tournament was hosted by Kuekเน�โ�ฌย�s Martial Arts Academy and S.U.N.Y. Brockport Taekwondo Club. The first bout, I fought an big guy who was a student of Taekwondo Master Simes. Even though I won the first bout, I felt my right shoulder shift into an uncomfortable position, which made it susceptible to pop-out of place afterwards. This happened when I did a right Backfist to his face. The good thing for me is that I did actually score with this particular right Backfist technique. I should point out that all hand techniques to the face and head area had to be done in a controlled fashion, only allowing light hitting to the opponent, in order to insure the safety for the Kung-Fu, Karate, and Taekwondo Competitors who took part in this Open Tournament. This Rule and Regulation took away some of the dangers that are inherent in allowing Martial Artists who study different types of fighting styles to compete against each other. As opposed to the restriction of no power punches to the face and head, kicks to the body and punches to the body were allowed to be used by the competitors with full-strength. Even though I won the first bout, it was a little unfair due to the fact that I mistakenly kicked the opponentเน�โ�ฌย�s abdominal, after a time-out was called. I did not hear the referee indicate that a time-out was called because of the headgear that I was wearing. I also won the second bout that I fought, but I suffered a severe injury when my right shoulder popped-out of place. In the second bout, I faced a skilled Kung-Fu Fighter from Rochester who was dressed in a very impressive all black uniform. When I injured my right shoulder, which is a chronic problem that I suffer from, I was in such a great deal of pain the only thing I could do is roll around on the ground in horrible pain for a short amount of time. The bout did end for me in an honorable manner, because after the Injury Time-Out was over, I surprised a lot of people by coming from behind in points and winning the fight with a right Side-Kick to his abdominal, and then scoring with a left Flying-Backfist to the face. After the bout this Kung-Fu Fighter, with the proper sportsmanship, came up to me and told me that I have a good Side-Kick, and that he actually still felt some pain in his left rib area from when I used my right Side-Kick. This was the end of my competition, for the day, because of my injured right shoulder. I was astonished at my fellow teammate Dave Aquinoเน�โ�ฌย�s kindness towards me when, after the competition, he gave me the trophy that he won fighting in our division, because เน�โ�ฌย�I fought a great fight, and I deserve the trophy.เน�โ�ฌย� D) Green Belt. July 22, 1989. Genleeเน�โ�ฌย�s Taekwondo Academiesเน�โ�ฌย� Open Competition, held in Wolcott, New York. Major lesson learned: I think it may have been this tournament, where I did a Spinning Hook Kick to my opponentเน�โ�ฌย�s face area without making head level contact. Immediately upon doing this kick the referee said, เน�โ�ฌย�Nice technique, good control;เน�โ�ฌย� however, I am not sure if the strength that I had in this particular Spinning Hook Kick would have been powerful enough to เน�โ�ฌย�hurtเน�โ�ฌย� an opponent, in a self-defense situation on the street. I also learned to compete in all the offered competitions at a tournament, instead of skipping the Forms/Poomsae Competition, and just doing Board Breaking and Fighting, which I originally planned to do. Genleeเน�โ�ฌย�s Academiesเน�โ�ฌย� Taekwondo Master Gene Simes was the Tournament Director. I remember that Master Simes was upset I went to the competition with blood still on my uniform. I got the blood stain on my uniform during a Taekwondo Demonstration that the S.U.N.Y. Brockport Taekwondo Club performed in a student dormitory on campus. I injured the outside of my eye from a flying broken board. This definitely gave me the opportunity to look tough! While bleeding I stoically stood at Attenion while the Taekwondo students were all standing In-Formation, as our TKD Demonstration continued. This happened as we were giving the Taekwondo Demonstration in a dormitory that, among other students, housed the African-American group of students that often marched on campus. This particular Student Club, of African-American students, always looked tough marching on S.U.N.Y. Brockportเน�โ�ฌย�s campus holding their decorated Walking Canes that they performed with. Master Kuek had to stop the Demonstration, for a moment, and get a cloth to stop the blood from dripping down my face, from my eye. I know that the Martial-Art of Taekwondo, as well as myself, appeared เน�โ�ฌย�Hard Core!เน�โ�ฌย� (Master Kuek did advise me to wash the blood off my Taekwondo uniform immediately because, if I did not do so, it would stain the clothing). At this Open Taekwondo Tournament I won a first-place trophy in the Forms/Poomsae Competition; nevertheless, I do not remember how I did in the Fighting Competition. (*STREET FIGHT IN SUMMER 1989. This was a street fight at the Off Campus House where I rented a room in Brockport Township, in the summer of 1989. I suffered a laceration over my eye that needed a small amount of stitches to heal the wound. There was a party at the house where I rented a room. In the beginning of the night, while we were outside, the opponent and I got into a conflict because I was confused and questioned whether what he was saying was true or not. Frustrated, I began to yell in an aggressive manner towards him and challenge him to fight; however, he did not want to take my own personal confusion to the next level. Later in the night when I was totally drunk and high on Marijuana, the other guy came back to fight me. My right shoulder felt as though it may pop-out of place for a moment, when I was fighting with the other guy, so I decided to not use my hand-techniques in the fight from that point forward. I did not even have a chance that night! I remember before this street fight my friend Albert lightly hit me in the arm, and I actually fell down to the ground from this, being so intoxicated at the time. This was one of the most embarrassing events of my lifetime; by the same token, even though I was screaming like a coward for someone to help me when