Saturday November 6 not only marked the end of an 8-week test cycle, but it was also the culmination of years of hard work, determination and perserverance for our Cho Dan candidates. The candidates final exam began with a 2-hour session Friday night in which they demonstrated blocking, striking, focus kicking, forms and one-step sparring. They returned at 7:30am for a 1-hr session on ground fighting & escapes, 1-hr of Tang Soo Do training with fellow students, and a teaching evaluation.  It was then time to line-up for 4 hrs of detailed evalutaion capped off by continuous sparring, endurance & board breaking.

The theme of their most recent challenge was "Moo Do Jaseh" which an expression that means martial discipline stance. The Korean term "jaseh" means stance and is commonly heard in class as front stance (chun gul jaseh), back stance (hu gul jaseh), etc.  Beyond physical posture it is a composition of manner (ja) and influence (seh). Jaseh then is connected to your actions (body), thoughts (mind) and your character (spirit). Moo Do Jaseh is a physical manifestation of the spirit of your martial arts training.  A strong presentation of moo do jaseh is backed by a determined mind and steadfast character.  It has a very positive influence on those around you.  Conversely a week presentation of moo do jaseh conveys a lack of concentration and wavering character. It has a negative influence on those around you.

Each week the candidates were asked to consider the way that their demonstration of Tang Soo Do influences others. There can be no doubt that the courage, concentration and will power of the candidates witnessed at their test has left a positive impact on the those of us both in and out of the dojang. Congratulations to Annette Chawki-Bechara and Ethan Daniel for successfully completing the 30th SKTSD Dan Shim Sa. Results will be announced in early December.