I'm not really sure I should refer to my current condition as an injury. There was no incident of injury, but it hurts really badly, and it's different from any previous back pain I've suffered through. Usually when my back hurts it's because I strained it somehow, and the muscles in the lower back are in spasm. A lot of rest usually has me all fixed up, but this has been entirely different. The pain is localized primarily in the back of my hip around my sacroiliac joint, and it occasionally shoots down my leg. I've decided to document my experience here in the event that knowing something of my experience may be of some help to someone else.
Week 1: A sharp pain around my sacroiliac joint had been pestering me on and off for a few weeks. It bothered me mostly when I was running laps at the start of my taekwondo classes. It was only occasionally annoying, so I just ignored it, hoping it would go away. By 10/14/2010, I decided that it wasn't going to go away without help. Assuming that I had pulled a muscle, I asked my taekwondo instructor for a stretch that might help. I took a week off taekwondo.
Week 2: A week of rest didn't help, so I made an appointment to see my primary care physician on 10/19/2010. She prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication, some muscle relaxants and an x-ray.
Week 3: The x-ray came back inconclusive, so my primary care physician ordered an MRI. The anti-inflammatory medication worked great, but the prescribed dosage diminished each day, and the pain came back, so my physician refilled it. I actually competed in a tournament 10/30/2010. I took first in sparring.
Week 4: The MRI was a horrible experience. I had to stay very still in a very uncomfortable position for what seemed like a very long time. I guess it was loud and crowded, too, but I didn't notice. The results came back for a bulging disc, so my physician referred me to a specialist. The specialist turned out to be a surgeon, and he couldn't see me for three weeks, so I went back to my physician. She refilled my prescription for anti-inflammatory mediation and she referred me for some physical therapy.
Week 5: I had my first physical therapy session 11/08/2010. It was pretty intense. The therapist was attempting to determine the nature and extent of my condition, so she ran me through a thorough series of tests which were exhausting and rather painful, but in the end she determined that my bulging disc was not the source of my pain. Instead she determined that the source of my pain was some tension in the nerve running down my leg and some instability in my core causing certain muscles to do jobs they were not really designed for.
Week 6: I had two more physical therapy sessions. In the first (11/15/2010) she tried to bring more mobility to my joints. In the second (1/17/2010) she tried to help me build up some strength in my core. She taped my sacroiliac (SI) joint which helped a lot. It was great.
Week 7: At my physical therapy session, I received an SI belt (11/23/2010) which did very much the same job as the tape. I was also counseled against doing any jumping in my taekwondo classes. I was told that jumping created too much compression on my spine, and I just needed to lay off a bit. I actually decided not to go to any classes this week. I was in too much pain, besides the school was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
I also saw the surgeon this week (11/24/2010). It was mostly a very disappointing experience. He did not seem to consider the possibility that the bulging disc was not the source of my pain. He mentioned physical therapy as a course of treatment only once but not seriously. He really gave me three treatment options: (1) do nothing, it might get better on its own, (2) receive a cortisone shot to deal with the pain while it gets better on its own or (3) let the surgeon trim off the bit of the disc that is bulging. I told him that I wanted to go with the least invasive treatment first, and he agreed that was reasonable. He said he would call me in 30 days to see if I wanted the cortisone shot.
Week 8: I had two more physical therapy sessions this week in which my therapist discovered a lack of mobility in my knee which was effectively making one leg shorter than the other - not good for core stability.
Week 9: I arrived on Monday (12/06/2010) morning a little late and too sore to do very much real work. I was really worried about being able to perform at all during my belt test that evening, but my therapist was able to straighten me out and get me moving smoothly again. I was able to perform very well during my belt test, but I decided that I would take at least two weeks off to focus on my therapy. Later this week I fell which created an upslip in my hip, but my therapist was able to correct this as well.
Week 10: After a full week off taekwondo (and no falls),I arrived for my session much less sore, and we were able to do more work. My therapist discovered that my pain had localized over just one vertebra, my SI joint and my knee. This was a sign of good progress. I also asked if she though I might be able to enter a tournament in February, and she said yes. I'm very excited about that - 54 days away.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
My seventh belt test (blue belt)
My eight-year old daughter and I have been studying taekwondo at World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon for 21 months now. Monday night (12/06/2010), we had our seventh belt test. We leveled up from blue stripes (on green belts) to blue belts. We are looking forward to taking our black belt test in April 2012.
