What had happenned was......

Well tonight did not work out quite the way we planned. We missed TKD tonight, but did get to visit the local Medical facility. As Mrs Wiggins (one of our TKD Instructors) says "What had happened was": Dalton (11 yo) was riding his bike this afternoon without a helmet (against house rules) & bounced his head of the driveway. He didn't want to tell Mom/Dad and get in trouble, so he tried to hide it.

Well that worked for about an hour,
until his head hurt him too bad,
told Mom he had headache (not telling her why),
Mom give's him some IBprofen,
then Mom caught him cry'n in his room (something he doesn't do),
he finally confessed "what had happenned"
showed her the big ole knot on his left temple
stated he felt weird & that his head hasn't stopped hurting,
and then shortly there after he started throwing up..........

Of course we headed right to the Hospital. He was thoroughly checked out (CT & other tests) and was released 3.5 hrs later. Diagnosis is he'll be sore and may have some light headedness, may have suffered a mild concussion but he will be okay.

We are relieved of course, but it was quite the ride.

The upside is a mere kick to a padded head should pale in comparison to the whallop that the concrete provided?! Hopefully we will get back on track tomorrow!!

Tonight's Lesson: Spinning Hook

Tonight I took two classes........yes you read correct 2, as I took family class with the boys & then the Advanced Rank Adults class. This was going to prove to be a mighty humbling experience. Both classes were focused on proper kicking techniques, with primary focus on the spinning hook kick. So for demostration purposes let's watch a well demonstrated hook kick.

When used correctly for board breaks is a very powerful & impressive technique, as demonstrated below:

And finally can be a wickedly effect & punishing Knock Out strike. As witnessed below: Caution not for the faint of heart, so skip viewing this one if you don't wanna see a KO!

Well let's just say that after viewing these clips of well executed spinning hooks, mine looked nothing like those and quite frankly, I would be more likely to hurt myself than anyone else. But Hey, I tried & tried, & tried until I finally did a couple of some what decent ones. Good grief did I feel and look (I'm sure) like a total goof!

The Bright side is:
1. My boys picked right up on the tehnique and had it pretty well down in no time.
2. We did work on the new pattern (Yul-Guk) and we have that basically down. Thanks to Mr Scarborough's patience and help ;-)
So hey, all in all it was a very good night.

Selfish behavior

Okay, I have to admit something. We did not go to TKD tonight and I didn't like it one bit. We were running really late and I called it off. A little bit of the anger bug bit me and I reacted.

Then in a pathetic attempt to win them back over this evening, I created a few short YouTube clips (and the kids picked out the music) of all of us during our first TKD Tourney some months back in Missippi. Been procrastinating doing this, so no time better than the present. Guess I am hoping this helps to make my apology real for them. Dad is really Sorry gang!

Anyway, I have posted the clips on the right side of this blog and hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Yes, I did a couple of ones for myself too.......and they are shameless!

Hopefully, tomorrow things will get back on track.

Oh Boy New Patterns

Well here we go, new patterns began this week. After Friday's successful testing, the whole crew now has new patterns to learn.
Emily Grace is now on Dan-Gun (Yellow belt pattern)

The three of us boys have Yul-Gok.

Also, our striking combinations have additions.
As a Yellow Belt, Emily now has 2 kicks and 2 punches in each combination:
*Round Kick, Round Kick, Reverse Punch, Front Punch
*Hook kick, Round Kick, Reverse Punch, Front Punch
*Side kick, Round kick, Reverse Punch, Front Punch.
She is trying her best to do these kicks with out falling....one thing she does is Ki-Hap (Yell). Makes me smile everytime.

Last night our class was introduced to new spin techniques. As we (Dalton, Tyler & Me) practiced our new spinning techniques, I found that I was 100% consistant. Let me explain, as compared to the rest of the class; I spinned slower, missed the target more and got tired quicker than the youngsters in the Family class. Ah the joy of being an out of shape, not so agile old dude trying to keep up with younger, more agile and more energetic folks. All was not lost tho, I did kinda get it by the end of class. The boys, well they caught on quicker and executed the moves very nicely! They do make me smile.

Well, I'm gonna go run thru the new patterns while the kids are off playing.......don't want them to get too far ahead of me.

Until the next time, I wish peace & joy to each of you.

Our Story: Part 4

This 4th post will catch us up to date. Beginning late May/early June, the youngest member of our family began the journey with us. Emily (4yo) just had to do TKD with her Dad & brothers. So, I told her she had to first learn the Tenets of TKD & the Student oath.......thinking this would stall her (of course I was wrong). With the help of her brothers, she knocked that wall over in a week or two.

Emily now joins us in training. She smiles all the time.

This passed Friday night we all tested for new ranks. What a gift it was to see my three young'ns doing their TKD thang.....LOL

The Boys got to do their pattern together & then by the luck of the draw had to spar each other.

Emily did a fine job for a first timer. Especially being the youngest in the testing groups. Check out that block.

And how about this yell......LOL! Cutest thing ever.

I had the good fortune to spar one of the 3rd Degrees, Mr Foster (he's a dadgum good Martial Artist). Boy did he put it on me, but hey, I did get in a this one good shot. ;-)

In the end the best moment was watching each of my children earn & recieve their next Rank! Purple for the boys & me, and Yellow for the little one! WoooooHooo!

This was one Proud moment, I tell ya!

Till the next time I leave you with this quote I was recently told by a mighty fine fella (Nick Braaksma) " The family that kicks together, sticks together!"

Peace Ya'll!

Our Story: Part 3

The Denson Family competed in our first TKD Tourney Saturday, 4-12-08. This was a great experience for us and I am very proud of the boys results.

Tyler- 9-10 yo Divison 1st Place in Forms

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Dalton- 11-12yo Division 2nd Place in Forms & 3rd Place Striking combos

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Chris- Adult non-BB 1st in Forms, Combos, & Point Sparring (non-BB)

Our Story: Part 2

Me & the boys tested for our Orange belts March,14th, 2008. The fella's (Dalton & Tyler) performed their patterns and their striking combos flawlessly.

We all passed from Yellow belt to Orange belt. I could not have been more impressed with the boys poise and calmness during the testing.

Next up, our first TKD Tournament in April. We worked very hard to learn our new pattern. I admit we were a little anxious, but was more than willing to try. Noy do I gotta get serious about conditioning and losing this big ole belly.