Touched by his warrior spirit and boundless enthusiasm, I decided to honor his choice. “Bring a board”, I told some senior belts. “Let’s get him his real birthday present”. Out came a full size board, not the small size we use for children, but a regular one. David was getting nervous. He hadn’t expected this! Even before he knew what kind of break he was supposed to do, he was already sweating and nervous. But I teach my students, ready any time, any place, life happens right here and right now, and testing is not just on testing day! Every class is a testing in itself!
John, come on up! And John, also 11 years old and also one of David’s best friends, came up. “Down on your knees, in front of the board” he was told. And John got into position. Beads of sweat were gathering on David’s forehead. He was getting a little shaky. To jump over a person, while performing a flying sidekick, he had never done such a thing! He was only a yellow belt!
“Do you trust me?” I asked him.” A loud and resounding “Yes Ma’am” boomed across the Do Jang. “Do you believe me when I tell you that you can do this?” Another “Yes Ma’am” came back.
With a surprisingly loud and roaring ki up, he started running towards the board. Can you imagine what must have gone through this young warrior’s mind as he was running toward the board? He was asked to do something he had never done before. And he was asked to do it front of his whole family, including his grandmother!
With another ki up he lifted off from the ground, jumped over John with plenty of room to spare, but fell right into the board, without getting to kick or breaking the board.
David was now really nervous and started to doubt. Could he really do it? Maybe this one time Grandmaster wasn’t right? Maybe just this once? Maybe he really just couldn’t do it?
I felt for this brave little warrior. I asked everyone in the Do Jang, “what do you think, can he do it?”
“He Can Do, She Can Do, Why not me! Yes Ma’am, he can do it no problem” the entire Do Jang was vibrating back.
With a big smile and an even bigger ki up, David tried again. He had complete and total focus and concentration. Nothing was between him and the board. No noisy mind. No questioning. Only focus on the task ahead. And the board shattered! The look on David’s face was priceless. Not quite realizing yet what had happened, it went from puzzled to the biggest smile you can imagine!
Moments like this are my biggest reward. To show people the power they have in them and for them to start seeing even the smallest glimpse of that, the possibilities ahead of them, what more can I ask for?
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