The morning of the test, I woke up really very sore. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to test. I've been battling back pain for about eight weeks, and it was really flared up this Monday morning. Thankfully, I had an appointment scheduled with my physical therapist, and she was able to straighten me out a bit. I was still sore, but a few hours seated in front of my computer at work, a little aspirin and a little ibuprofen had me moving smoothly by late afternoon.
Our test was scheduled for 7:00 pm, but the two previous tests had each gone a bit long, so we got off to a late start. Master Byong-Cheol Kim and Master Je-Kyoung Kim were both in attendance to score our tests. We started with some calisthenics to warm us. He asked us to do ten jumping jacks, but my physical therapist told me not to do any jumping, so I just sort of hopped a little. After 20 pushups and some stretching, Master Jason asked us to sit on the floor with our eyes closed. I don't think he's ever asked us to do that before. One of his substitute teachers (Joon) had us do that in class once, but this was a first for a belt test. While we were sitting quietly, he told us that our test would be short but intense. He encouraged us to do our best and above all, to yell loudly (at the appropriate times).My guess is that even though we were starting late, everyone wanted to get home on time, but he wanted to assure us that our test would be worth taking and we would really be earning our belts.
We started with blocks and punches. I think we did eight of each (four to the left and four to the right), but it was intense. Master Jason kept a quick pace, and we moved from one block to the next in rapid succession. We performed: low block, middle block, high block, and palm block down, palm block side, palm strike, elbow strike, c-strike, chop, reverse chop, single punch, double punch, three punches, four punches, five punches, ten punches and 50 punches. At the end we were getting a little horse, but I think some of us got louder as we noticed others were getting quieter. Good team work.
Then we did stances with our hands behind our backs. We took four steps forward and then four steps backward for each stance: walking stance, front stance, side stance (aka horse stance) and back stance.
Then we did kicks: front kick, axe kick, round house kick, face-high round house kick, circle kick, side kick and back kick. I had a little trouble with back kick. I couldn't quite work out how to get from the finish of the kick back into sparring stance for the next kick, but I was getting pretty tired by then. It was time to kick targets. We kicked the hand-held paddles. Eric held for my group. We did combinations: (1) roundhouse kick + round house kick + face-high round house kick, (2) front-leg roundhouse kick + jumping double roundhouse kick, and (3) ten roundhouse kicks. I probably shouldn't have done the jumping double roundhouse kicks, but I didn't want to be the only one, so I did them, and I was fine.
Next we did self-defense and one-step sparring. The green belts went first. Ms. J.T. took Master Jason down really hard, twice! It was awesome! My group (the blue stripes) went next. I got my self-defense a little mixed up. I yelled before I punched him, but he just smiled at me. Finally, Jared, our only red belt performed his self-defense and one-step sparring with Dominic, our youngest black belt. They did great (as always), but then Master Jason had them do 30 seconds of non-contact sparring. That was new. We don't usually do sparring in our belt tests. Then, Jared had to fight Dominic AND Robert. Then, he had to fight Dominic, Robert and Eric, so he was exhausted when it was time to do his form.
Jared did his form first. He did great. He was breathing heavily the whole time, but he did great. Then we (the blue stripes) did our form. I was so nervous. I hadn't practiced that day, so during the 15 seconds that I'm standing there waiting for him to tell us to begin, I was frantically trying to remember the first step, but I didn't forget anything. I was slow (as usual), but I didn't forget anything. Master Jason called out the stances as we went, which was really nice of him because he knew those had been giving us trouble. Finally, the green belts did their form. There are only five of them: four adults and a preteen. They always do their form so sharp. It's neat to watch.
After forms, we lined up with our boards. We read our philosophies and our bad habits. The green belts broke first with hammer fist. Then we broke with chop. I wish we had practiced more. I knew that I was supposed to hit the board with the edge of my palm and not my fingers, but I failed to execute that move properly and I crushed the tip of my smallest finger. It only turned a little purple - not too bad.
My daughter was the only one to earn ten black stripes this time and receive a trophy and a gold star, and she just barely squeaked by, earning two stripes a week for the past three weeks. There were fewer weeks this quarter than most, and my back pain discouraged me from helping her during most of the quarter.