the guy was on top of me on the ground, punching me, I did go down fighting in the end. I went back at the guy and his friends as he was walking away, down the street, leaving the party with his group of friends. The next morning I was relieved when I found my 14K gold chain, that was torn off my neck, in the grass. The scar that remains on my left eyebrow, to this very day, from this drunken fight is simply a เน�โ�ฌย�Fighting-Scarเน�โ�ฌย� that I received; the only bad thing about it is the fact that I looked like a weakling in the process of getting it. I feel that this was an extremely important learning experience for me and should be included in this competition fighting analysis. Some people say experience is the best teacher and I undoubtedly went through เน�โ�ฌย�growing painsเน�โ�ฌย� learning first hand, that if I lose my temper and come close to having an physical altercation with someone, the chances are the other person is going to come back for more trouble. Although, they may apply the well-known rule that a Russian Czar followed, that is, เน�โ�ฌย�Revenge is a meal best served when cold.เน�โ�ฌย� The night of this fight, my opponent from Rochester named Ron Weimeyer, used a variation of this rule, เน�โ�ฌย�The wait to fight until the other guy is totally intoxicated on mind and mood altering substances trick.เน�โ�ฌย� I would say that receiving medical attention at the Brockport Township Hospital Emergency Room to stitch-up a laceration on my left eyebrow, that was caused by a punch, or possibly with the Aluminum Baseball Bat that was grabbed out of my hands after I came back at the crowd of other guysเน�โ�ฌย� friends and him, as they were walking away from the party, is sufficient for me to always remember the importance of humility and sobriety. (For the record, I did not go to the hospital until a guy named Mike, who also lived in the off-campus privately owned house where I rented a room for the summer, urged me to go and get my eyebrow stitched-up at the hospital; and, I did not call the Brockport Police to report the incident until, another guy who also lived in this off-campus house named Bill, urged me to call the police and tell them what happened). In retrospect I see that it was a smart idea to call the police and report the incident because the fight ended right there and then, and this minor conflict should always stay the way it is, เน�โ�ฌย�An important lesson that I learned about life,เน�โ�ฌย� and I would not change a thing about the entire learning experience for me. I must always remember that at all times the people around me who are aware of my study of Martial-Arts hold a judgement concerning all Martial Artists, as well as about myself, when they observe my behavior. Indeed, if I truly appreciate the various people who associate themselves with me because they trust me, and if I really care for the Martial-Arts not to mention my own personal chastity, it is a must to always act appropriately at all times. The major lesson that I learned is do not lose my temper and act out in anger, or yell and scream, at an aggressor unless the situation requires for me to do so. Conduct of this type, unnecessarily, is inappropriate and makes me look like a fool. Besides that specific type of embarrassing behavior, in the future I must also never beg เน�โ�ฌย�like a bitchเน�โ�ฌย� for help if I am losing a fight, or for that matter, I should not give a weak sounding เน�โ�ฌย�Kiapเน�โ�ฌย� when I am in a self-defense situation. I did these things during this fight in the summer of 1989, and because of that I feel very ashamed of myself. I cried out, like a coward for help, when I was losing the fight on the ground. Seriously, I feel that there are certain เน�โ�ฌย�Lines that one must not cross,เน�โ�ฌย� and the fact about this particular fight is that I made foolish type เน�โ�ฌย�Bruce Leeเน�โ�ฌย� sounds, resembling เน�โ�ฌย�Waaaa, Waaaaa,เน�โ�ฌย� as I was getting badly beaten. I behaved horribly and was an embarrassment to myself, as well as the entire Martial-Arts Discipline. In the future, I must always have an intimidating sounding เน�โ�ฌย�Spirit-Yell,เน�โ�ฌย� extending my anatomical, physiological, and spiritual life-force into it. Even more important than an intimidating เน�โ�ฌย�Kiap,เน�โ�ฌย� is accepting that some situations cannot be resolved through peaceful behavior. To conclude my essayเน�โ�ฌย�s section concerning this street fight, afterwards a couple of my friends offered to help me fight the guy again, but I did not want to. In fact, I was very surprised to learn that night, the guy and his group of friends from Rochester were sleeping at a house located in Brockport Township. I admit to being extremely intoxicated, but I could have sworn that my friend called me in the middle of that particular night on the telephone, and said เน�โ�ฌย�Tony, all those guys are at my house sleeping on the floor in the other room. If you want, you can come over to my house and get revenge right now.เน�โ�ฌย� Whether this phone call was some sort of a test for me I will never know; however, I did decline the offer. E) Red Belt (I was still only a Green Belt. Master Kuek asked me to compete in the Red Belt Division to gain experience). July 29, 1989. Kuekเน�โ�ฌย�s Martial Arts Academiesเน�โ�ฌย� Greater Rochester Full-Contact Olympic Style Taekwondo Tournament, held in Holley, NY. Major Lessons Learned: When I am เน�โ�ฌย�Doing-Reconเน�โ�ฌย� of the opponents in my division during the Poomsae/Forms Competition, before the fighting matches, do not have any expectations about their actual combative ability. Having preconceived expectations often sets an individual up for failure if the reality of a situation is not what one expected. Moreover, I have learned in my limited experience that fighters on the same team gave the impression that I was fighting one particular guy, only to throw off my concentration, by changing places with their teammate only moments before the referee begins the fight. What I need to do before a fight is stay relaxed even though I may be exhausted already, and maintain a เน�โ�ฌย�Positive-Attitude.