All in the name of research ...

Absolutely, Joel. On the Douglas Adams scale of Tae Kwon Do I've definitely reached that point:

White - Harmless
Yellow Tag - Mostly Harmless
Yellow - Not quite so harmless
Green Tag - Ever so slightly dangerous
Green - Marginally dangerous
Blue Tag - Occasionally dangerous
Blue - Dangerous if you tap me on the shoulder when I'm not expecting it
Red Tag - Dangerous on Weekdays and Full Moons
Red - Very dangerous so don't mess with me
Black Tag - Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry
Black - Downright scary!
 
Here you go, Joel:

1st Dan - Downright scary - will beat you up!
2nd Dan - Even scarier - will beat you up with one hand tied behind his back.
3rd Dan - Don't blink - will beat you up with both hands tied behind his back.
4th Dan - Terrifying - will beat you up with both hands tied, hopping on one leg.
5th Dan - Extremely terrifying - will beat you up with his eyes closed.
6th Dan - Absolutely terrifying - will beat you up with his eyes closed, both hands tied and hopping on one leg.
7th Dan - Don't go there - will beat you up using only the little finger on his left hand.
8th Dan - Ultimately terrifying - will beat you up by just looking at you.
9th Dan - Totally harmless - has superpowers and will not deign to trouble himself by beating you up. Will just fly away!
 
Hoping to become 'Downright scary' in a couple of weeks. :) Currently not so confident, though, after having taken some heavy punches from one of the local 5th Dan black belts last week. Very bruised ribs are making everything painful. Very much hoping they will heal sufficiently for me to make a good showing at the exam.
 
Passed my black belt on Sunday. :) It was a pretty scary experience!

Will be presented with the belt on Wednesday, so I'll post up a picture sometime shortly afterwards.
 
Congratulations, Mark! Hope you didn't get too many more sore ribs to achieve it.

Looking forward to seeing the picture.
 
Here it is. I'm a bit sweaty after my first class wearing black, but the smile says it all. :D
 

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My latest badge in the name of research is a broken hand! Most will think this macho stupidity... and they'd be right! For my second dan black belt grading I will have to break boards with my hands and feet, so I bought some one inch thick solid wooden boards to practise on. I broke the first with my elbow with no problems, but the break I was most nervous of was with my hand - after all, a writer's hands are pretty important, right?

Staring at the board I knew that not hitting it hard enough was going to hurt, as my hand would stop dead. I tell kids in schools every week, 'If you want something badly enough, you'll commit to it 100%. Do whatever it takes to see the result you want.' So I did. I committed 110% to breaking the board and punched it with ample force to smash through it... so much force in fact that the impact also broke the bone immediately behind my middle knuckle! :eek: Doh!

The last 20 000 words or so of my latest book will now be written with a broken hand and through gritted teeth... but I did what I set out to do. I broke the board. Was it worth it? Actually, yes, I think it was. Not only did I reaffirm my own philosophy on life, but I now have another experience to draw on that will certainly find its way into one of my stories.
 
Tsch Mark! You've got to be careful! Those hands fuel my reading in the evenings, I've just read Imperial Assassin....again....in 1 sitting....:D

Can't wait for the new book! (A sequel to The Devils Triangle I assume?)

Hope it's quickly on the mend!

Always keep writing!
-------
Mikey
 
Sorry to hear about the injury Mark - but at least it was in pursuit of a worthy objective! Hope it heals quickly...
 
After gaining my full instructor's qualification in Tae Kwon Do in November, I've now taken the plunge to set up my own school for 4-8 year olds in my local leisure centre. Who would have thought that my research of martial arts for Imperial Spy would lead to this? Even the thought of a rampaging horde of little "Tigers" sends shivers down my spine, but assuming I generate some interest the day when I'm due to control and teach them is rushing towards me rather fast. www.daventrytigers.co.uk

Eeeek! :eek:
 
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