After the test, Master Byong-Cheol Kim approached me to compliment me on how much my kicks have improved. I felt about eight feet tall. We took a group picture, but we didn't have our new belts. That makes for a rather anti-climatic ending, but they should arrive next week.
The morning of the test, I woke up really very sore. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to test. I've been battling back pain for about eight weeks, and it was really flared up this Monday morning. Thankfully, I had an appointment scheduled with my physical therapist, and she was able to straighten me out a bit. I was still sore, but a few hours seated in front of my computer at work, a little aspirin and a little ibuprofen had me moving smoothly by late afternoon.
Our test was scheduled for 7:00 pm, but the two previous tests had each gone a bit long, so we got off to a late start. Master Byong-Cheol Kim and Master Je-Kyoung Kim were both in attendance to score our tests. We started with some calisthenics to warm us. He asked us to do ten jumping jacks, but my physical therapist told me not to do any jumping, so I just sort of hopped a little. After 20 pushups and some stretching, Master Jason asked us to sit on the floor with our eyes closed. I don't think he's ever asked us to do that before. One of his substitute teachers (Joon) had us do that in class once, but this was a first for a belt test. While we were sitting quietly, he told us that our test would be short but intense. He encouraged us to do our best and above all, to yell loudly (at the appropriate times).My guess is that even though we were starting late, everyone wanted to get home on time, but he wanted to assure us that our test would be worth taking and we would really be earning our belts.
We started with blocks and punches. I think we did eight of each (four to the left and four to the right), but it was intense. Master Jason kept a quick pace, and we moved from one block to the next in rapid succession. We performed: low block, middle block, high block, and palm block down, palm block side, palm strike, elbow strike, c-strike, chop, reverse chop, single punch, double punch, three punches, four punches, five punches, ten punches and 50 punches. At the end we were getting a little horse, but I think some of us got louder as we noticed others were getting quieter. Good team work.
Then we did stances with our hands behind our backs. We took four steps forward and then four steps backward for each stance: walking stance, front stance, side stance (aka horse stance) and back stance.
Then we did kicks: front kick, axe kick, round house kick, face-high round house kick, circle kick, side kick and back kick. I had a little trouble with back kick. I couldn't quite work out how to get from the finish of the kick back into sparring stance for the next kick, but I was getting pretty tired by then. It was time to kick targets. We kicked the hand-held paddles. Eric held for my group. We did combinations: (1) roundhouse kick + round house kick + face-high round house kick, (2) front-leg roundhouse kick + jumping double roundhouse kick, and (3) ten roundhouse kicks. I probably shouldn't have done the jumping double roundhouse kicks, but I didn't want to be the only one, so I did them, and I was fine.
Next we did self-defense and one-step sparring. The green belts went first. Ms. J.T. took Master Jason down really hard, twice! It was awesome! My group (the blue stripes) went next. I got my self-defense a little mixed up. I yelled before I punched him, but he just smiled at me. Finally, Jared, our only red belt performed his self-defense and one-step sparring with Dominic, our youngest black belt. They did great (as always), but then Master Jason had them do 30 seconds of non-contact sparring. That was new. We don't usually do sparring in our belt tests. Then, Jared had to fight Dominic AND Robert. Then, he had to fight Dominic, Robert and Eric, so he was exhausted when it was time to do his form.
Jared did his form first. He did great. He was breathing heavily the whole time, but he did great. Then we (the blue stripes) did our form. I was so nervous. I hadn't practiced that day, so during the 15 seconds that I'm standing there waiting for him to tell us to begin, I was frantically trying to remember the first step, but I didn't forget anything. I was slow (as usual), but I didn't forget anything. Master Jason called out the stances as we went, which was really nice of him because he knew those had been giving us trouble. Finally, the green belts did their form. There are only five of them: four adults and a preteen. They always do their form so sharp. It's neat to watch.
After forms, we lined up with our boards. We read our philosophies and our bad habits. The green belts broke first with hammer fist. Then we broke with chop. I wish we had practiced more. I knew that I was supposed to hit the board with the edge of my palm and not my fingers, but I failed to execute that move properly and I crushed the tip of my smallest finger. It only turned a little purple - not too bad.