เน�โ�ฌย� Merely accept the fact that no matter who I am fighting in the moments about to arrive, I must เน�โ�ฌย�hurtเน�โ�ฌย� the opponent, while experiencing pain myself, according to the rules and regulations of the competition. Fight very solidly. Even though my opponent เน�โ�ฌย�Engages in psychological mind distractions,เน�โ�ฌย� the person that I am fighting must not successfully get into my psyche. I need to stay alert and avoid getting kicked in the head or face. I can avoid his attack by moving backwards in a straight line or around them in a circular motion. This does not change the fact that sometimes I have to actually physically block with a part of my anatomical structure. I observed Boxingเน�โ�ฌย�s former World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson, before he was jailed for the crime of Sexually-Assaulting a woman, demonstrate avoiding an attack during a เน�โ�ฌย�Photo-Opเน�โ�ฌย� in Japan, when a famous Sumo Wrestler attacked by charging straight towards him. When the giant Sumo Wrestler was within Tysonเน�โ�ฌย�s range the Boxer countered by moving out of the path of his attack, towards the right at an angle, and then simulated a crushing right Reverse-Punch to the Japanese athleteเน�โ�ฌย�s face. While analyzing my own personal average athletic ability with Master Kuek in his office after the tournament, he told me that the guy I competed against was a very good fighter from Thailand. In the ring, the opponent hit me with two very fast and powerful Roundhouse Kicks to my face and on defense he moved out of the path of any of my attacks with ease. When we clinched in the center of the ring there was a moment I felt he could have been taken down to the ground. As that moment passed by me the opponent took the initiative by, เน�โ�ฌย�roughing it up a bit,เน�โ�ฌย� knocking my headgear loose before the referee separated us. Grappling is against the rules and would have been inappropriate to use this type of technique at the Taekwondo Tournament. I do not wish to appear condescending towards Grapplers; in fact, I have had some experience being trapped in Choke-Holds. I have even been choked unconscious two times in real situations where I did not fight back because, เน�โ�ฌย�I was being the good-guy.เน�โ�ฌย� Even though the instances when I was choked unconscious, the first was done by a police officer named Police Officer Neg simply shopping for a new vehicle at the local Dodge dealership, and the other time when preventing a crack-cocaine dealer from transacting sales near my residence on Pioneer Blvd. with my family member who, like myself (I do not want to be เน�โ�ฌย�fatally unique,เน�โ�ฌย� though, I happen to be more than 3 1/2 years sober), suffers from the disease of addiction, it does not change the reality of the situation which is I would have died if the Choke-Hold was not taken off of me. Primarily a Striker, I still realize from experience the DANGER of grappling with someone. That is why training which develops stances, strong as a tree with many deep roots, and at the same time maintains oneเน�โ�ฌย�s flexibility, is essential for the Striker. Individuals who punch and kick often เน�โ�ฌย�run-out-of-gasเน�โ�ฌย� before knocking-out the opponent and ultimately lose the bout because they are choked with a Choke-Hold or Locked by the Grappler on a part of the Human Bodyเน�โ�ฌย�s Anatomy that does not allow a sufficient Range-Of-Motion to escape serious injury or death. Some Masters teach that if an individual has strong stances it is much more difficult for a Grappler to take the fighter, off his feet, and down to the ground. Not only does extensive deep stance training increase the difficulty of taking me down to the ground, it also improves my cardiovascular endurance. In a book written by the Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Chเน�โ�ฌย�uan Master Lawrence Galante, he scientifically proves that practicing the Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Form with deep stances increases an individualเน�โ�ฌย�s heart rate and cardiovascular demand. Hence, the deeper and closer to the ground an individualเน�โ�ฌย�s stances are while practicing Grandmaster Cheng Man-Chเน�โ�ฌย�ingเน�โ�ฌย�s 37 Posture Yang Short Form, a more difficult cardiovascular training session will result. F) Red Belt Division (I was still only a Blue Belt). October 21, 1989. Governorเน�โ�ฌย�s Cup New York State Taekwondo Championships, held in Syracuse, NY. (The Program booklet for this tournament included a welcome letter from New York State Governor Mario Cuomo). I will begin this section of the essay with a comparison of certain self-defense systems that have developed through Evolution. It can be seen in nature that some dangerous organisms within our Earthเน�โ�ฌย�s Ecosystem indicate so. For example, certain animals that consume frogs for food know not to eat the particular frogs that are the เน�โ�ฌย�intimidating color redเน�โ�ฌย� because red frogs are poisonous. In contrast, many organisms are undetectable due to the fact that they have developed the ability to hide themselves with camouflage. One impressive species of organism found in our oceans is a type of Octopus that can immediately change its appearance to resemble various objects in the surrounding environment; moreover, through Evolution this Octopusเน�โ�ฌย� self-defense tactic has advanced so much it can actually camouflage itself to resemble the colors and design of a Chess Board when it is in physical contact with one. In the past, many Martial-Arts Masters have studied animals found in nature to learn from their fighting styles. A เน�โ�ฌย�real-lifeเน�โ�ฌย� application of these facts about nature was Master Kuekเน�โ�ฌย�s feedback to me after this tournament. Which was, เน�โ�ฌย�Even when competing against a Black Belt Level fighter an individual who is supposedly less skilled should still fearlessly punch and kick when the bell rings.