Joseph graduated to high red belt or red belt decided tonight. This is the first graduation he’s gone to in months… due to anxiety issues, he’s really freaked out before each of the others and so we skipped them and he “graduated” in class on Wednesday night.
Well, tonight, he was up for it, ready and willing. He started to show anxiety at home in preparation, and told me he didn’t want Ron and I there to watch while he did his form. I said we couldn’t leave, because we were coming specifically for this and I was going to take pictures.
Not only that, we wanted to see! Then, he said he didn’t want me to take pictures. I asked him if he was nervous and he said ‘yes’, so I told him to picture everyone in their underwear and that made him laugh and the issue difused.
He did say he didn’t like the form… but he always says that. At graduation, I learned why! This is the form that he practiced and practiced and practiced and then fudged in tournament and really threw his confidence. He did fine with it tonight though.
Actually, he did great through the whole thing and had no issues at all. Broke both boards on the third try… have to do it in 3 and that was that. He did an awesome job!
Joseph bowing in…
The infamous form…
Bow staff… his favorite!
Sparring!
Sparring, round 2…
Board break – palm heal
Board break – round kick
The whole graduation class (small due to the summer)
