Tight-packed Dobok Recepy

While preparing some meaningful material for a new post about our brand-new Gym, let me share with you - my Friends and Readers - a nice method of arranging your Taekwondo uniform (Dobok, 도복) "Korean Style", like my friend, Master Na from Seoul taught me. Thanks Master Na, although I would be even more grateful if he would contact me in some shorter time. :)

So, I chose my bedroom and my bed as background, I hope you don't mind, sometimes even hard-working uniform deserves to be
treated with care, so the floor was out of question. For those with smooth taste, please ignore blanket ornaments.

Let us begin with 도복 itself. Pretty messy just like that, space consuming, not beautiful in first. Depending on quality of material, some uniforms will bend better, some harder, but you really don't need to take much care about bands. Banding in ways I will show you allows plenty of space for uniform not to sustain too sharp bends so you will look nice and ironed when you later put it on, just like you kept it hanged in your wardrobe. 1. The Jacket Today's uniforms are usually marked at least by manufacturer, while I am sure all of you have at least some sign of your team or club printed on it. This one I got from my Korean friends has a nice Korean flag in front so I always try to finish with it showing on the front side of the "package". Turn it face down and bend sleeves toward middle so they overlap. The best is to bend them in shoulder sutures (or "stitches" is the word?) so you don't bend sides before time. You will also avoid unnecessary bending on places where it could be visible after you "unpack" your Dobok. 2. Trousers Bend them vertically as most convenient, keep them straight, and then bend downside up. It does not need to be really symmetrical, just use space so it can fit on your jacket like in next step.

3. All together

Now, put your bent trousers somewhere about in the middle of your jacket. Place it so it does not extend over jacket borders. Then, bend the jacket around them vertically as shown on the picture. You should choose a side depending what you want to have in front of your "package". I want Korean flag to be in front, so I bend the uniform keeping the flag under.


Then, bend the whole package from bottom up, so it finishes a little below collar. Turn your package over to see if everything is fine on the front (or upper) side.



4. The Belt (Di 띠)

OK, not that you must arrange it like I did on that photo, but also think about what you would like to "show" when all is packed. First bend your belt on half, place it horizontally facing down the part you would like to be in front at the end. In my case that was the name. So I faced it down, then turned end upwards, so I can see "face-down" side. Make "name" part a little bigger, since it will have to go "around" more. Put your uniform on it.



5. The Big Finish

Well I hope in next photos you see steps how to tie your belt around uniform so that right things are in right place. Experimenting a little you can find your best method. Aesthetics is usually in the eye of observer so pick your own.


Well, whether you like it or not, such way packed Dobok is really convenient; you can swing around with it, put it in a small bag or sit on it, the damage you make to it's beauty (achieved by ironing) is minimal. Some guys practice tying even their training shoes together but due to smelly reasons and sometimes noticeable amounts of dirt I never do that. Just to demonstrate how compact the package is, I put it on (clean) shoes.

At the end, folks, if you don't find this funny, just do it the way that is best for you - but always respect your uniform and make it look proud. ;-)

Finally!

More about that later. :-)

Even Masters feel Pain

Yes. Master Kim also. Knowing how flexible he is (like a chewing gum from my point), I was shocked when I learned he had an "accident" damaging his inner hip muscle, and now he is grounded for some weeks.

I will never again criticize my own flexibility when feeling pain after some extra stretching. After all, I am (almost) 38, Master Kim a little younger. He started training at the age of 5 (do tendons and ligaments develop at that age at all?), me when I was 15. A bit of difference. But still...

No feedback from Korean "friends". I wonder if they are so busy, or they are so careless. Insults me a bit, that I get no answers to e-mails, although I even have their phone numbers. Let's blame higher forces for that for now, I really hope I get some responses soon. Because I have so many nice materials to publish.

This was just to fill in the emptiness among posts in this blog. Something to read after all. :-)

Visit from Korea - Update

Well, yes, there was more. Our Korean visitors stayed for longer time and actually we got another one, Master Na Seok Kyun joined us as 4th Master and gave us some more special training experience. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to take some more pictures but I hope that I will get some more from our Korean friends.