เน�โ�ฌย� (Tae Kwon Do is translated as theเน�โ�ฌย�Punching and Kicking Styleเน�โ�ฌย�). Even if a fighter is a Black Belt they may not be at the top of their game on that specific day. Not to mention the obvious fact that one could purchase a black belt, เน�โ�ฌย�at J.C. Penny Stores for $10.99,เน�โ�ฌย� if they choose. One can expect to face many เน�โ�ฌย�hasslesเน�โ�ฌย� when competing in a tournament such as fatigue from a long trip, sitting on the floor and wooden bleachers all day, a gymnasium with no Air Conditioning in hot weather, not getting adequate sleep the night before due to nervousness, or previously being injured from difficult training. I encountered many of these hardships competing, especially not being able to sleep the night before. Presently, it is obvious to me that coping with all these เน�โ�ฌย�hasslesเน�โ�ฌย� when competing athletically was invaluable to the process by which I EARNED the rank of Black Belt. This was not the same type of physical education I had when playing sports before college. Despite the fact that emotions have the potential to get overwhelming with oneเน�โ�ฌย�s desire to win, it remains unchanged that the most important thing is having proper sportsmanship while athletically performing the best you can. Keep in mind though, WHEN THE BELL RINGS THERE ARE NO EXCUSES! I should write for a moment about the power of เน�โ�ฌย�Winning for someone other than myself.เน�โ�ฌย� What I mean by this can best be explained with an example. On Superbowl Weekend 1997, Master Himaya had a เน�โ�ฌย�Special Training for Black Beltsเน�โ�ฌย� early on Saturday morning. The preceding class I gave Master Himaya my Word that I was going to show up; unfortunately, I got sick with food poisoning the night before. When ill all I could think of was not appearing weak to my Instructor, and through positive thinking was able to successfully complete the advanced, extended Saturday morning Black Belt class. Subsequently, I did not make it to work at Citicorp on Superbowl Sunday and people at the office were sure I stayed home for the Football Game. That is a different issue. When I was still in Brockport Township before fighting at the 1989 Championships in Syracuse, NY, Master Kuek requested that I compete in the Red Belt Division to gain experience, despite only being a Blue Belt at the time. Many factors contributed to me not being in the right frame of mind or physical condition to have a เน�โ�ฌย�knock him down, drag him out slug-fest!,เน�โ�ฌย� and at the Governorเน�โ�ฌย�s Cup I lost my first bout. After losing, and being eliminated from my division, I watched and analyzed a teammate Academy student named William Walker fight. He was the same rank as me and also asked by Master Kuek to compete in the Red Belt/Black Belt Division. In fact, William and I drove to the competition together, first stopping at his house for a moment. (If it was this tournament I am thinking of). When fighting a Black Belt he scored with a powerful Roundhouse Kick to the abdominal, and a Punch to the chest protector, winning the bout. Personally, after I lost, it was evident to me how inadequate my own fighting skills were to compete at that level. G) Blue Belt. March 1990. New York State Taekwondo Championships, Staten Island, NY. A lesson I learned which cannot be overstated enough, is my cardiovascular breathing stamina should be the most important goal to focus upon when training. I won the first bout, but lost my second bout because exhaustion set in, making it impossible to fight skillfully any longer. I was able to score with some kicks in my first bout. In particular, I knocked the opponent to the ground with a Jumping Back-Kick to the headgear and put the guy down with a Side-Kick to the abdominal as he was running in towards me. Master Obelar (Junior) brought me to this Competition when a student at his Dojang in Huntington Village in 1990. Upon beginning my training with Junior I attended classes at his Dojangเน�โ�ฌย�s first location in Huntington Station, N.Y., when on summer vacation from college in 1988. Reading a local mailer named the เน�โ�ฌย�Huntington Pennysaver,เน�โ�ฌย� Master Obelarเน�โ�ฌย�s Taekwondo Schoolเน�โ�ฌย�s advertisement with a photo of him Side-Kicking a guy in the abdominal, off his feet and into the air, caught my attention. Being struck with this ad, (later hearing stories that Master Obelar showed his walk actually matched his talk in full-contact competition), I decided to inquire and feeling comfortable with Junior, signed up for lessons. Early on in 1990, while training at his Taekwondo Schoolเน�โ�ฌย�s location in Huntington Village, I asked Master Obelar about me possibly competing. Soon thereafter in class he inquired, เน�โ�ฌย�Anthony you asked me about competing in a tournament? The New York State Championships in Staten Island is coming up soon. Would you like to fight in this Tournament?เน�โ�ฌย� I agreed and prepared myself the best I could; although, little did I know how much hard work would be required that weekend. At the time I was employed at Aid Auto Stores and the day before the competition I worked a full-day. The Friday morning before the Championships on Saturday, I was working the cash register (no sitting down was permitted) in the Melville Store when the District Supervisor Gary Neglia walked up to me. He said, เน�โ�ฌย�Anthony we need a big favor today. We desperately need someone to work in the warehouse and also help a truck driver deliver some inventory. Can you help us out?เน�โ�ฌย� I quickly replied, เน�โ�ฌย�Gary Iเน�โ�ฌย�m fighting tomorrow in a Martial-Arts competition! I didnเน�โ�ฌย�t want to do a lot of physically demanding stuff today.เน�โ�ฌย� Gary was like, เน�โ�ฌย�Please Anthony, its a big favor. Weเน�โ�ฌย�re really in a bind. It wonเน�โ�ฌย�t be that difficult, donเน�โ�ฌย�t worry.เน�โ�ฌย� Hesitatingly I agreed, เน�โ�ฌย�Alright.เน�โ�ฌย� Oh my Lord, was it a day of work to remember! It took all day to finish what was required in the warehouse and deliver the pallets of inventory to different stores all over Long Island. I even fell asleep in the truck when the driver was going to the various store locations. To top it off, I hardly got any sleep that night before fighting on Saturday. Arriving to the Staten Island gymnasium with Junior, I was already somewhat fatigued before it even began. Once I was signed up at the front desk and all settled in, I asked Junior for his car keys and shut my eyes for a few moments in the parking lot. I soon came back inside the gymnasium, where the hardwood floor was marked with the proper dimensions of rings according to the official Rules and Regulations. Junior said, เน�โ�ฌย�I know what you were doing in the car, you were meditating.