Yellow to Orange

Last night we had the honor of watching my son test for his Orange belt in Taekwondo. Seeing my son in this arena is very nerve racking for me, but in a positive way.

I was the one that had been encouraging him to join TKD during the last two years and continued to get resistance from him until late last summer; it took an invite from his friend for him to say Yes. Now that he is in it, he enjoys his classes immensely, never once not wishing to attend. He is driven and excited when it comes to testing for his next belt.

I get nervous because while it is a great combination of a physical test and a mental test, there is an element of danger that exists. It is much different than the last five years of watching my daughter dance; while physically and mentally exhausting for her, the element of danger really is not an issue.

My son, who is known to be reserved, comes into full power and strength while on the TKD mat. It is amazing to see the transformation; he is very powerful inside and out. For that, I am very thankful that he has this skill and knows it. As for my nerves, I just have to hold strong to stay focused that he can do this and take a few deep breathes through out the testing.

Here are my favorite pictures from the night. Thank you, dear hubby, for another series of amazing photos!! I love every click you take. And Congratulations to my son, it is so amazing to watch you succeed and be so happy.

My son, in the middle, doing his signature Ax Kick:

Warming up to break his board:

My son breaking his board with his instructor, Master Robert:
Master Luis is a black belt, testing for an additional degree of black belt. He is one of the instructors in my son's class, and my son definitely looks up to him as a mentor. Master Luis asked my son to be one of the kiddos curled up in a line to jump over while he performed his flying side kick to break his board.

My son is the one with the yellow belt ~ I like all the kids' tucked-in feet. Master Luis' dad is the one holding the board. Just think if his son missed and got him instead. A sign of trust right here in this series of pictures!