They left for Korea yesterday, all except Master Na (who left today) and Master Cho, who will continue torturing us for next two weeks. I promised him to see Croatia this weekend so he will also have some nice pictures to take with him back home.

Great trainings we had, each a bit different than others, based more on technique and proper performance which we really needed. It was also tremendous boost for my Korean language knowledge. Master Kim Yu Sung gave me a book of Korean poomsae competition rules so I have some more material to practice (it is completely in Korean and printed in hangul).

I will be back to this subject with few more posts, right now I am still assembling impressions into a big picture.

Visit from Korea

Yesterday we were proud to train (and drink some beers later, too) with friendly club members who came two days ago directly from Korea. Three older masters (hey, my age - is that old?!?) and three kids.

While youngsters trained in children class hour, three masters, Master Kim Yu Sung(yes, another one, 6th dan), Master Park Jung Kyu(also 6th dan) and Master Cho Byung Gil(4th dan), took part in our ordinary training and made it extraordinary.

Master Kim (that another one) made an emphasize on basic technique and shown us how far our performance is from perfect, regarding execution and proper standing. It is too much to even mention that keeping legs high in the air for more than 10 seconds in same position, then pulling it back and extend to two next higher levels without dropping to the ground - pretty much exhausted us as we are not used not capable to do it so long and with such intensity. But overall, it was great experience.

Without any special inquiry Master Cho participated football warm-up and shown me few tricks, amongst others how to proof back hook kick (dwit-uro-chagi) or pull most of my jump before pulling any kick with full strength.

The atmosphere was extremely friendly and relaxed; too bad guys can not stay but for one more training that should happen on Monday, when fourth master should join us. I could not wait to put some pictures and write a little, so if anything to add appears on Monday, it will be a new post.

For the end, one video of my minority performing imperfect jump kick. Thanks my sweetheart for coming with the camera and making beautiful pictures!

Forgot to be proud...

... Although that was not some awsome achievement, I would still like to mention that I participated in Slovenian Poomsae State Championship, and won it in "Veterans" category. Like last year. And also like last year I reached 4th place in "Best Competitor" category - I can not go by favorites when we are all in one bunch.

The event took place December 12th last year and I simply missed to write a post about it, thinking I had nothing important to say, but I changed my mind.

I performed in one "nice try" group but we were not prepared well, which shown bad. Anyways experience grows even in lost battles.

I am so sorry that many older masters are not brave and motivated enough to take part in such beautiful, peaceful event. This is rare chance to meet people from all over the country at least once a year, exchange experiences, discuss technique and styles, and at the end but not least important to have a nice time and fun. One can also learn a lot.

There is one thing quite annoying about rules, which shown out this (last year) as not completely fair, disregarding experience and knowledge of competitors of different ranks. That is - there was no scoring difference based on poomsae performed?!? So it was possible to compete with 5jang against someone who did SipJin and still outperform him. Very unlogical.

The former also changed tactics used by competitors so this competition we saw more student forms than any other. I performed 8Jang for warming up, then SipJin, while guys started with 6Jang and hardly decided to go for Keumgang! And in group categories (meaning pairs and fives) it became very common to see 4th Dan master performing paired to yellow belt student - 2Jang! And judges missed to punish obvious errors... what a circus (apologies to Referees, but... but.).

Some more complains must go to judges, which were commonly underskilled and deconcentrated. While deconcentration can be explained and excused due to long hours of sitting and watching people doing forms, not knowing correct techniques and coreography even for low-level forms (such as for student ranks) is inexcusable. I heartly hope next year situation will improve, otherwise I will get to perfoirming Illyeo, Hansu and Chonkwon, because no one will even notice when I make a mistake. And I will perform in Bruce-Lee-Wannabe style as it seems that is the only thing that can impress this class of judges. :)

All in all it was not so bad and, like I always mention, much fun. Let's hope for better next year.