เน�โ�ฌย� I replied to my Instructor, เน�โ�ฌย�No seriously Junior, I need to get some sleep because I hardly got any last night!เน�โ�ฌย� Juniorเน�โ�ฌย�s guess that I was meditating in the car is not totally unexpected. I remember seeing one Black Belt Competitor laying down on the floor where it was less noisy, in the Savasana Yoga posture, with his eyes closed and headphones on. When it was finally game time, in the midst of my fear and physical fatigue, I went straight forward toward the other guyเน�โ�ฌย�s เน�โ�ฌย�center of gravity.เน�โ�ฌย� As I described earlier in this competition analysis, เน�โ�ฌย�There are no excuses on the playing field!เน�โ�ฌย� That being said, I should also point out it is normal to be fearful before a fight. On a television documentary of U.S. Army Combat Training, an Army Officer illustrated, เน�โ�ฌย�It is normal to feel fear going into combat against an enemy. If a soldier does not experience fear when entering a hostile situation there is something wrong with their psyche.เน�โ�ฌย� This universal truth can also be applied to the realm of Entertainment. For instance, legendary singer and Hollywood actor Frank Sinatra said, (while being interviewed by Larry King during the Cable News Networkเน�โ�ฌย�s broadcast of his television Talk Show), เน�โ�ฌย�Every single time I perform for an audience, I always get butterflies in my stomach before going on stage.เน�โ�ฌย� During class in the Dojang (Korean Taekwondo School), Junior consistently had me improving the technique of sliding forward on my rear foot towards an attacker, as he is moving into my center, and Side-Kicking with my front foot into his abdominal. He also advised me, เน�โ�ฌย�When youเน�โ�ฌย�re tired, use your Side-Kick.เน�โ�ฌย� Master Obelarเน�โ�ฌย�s emphasis on Side-Kick training at his school definitely helped me to become more proficient in the use of this technique. Indeed, not only was I able to score with my Side-Kick more often sparring in the Dojang, I was also able to effectively kick to the body at tournaments. This includes knocking the opponent down to the ground with my Side-Kick at the 1990 Championships. Furthermore, I will always thank Master Obelar (Junior) for bringing me to attend classes and be tested for promotion at his own Instructorเน�โ�ฌย�s school, Head Master Atef. S. Himayaเน�โ�ฌย�s American Taekwondo Center, located in Brentwood, N.Y. Reminiscing now about that time period of my life, เน�โ�ฌย�Going the extra mileเน�โ�ฌย� for my employer on Friday and athletically competing that Saturday, I experienced one heck of a hardworking couple of days! H) Red Belt/Brown Belt. Autumn 1996. Battle Of Champions Competition, held in Connecticut. (My rank of High Brown Belt at Y.H. Park Taekwondo Schools was the same level as the Red Belt rank earned at Head Master Atef. S. Himayaเน�โ�ฌย�s, American Taekwondo Center). Major Lesson that I Learned: I lost because my cardiovascular breathing stamina was terrible, which is an extremely horrible feeling in a fight. In my opinion it was a good, tough fight. First, the opponent caught me doubling-up with my left Roundhouse Kick to the abdominal and hit me in the headgear, countering with a right Spinning Hook Kick. In the second round, of two rounds, I scored with a left Flying Reverse-Punch to the chest protector. As I came forward with this extremely risky move to do in a fight, I was somewhat cautious because I did not want to be knocked-out. I first faked with my hips that I was going to spin around in the opposite direction that I actually intended to attack. The reason I feinted in this way was to hopefully freeze the opponent in place for a moment so he did not counter with a knock-out blow, as I was moving forward in this very vulnerable position. In my opinion, the left Flying Reverse-Punch to the chest protector that I scored with was quite powerful. I was eliminated from the competition after the first fight when I lost; but, honestly I would not have been able to fight a second bout because I was so exhausted! My Taekwondo Instructor, Master Atef. S. Himaya urged me to compete in this Full-Contact Olympic Style Taekwondo Tournament. When arriving at the town in Connecticut where the Battle of Champions Competition was being held I learned that it was an all Jewish Resident Community. I was told this by someone after I noticed many people dressed in Traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing walking on a streetเน�โ�ฌย�s sidewalk as we were driving towards the tournamentเน�โ�ฌย�s gymnasium in autumn 1996. I) January 2008. Black Belt. Self-Defense Situation. To begin, I must warn you that what you are about to read may seem to be the most outlandish illustration of conspiratorial type crimes committed against anyone, you ever heard of before. The description of this particular Harassment and Assault upon me, (not to mention the ongoing struggle to keep my เน�โ�ฌย�inalienableเน�โ�ฌย� Human-Right to exist), by these 3-5 attackers may also seem out of consistency with this essayเน�โ�ฌย�s previous examples of my maturation in Martial-Arts. Though, I swear to the Lord whom I love and fear, that it is all true. I am satisfied with my เน�โ�ฌย�Self-Controlเน�โ�ฌย� in this attack upon me. For the purpose of maintaining the theme of this article, there is a tremendous amount not included here. I just wish that you, who is reading this, were able to somehow witness what truly occurred that night. Doing a moral inventory of my own conduct I did not do anything that causes me to feel shame. Considering the actual events that transpired, my conscience is free of guilt going anywhere, even if I was still a welcomed Catholic parishioner, found the doors to the Church unlocked to me, and was granted เน�โ�ฌย�safe asylumเน�โ�ฌย� at Saint Patrickเน�โ�ฌย�s or Saint Elizabethเน�โ�ฌย�s Churches located in Huntington Township. On the other hand, the group of criminals acted out violently after starting the fight in the first place. They brought this conflict to a physical level by crossing personal boundaries as I was standing on line in the Pizza Place, physically touching me as they walked behind me into the restaurant. Then the individuals who Harassed me in this manner had the audacity to laugh about it, saying เน�โ�ฌย�Heเน�โ�ฌย�s not going to do anything.