My daughter was the only one to earn ten black stripes this time and receive a trophy and a gold star, and she just barely squeaked by, earning two stripes a week for the past three weeks. There were fewer weeks this quarter than most, and my back pain discouraged me from helping her during most of the quarter.
After the test, Master Byong-Cheol Kim approached me to compliment me on how much my kicks have improved. I felt about eight feet tall
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Dominic's black belt test
Dominic has been studying taekwondo at World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon for at least a year now. Saturday (11/20/2010), he was finally able to take his black belt test. I was very pleased to be able to attend and cheer him on. I’m looking forward to taking my own black belt test in April 2012. I offer this description of the event to anyone who might be wondering what a black belt test is like.
World Champion Taekwondo was founded by Grandmaster Byong-Cheol Kim, Olympic gold medalist, 1992. There are five campuses: Portland, Lake Oswego, Saltzman, Murray Hills, and Scappoose. The Lake Oswego campus is owned and operated by Master Je-Kyoung Kim, also a gold medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Students from all five schools attended this test. I counted 25 students testing for the 2nd or 3rd degree (dan) black belts certification; 24 students testing for a junior black belt (less than 13 years old); and 37 students testing for their first dan.
I think that kukkiwon regulations: divide black belts (dan) and junior black belts (poom) at age 15, but our school draws the line at age 13. Technically, Dominic is 12.75 years old, but he tested for a "regular" black belt today. Anyway, there were about 87 students testing today.
We began arriving at Reynolds Middle School in Fairview, Oregon at about 9:00 am. The test was conducted in the gymnasium. I was surprised they did not put down the mats. This is the same location that we use for our friendship tournament twice a year, and they put down mats in this room for that, but today the students tested on a hardwood floor. Friends and family were seated in the balcony. They did not set up the bleachers on the floor. This gave them a lot more floor space, but it made it harder for us to get very good pictures. A zoom and a mono pod would have been handy accessories.
The test began at 10:00 am. Master Andrea led the stretching. Master Andrea received her 4th dan certification last May, at the same time our instructor, Master Jason, received his. At 10:15, they broke up into three groups: (1) those testing for 2nd or 3rd dan, (2) those testing for junior black belts, and (3) those testing for 1st dan. There was some small drama about getting Dominic into the right group. Technically, he was about 12.75 years old on the day of the test. His masters had agreed that he should test for 1st dan, but he divided himself up with junior black belts by mistake, but Master Jason remedied the situation quickly.
From this point, it was really three different tests being conducted in the same room, and I mostly observed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd dan candidates. I couldn't really see the junior black belts from where I was sitting. They started with endurance testing. I had always thought of this portion of my belt tests as the warm up, but it was listed as endurance testing on the program, and it's basically calisthenics: jumping jacks, pushup, squats and crunches. I didn't pay close enough attention to note how many of each exercise they were asked to do, but I did notice one poor guy with sprained or broken wrist. He wasn't able to do the pushups, so he just kept doing more crunches. I'll be he wished they were working on mats.
I was impressed that no one appeared to be doing pushups on their knees, but otherwise, I was not impressed with the quality of the pushups, even among the 2nd & 3rd dan candidates. Somewhere I got the idea in my head that a black belt ought to be able to do 100 pushups, and I've been working on that goal myself on and off for almost two years now. Most of the sit-ups I observed were VERY shallow. If I were ever in a position to suggest an improvement to the curriculum at World Champion Taekwondo (and I don't suspect that I ever will be), I would suggest bringing back the yellow stripe, and having it represent milestones in physical fitness such as pushups, crunches and squats.
A ten-minute break followed endurance testing, and then the students drilled through basic techniques: punches blocks and stances. They finished this portion of the test with three sets of 100 punches. The first set was very impressive, the second set less so, the third set was a little pathetic, everyone was so tired that no one was pulling their punches all the way back to their belt any more. This might be another skill for me to practice as I prepare for my black belt test.
The kicking drills were conducted much the same way as the basic techniques: lots of combinations. Dominic commented later that it was a little hard to hear and understand the directions. They finished this set with 100 front kicks.
