Red Belt Test
April 24, 2007

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I've uploaded my second YouTube video!  My first was of my Blue Belt Test.  I hope you enjoy it.  Feel free to email me or put comments on YouTube and tell me what you think.

Today was my Hapkido red belt test.  After receiving my blue belt on 03/24/07, only a little over a month remained before I was moving back to USA.  My friend Jin asked the Grandmaster (Lee Gwan Jan Nim - 이관장님) of the dojang and my teacher (Joo Sa Bum Nim - 주사범님) if it was possible to test for my red belt prior to my departure.  They both said that I was a good student and if I trained hard, that it would be possible.  So that's what I did.  I trained hard for a month, almost every day and some days, twice a day.

I feel like I did ok on the test, but Grandmaster Lee and Mr. Joo both said I did a good job.  The best complement was actually from Grandmaster Lee to Mr. Joo.  He said "You are a good teacher."  Which meant he did a good job training and preparing me for the test.  Mr. Joo was very happy to hear that and proud of me.  It's true, Mr. Joo is a great teacher.  A lot of credit goes to Mr. Joo, because he had to spend numerous hours with me preparing for this day.

These Chinese characters hang on the front wall of the dojang.

The dojang before the test began.

Almost ready!

Grandmaster Lee presents me with my certificate and Mr. Joo puts my new red belt on.

Note: This movie is .mpg format and a medium size file (28 MB).

Click here if you have trouble playing the files.

Mr. Joo showed me what he called a "deep love" shot.  He also told me today to call him Hyeong (형), which is Korean for "older brother."  Which means that he feels very close to me like a family member.  I feel the same.  I've gained a love for Hapkido and a brother.  That would make Grandmaster Lee my Hapkido father!

You can see me enjoying anchovies and how to make a soju bomb.  You need beer & soju, then mix!  We also played a drinking game with a shot glass and a glass of beer.  You pass soju around and try to pour a small amount into a shot glass floating at the top of a glass of beer.  Whoever makes the shot glass sink has to drink the whole thing in one shot!

What I learned today about Korea:  1) I'm going to miss my Hapkido family.