เน�โ�ฌย� For these reasons, it was necessary to confront these people, who were repeatedly committing the crimes of Harassment by overtly touching me in public places. In fact the previous week when purchasing dinner at the same restaurant, after being physically touched on the buttox by one of these master manipulators, I was verbally accused of allowing a woman to be gang-raped. The exact words were, เน�โ�ฌย�What did you let happen?เน�โ�ฌย� Moreover, the violent criminals who Assaulted me began the physical attack as my hands were down when outside on the street. I initially left the scene of the Assault with my dinner, but chose to turn my vehicle around, and return to the pizza place to confront these guys. When the argument in the street ceased for a moment, I sat back down into my car to drive away a second time; however, it was necessary to get back out of my car again, because it seemed that these criminals were possibly falsely going to think, and then begin to claim, that I was claiming to be a police officer. As I was about to drive away a second time, the main attacker walked to my driverเน�โ�ฌย�s side and looked at a Fraternal Order of Police sticker in my vehicleเน�โ�ฌย�s windshield. I was afraid that I gave the wrong impression about why a F.O.P. Contributor sticker was in my vehicleเน�โ�ฌย�s window. It is ironic that in the pizza restaurant the man who was laughing and saying I was too scared to do anything, outside on the street verbally claimed that, เน�โ�ฌย�I am 911. I am 911.เน�โ�ฌย� Overall, my cardiovascular breathing stamina was fine and endurance sufficient, even though earlier that day I self-trained in Tเน�โ�ฌย�ai-Chi Chเน�โ�ฌย�uan. I am also content that all my เน�โ�ฌย�Stance-Trainingเน�โ�ฌย� seemed to pay off, keeping me on my feet throughout the Assault. I was stricken with the most powerful punches that I have ever been hit with in my face and head, and was able to stay standing on my feet without being knocked down to the street. Eventually, the attackers lost interest in punching me any longer. I feel very lucky that in the heat of battle I was able to withstand the unusual, painful feeling, and taste?, of being punched in the face and head. Once I realized that this argument had evolved into a serious self-defense situation for me, I was able to concentrate my counterattack at the pack-leader of the group. I actually chambered my right Four-Knuckle Strike at my waist, focused in on his Esophagus, and began to move in to strike the target with a devastating blow. I would have ended my necessity to fight this particular attacker any longer, but probably would have been killed by his partners in crime. For this reason, it was a good development that suddenly my legs got wobbly for a moment, after I was hit extremely powerfully from the side by one of the other attackers. From that point forward I was forced to consolidate my efforts on defense, instead of moving in for an offensive counterattack. When being เน�โ�ฌย�Jumpedเน�โ�ฌย� that night in Huntington Village, my struggle to stay on my feet moved around the street, ending in close vicinity to the เน�โ�ฌย�Freemasonเน�โ�ฌย�s Lodge.เน�โ�ฌย� After this confrontation with these hooligans was over, and my bleeding stopped, the next morning I needed to return for an appointment at Huntington Hospital to undergo Plastic Surgery with the MD Specialist. Proper medical treatment was necessary, to treat a broken nose, serious lacerations on my lips, and an actual hole inside my mouth. The Related Articles - Taekwondo, T'ai-Chi Ch'uan, Martial Arts, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

A 4 Part Guide for the Growing Jewellery Company

1A 4 Part Guide for the Growing Jewellery Company The following guide to running an effective small or midsize jewellery company hopes to provide useful advice on improving productivity, sales, costs, and competition. Before we get into those specifics, Iเน�โ�ฌย�d like to emphasize the value of communication. As a growing jewellery company with 5-25 permanent staff, itเน�โ�ฌย�s crucial that you and everyone you work with understand the big picture and how what youเน�โ�ฌย�re trying to produce fits into it. Every employee should know how the company works, what other people are doing, and whatเน�โ�ฌย�s going on at the moment. It is certainly worthwhile to strategize on priorities, using each personเน�โ�ฌย�s time wisely, and distributing labour for maximum summary effect, but the reality is that in smaller companies, most people typically end up doing a bit of everything. It is for this reason that effective communication and cooperation are therefore absolutely vital to success. 1. Productivity Increase production capacity. As your orders increase in number and volume, youเน�โ�ฌย�ll need to step up production. Invest time in improving modes of operation and evaluate ways to make your life easier. It will be worth it. Make time, even if you donเน�โ�ฌย�t think you have any. If youเน�โ�ฌย�re overwhelmed, and consistently feel that way, it is all the more important to invest in more efficient ways to do things. Spend time to make time. Reduce the time of the business cycle. Your business cycle will look something like this: 1. Buy beads, stones, pearls, chains, components 2. Design jewellery 3. Produce small quantities for display / sales 4. Sales reps sell to stores, also sell to larger house accounts 5. Take orders 6. Produce large quantities to meet orders 7. Package orders and ship them out 8. Collect payments In Step 1 you spend money, and in Step 8 you get a return on that initial investment. The sooner you can complete the cycle, the sooner you get a return on your investment. You want the cycle to be as short as possible so that you are out of pocket for the least amount of time. With proper organization you should be able to reduce your risk. Improve your computer skills. Accounting and organization will both improve as a result. Without computer skills, youเน�โ�ฌย�re simply limiting your mode and rate of production. Computers and the internet are vastly more effective methods of reaching greater volumes of people, circulating information internally, and keeping records. 