Another 10-minute break preceded the sparring portion of the test. We had been sitting in the bleachers for nearly two hours, so we were ready for a break ourselves. We went downstairs and walked out onto the floor and chatted with Dominic as he put on his sparring gear. The master instructed all of the students wearing glasses to remove them, and then they were paired up and instructed to demonstrate their skills without hurting each other (light contact). Master Jason commenting that he always negotiated with his partners in belt tests to go ahead and kick each other full force because light contact is boring. It was quite chaotic with 20 pairs of competitors kicking at each other, so they asked half of them to sit down. Dominic out-classed his partners in a big way. He loves sparring. He's small but quick. There was another 10-minute break after sparring for the students to change out of their gear.
At this point it's about 12:30 pm. I'm glad I packed plenty of snacks because there was no lunch break. The next item on the program was forms. I was surprised that they included the basic forms. I had only expected to see the tae guk forms. I was also surprised to see them performed out of order. I will need a lot of practice to be able to do that, and some of the students testing appeared to be in need of bit more practice. To keep things interesting, they had half the students sit down at one point and watch the other students perform, and then they switched. Then, they had half the students perform one form while the other half of the students performed a different form.
At 1:00, it was time for nun chucks. The poom candidates and the 1st dan candidates sat on the floors to watch because only the 2nd & 3rd dan candidates learn the nun chuck routines. It was something like forms, but they were only just numbered. They didn't have names. They just worked through a series of pre-defined movements. It looked cool. Dominic is looking forward to learning nun chucks. He will pretest for his 2nd dan three times in the next two years. I think he has to learn the first four routines for his first pre test.
At 1:00 pm it was time for speeches. The masters previously asked four people to prepare a few words. The first speech was given by a 30-something woman who was testing today for her 1st dan. She described how she and her husband used to work out at different things until they started practicing taekwondo together. He was testing for his 1st dan today, too. Master Jason commented that he knew them when they first started, so I'm guessing they studied at Master Kim's Portland location on West Union Road.
The second speech was given by a mother of one of the poom candidates. She described her son as "bouncing off the walls." It made me smile. That's how I got started in taekwondo: looking for something for my son. The third speech was given by a father who over came spinal injuries in order to practice taekwondo with his son. His son has been ready to test for some time now, but he's been waiting for his dad to test with him. His dad is currently a brown belt, so he's about a year away from his black belt test, but he convinced his son to go ahead and test today. The final speech was given by a black belt candidate who remarked how much he hates to exercise. I could really appreciate this. I really hate running for example. I used to like weight lifting, but he also commented how motivational he found the frequent rank advancements, and I had to agree with that, too. When my next belt test is only three months away, I'm very unlikely to slow down or take a break. Even the black belts pretest every six months.
Finally, it was time for board breaking. It rather a long time to hand out all the boards. Each student had to receive their boards from their master, presumably because the cost of the boards was paid from the e testing fee which is paid to the head master of each school. This is perhaps an indelicate detail, but it's a detail lots of people need to know, so I will share with you that the belt fee for this particular test was $550.00. I'm glad I discovered that because my daughter and I will hopefully test on the same day, and that is not a sum I can come up with all at once, but a year is more than enough time to save it up.
Anyway, each student received eight boards. The poom candidates received thinner boards than the dan candidates. Students held for each other, and they seemed to choose their own breaking techniques. Dominic broke his eight boards with four kicks, two at a time. Master Jason had gone down to the floor at this point to help hold boards, and he had to make some special effort to hold for Dominic as others, trying to help, kept offering to hold for him.
The closing ceremony began with the distribution of new uniforms. These uniforms featured the familiar school logo on the back, but they also included the words World Champion Taekwondo on the pants in large red letters. To be more specific, the word World appears on the outside of the left leg, the word Champion appears across the back of the jacket, below the belt, and the word Taekwondo appears on the outside of the right leg. This led to some confusion in Dominic's family because from the back the students all appear to be labeled as champions. In addition, the 1st dan uniforms feature a single black line on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg; the 2nd dan uniforms feature two black lines on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg; and the 3rd dan uniforms feature three black lines on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg.
When the students arrived in their new uniforms, the masters called them up one at a time to receive their new belts. The belts were all embroidered with the students name and either the name of the school or the name of their master. I can't remember. There was also some Korean embroidery. The 1st dan belts included a single gold bar embroidered at the end of the belt, the 2nd dan belts included two gold bars embroidered at the end of the belt, and the 3rd dan belts included three gold bars embroidered a the end of the belt. I believe the poom belts included the same embroidery, but they were not entirely black. They were divided in half lengthwise and one half was red and the other half was black. I can't remember if the it was the top half or the bottom half that was red, but I do remember that those little kids sure were happy running around in their new uniforms and belts.
