February 9, 2013 felt like a shift in the strength of Mo Duk Pai as a System. We gained a new Brown/Black sash, a Green sash and 3 new Blue sashes. Pretty big news. Go to the schools’ websites for more info about the students and the stories. This post will give you some perspective of what those testing went through. But this is mostly for the helpers! Testing can’t happen without competent helpers. Anyone who has ever assisted in a high level test knows they are in the spotlight as much as the students who are testing. Without good intensity and confront from the helpers, its hard to bring out from those testing what is needed to show off their level of skill. With that kind of presence comes a few bumps and bruises, all for the greater good. This post is to thank the helpers and give others a sense of what a “volunteer” experiences.
Huge thanks to Russell Young for permission to use these photos!
Continue reading “Mo Duk Pai Testing and a big Thank you!”
Testing is such a wonderful opportunity to learn for all involved. The students get to see how much of their training holds up under pressure. The teachers get to see how much of their instruction holds up under pressure. The helpers get to have one foot on the floor and one foot off the floor, both participating and observing.
I know as a teacher, I forget sometimes I’m still a student and it’s revelatory to watch my instructional strengths and weaknesses come out in my students during testing. It’s plain as day and the other black belts on the board let me know what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong.
Thanks so much to all the testers, helpers and the board for making a great test. You can go see more photos here.