2. Costs Streamline your staff. Keep staff small, and make use of part-time labour wherever possible. Make the company a tight corps of highly productive and integrated personnel. Managing turn-over is critical- 10% is considered a generally healthy rate. Essentially if youเน�โ�ฌย�re firing too many people you need to look at your hiring practices, and if youเน�โ�ฌย�re firing too few you are probably keeping people who are poor performers. Naturally, youเน�โ�ฌย�re bound to make some mistakes when hiring employees. You can never avoid these mistakes entirely, but you should take your time when interviewing and screening candidates. Donเน�โ�ฌย�t go on gut feeling- always test out their skills. If someone says on their resume that they can type 80 words a minute, sit them down and have them retype a document to see if they actually can. Focus on getting value for your dollar: it is worth paying a bit more for good people. While a big company can afford a couple of weak links, itเน�โ�ฌย�s simply not possible with a small/medium one. Unproductive people will pull down your whole team, and keeping them around isnเน�โ�ฌย�t fair to those in the company who are actually pulling their weight. You must put the company first and do not be shy or sentimental about letting poor performers go when it needs to be done. Itเน�โ�ฌย�s worth any severance that may be involved, and will be a huge relief for everyone when theyเน�โ�ฌย�re gone. Minimize on the cost of real estate. Along with staff, this is one of the main expenses you will have to deal with, and the less you can spend on it, obviously, the better. Spend time finding a suitable accommodation for your business and donเน�โ�ฌย�t rush into anything without a foundation of thorough research and comparison. Location is important for employee accessibility and warehouse sales, so balance centrality with cost-effectiveness. Try, also, to streamline your operations so that you can work in as small a space as can be, it doesnเน�โ�ฌย�t make sense to pay for space that you donเน�โ�ฌย�t need. If you think it might be worth more space, evaluate carefully whether or not the extra space will actually bring in more sales. 3. Sales There are three ways to generate more sales: sell more to the stores you already deal with, sell to new stores, and be more effective in your sales to get higher returns on investment. This section should provide helpful advice on how to do all three. Sell more to each store. Stores will only buy more of your jewellery if they sell more of your jewellery. There is no quick fix for this. If you sell them more jewellery than they can sell then they will order less or not at all the next season. Although it may seem like it is out of your control you can help the stores improve the sales of your accessories in several ways: -Provide customers with sales tools and product knowledge -Add tags, cards, and literature to products -Promote the image of a recognizable label (branding) -Offer breadth and variety in designers and lines so that stores sell your pieces to numerous demographics -Give exclusive rights to stores for certain lines or limited edition pieces. Stores and their customers will both appreciate something special that canเน�โ�ฌย�t be found just anywhere. -Contact stores frequently to see if theyเน�โ�ฌย�ve sold out. If they have, they will restock your shelf space with other designersเน�โ�ฌย� jewellery. When a store sells out of your jewellery, you want to have more stock for them as soon as possible. Sell to more stores. There are two ways to do this: find customers in a new area, or find new customers in areas you already sell to. Adding sales reps will help you expand your business area. If thatเน�โ�ฌย�s what youเน�โ�ฌย�re looking to do, study demographics of populous and not-so-populous regions, and donเน�โ�ฌย�t overlook metropolitan areas that may seem too small at first. With regards to increasing concentration of customers in areas that you already have some foothold, think heavily about what role each jewellery line you sell plays. A wide range of designs and branding of cleanly separate lines will help you sell to different stores in the same proximity. Stores wonเน�โ�ฌย�t like it if you try to sell the same items to their nearby competition, and itเน�โ�ฌย�s not in your best interest either since sales in both stores will suffer. If you have two or more distinct lines that cater to different demographics at different price points, there is nothing stopping you from selling to two stores on the same city block. In this way, you can increase business in areas youเน�โ�ฌย�re already familiar with. You can roughly determine potential sales in untapped or under-tapped markets by looking at how much business you already do in others: if you sell 50 pieces a month in a city of 1,000,000, you should be able to sell about 100 pieces in a city of 2,000,000, and so on. Sell out old stock. Look at it this way: since the first few sales of any item simply pay back money youเน�โ�ฌย�ve spent on components and production, it is only after that point that you start profiting. So it is the last few pieces that are the most purely profitable. When jewellery items sell out, the maximum return/investment ratio is achieved. Do whatever you can to get rid of old inventory. Be creativeเน�โ�ฌเธ� warehouse sales, trade shows, and other kinds of sales events are great for this purpose. The longer you hang on to old inventory the more difficult it will likely be to sell, so cut your losses after a certain point and take what you can get to recuperate money on your investments. Inform sales reps. Provide them with as much literature and information as possible so that they can do their job more easily and confidently. Let them know which products need to be pushed more aggressively so that you end up with very little inventory at the end of the season. Give them the tools they need to represent your company the way you want it to be represented. Develop tight organization for sales initiatives. Organize sales plans into campaigns with clearly outlined goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Evaluate results at every step of the way, and keep track of what works: ideas that seem ineffective must be closely examined to see if theyเน�โ�ฌย�re worthwhile, and those that are clearly beneficial should be repeated over and over again. Generally speaking, 10-20% of your yearly sales initiatives should be experimental and 80-90% should be modeled after past sales ventures that were successful. 4. Competition For more information on the nature of the accessory industry and its competitors, click here. Your hard-earned business connections should be a well-guarded secret. Keep customers secret from suppliers. While Stones and Findings is an established and reputable wholesale component supplier, beware of others that are connected to copycat jewellery manufacturers (see below) who would love to undercut your prices. Keep customers secret from other customers, as well, as you donเน�โ�ฌย�t want to upset your relationship with a retailer who finds out that you also sell to their competitors (even if it is a different product line). A possible exception to this rule is that you may want to provide examples of other reputable customers when approaching new stores for sales as a means of marketing your success. To compete with large companiesเน�โ�ฌเธ� Provide variety & exclusivity. You must have a higher perceived value- do what big companies donเน�โ�ฌย�t do: great customer service, smaller minimums, and unique designs that canเน�โ�ฌย�t be found everywhere. Their Advantages: -Low labour costs from overseas manufacturing -Low cost of materials -Capable of large quantities Their Disadvantages: -Large minimums -Generic designs -Cash up front, no terms -High shipping costs, long delivery times -Poor quality, high rate of defects To compete with copycat competitorsเน�โ�ฌเธ� Use components they donเน�โ�ฌย�t have access to. Squeeze their margins by keeping quality high and prices low. Keep all suppliers confidential and all designs secret. Only show your designs to potential customers, and never give out samples to anyone you donเน�โ�ฌย�t know and trust, be wary of customers who want only one of anything. Their Advantages: -Lower cost -Willing to produce to order -No minimum -Low overhead, can change production immediately Their Disadvantages: -High material costs. No steep volume discounts. -Poor quality, use cheap substitutes for high margins -Restricted to local component supply -Can't produce high quantities -Don't add any design value -Put out of business by one large order Stones and Findings Related Articles - jewellery, jewelry, company, advice, guide, fashion, accessories, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!

7 Things To Never Include In A Resume

7 Things To Never Include In A Resume Writing a Resume takes more than just jotting down your job history. To help you in writing a wonderful resume I will start by giving you tips on what Not to include in a resume. Enjoy 1. Salary expectations/history. Even if you are responding to an ad that specifically asks for this information, don't do it! If your expectations or salary history are too high, a prospective employer will weed you out right from the start. If it's too low, you have lost the bargaining power, or - worse - you will be hired possibly thousands less than you are worth. It's a no-win situation. Remember: It's always best to discuss salary requirements at the interview. 2. Personal data. This is a big waste of precious resume space. No employer will make the interview call based on your age, marital status, or "excellent" health. If you are in excellent health is directly related to the position they are seeking (maybe a warehouse job where you has to lift heavy objects), the time to bring that up is in the interview. We would like to think that there are enough legal protections against discrimination that disclosing information such as age, etc., would not be an issue, but unfortunately, you would just be fooling yourself. 3. Hobbies or personal interests. The only time that including these on a resume is a good idea is when your your interests are relevant to the position for which you are applying. For the most part, you can cover this in the actual interview. 4. Cutesy gimmicks. Cute or funny graphics on a resume immediately send the message that you are not to be taken seriously. Plus, they divert the employer's attention away from your achievements and qualifications. I once received a resume from a woman named Candy Kayn. Trying to capitalize on the "cuteness" of her name, she stuck candy cane graphics all over her resume. Within seconds, it was in the trash. 5. Your picture. Once again, discrimination protections notwithstanding, pictures simply give employers another reason to reject a resume. If they don't like your looks - if they think you look too young, too old, too fat, too thin, too good-looking, not good-looking, etc. - the resume may get tossed out unread. You want the employer to judge on the basis of your talents and qualifications - not on looks. So never include a picture. (Models and performing artists are the exception to this rule, since their appearance is part of their qualifications for some jobs. However, they generally submit 8"x10" photos separately - not on the resume itself.) 6. Reasons for leaving previous jobs. These never count in your favor. If you left a job involuntarily, that's a strike against you ("laid off" always sounds a bit like "fired" to some employers). If you left voluntarily, that's also a strike against you. "Maybe," the employer thinks, "he won't stick with this job either." The best course is to never raise the issue. 7. "References Available Upon Request." The only information on the resumes you create should be whatever is specifically related to the job your trying to land...reference sheets can be presented and discussed during the interview. In Summary Keep these little put hugely affecting things out of your resume and you will have success. By impressing an employer with your resume, they will be more than happy to set up an interview with you. If you need help in writing a professional looking resume head on over to shibaresumes.com Or if you already have a resume you can Post if for FREE at HotResumes.com Good Luck in your Job Search!