The final element of the closing ceremony was a group picture.
World Champion Taekwondo was founded by Grandmaster Byong-Cheol Kim, Olympic gold medalist, 1992. There are five campuses: Portland, Lake Oswego, Saltzman, Murray Hills, and Scappoose. The Lake Oswego campus is owned and operated by Master Je-Kyoung Kim, also a gold medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Students from all five schools attended this test. I counted 25 students testing for the 2nd or 3rd degree (dan) black belts certification; 24 students testing for a junior black belt (less than 13 years old); and 37 students testing for their first dan.
I think that kukkiwon regulations: divide black belts (dan) and junior black belts (poom) at age 15, but our school draws the line at age 13. Technically, Dominic is 12.75 years old, but he tested for a "regular" black belt today. Anyway, there were about 87 students testing today.
We began arriving at Reynolds Middle School in Fairview, Oregon at about 9:00 am. The test was conducted in the gymnasium. I was surprised they did not put down the mats. This is the same location that we use for our friendship tournament twice a year, and they put down mats in this room for that, but today the students tested on a hardwood floor. Friends and family were seated in the balcony. They did not set up the bleachers on the floor. This gave them a lot more floor space, but it made it harder for us to get very good pictures. A zoom and a mono pod would have been handy accessories.
The test began at 10:00 am. Master Andrea led the stretching. Master Andrea received her 4th dan certification last May, at the same time our instructor, Master Jason, received his. At 10:15, they broke up into three groups: (1) those testing for 2nd or 3rd dan, (2) those testing for junior black belts, and (3) those testing for 1st dan. There was some small drama about getting Dominic into the right group. Technically, he was about 12.75 years old on the day of the test. His masters had agreed that he should test for 1st dan, but he divided himself up with junior black belts by mistake, but Master Jason remedied the situation quickly.
From this point, it was really three different tests being conducted in the same room, and I mostly observed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd dan candidates. I couldn't really see the junior black belts from where I was sitting. They started with endurance testing. I had always thought of this portion of my belt tests as the warm up, but it was listed as endurance testing on the program, and it's basically calisthenics: jumping jacks, pushup, squats and crunches. I didn't pay close enough attention to note how many of each exercise they were asked to do, but I did notice one poor guy with sprained or broken wrist. He wasn't able to do the pushups, so he just kept doing more crunches. I'll be he wished they were working on mats.
I was impressed that no one appeared to be doing pushups on their knees, but otherwise, I was not impressed with the quality of the pushups, even among the 2nd & 3rd dan candidates. Somewhere I got the idea in my head that a black belt ought to be able to do 100 pushups, and I've been working on that goal myself on and off for almost two years now. Most of the sit-ups I observed were VERY shallow. If I were ever in a position to suggest an improvement to the curriculum at World Champion Taekwondo (and I don't suspect that I ever will be), I would suggest bringing back the yellow stripe, and having it represent milestones in physical fitness such as pushups, crunches and squats.
A ten-minute break followed endurance testing, and then the students drilled through basic techniques: punches blocks and stances. They finished this portion of the test with three sets of 100 punches. The first set was very impressive, the second set less so, the third set was a little pathetic, everyone was so tired that no one was pulling their punches all the way back to their belt any more. This might be another skill for me to practice as I prepare for my black belt test.
The kicking drills were conducted much the same way as the basic techniques: lots of combinations. Dominic commented later that it was a little hard to hear and understand the directions. They finished this set with 100 front kicks.
Another 10-minute break preceded the sparring portion of the test. We had been sitting in the bleachers for nearly two hours, so we were ready for a break ourselves. We went downstairs and walked out onto the floor and chatted with Dominic as he put on his sparring gear. The master instructed all of the students wearing glasses to remove them, and then they were paired up and instructed to demonstrate their skills without hurting each other (light contact). Master Jason commenting that he always negotiated with his partners in belt tests to go ahead and kick each other full force because light contact is boring. It was quite chaotic with 20 pairs of competitors kicking at each other, so they asked half of them to sit down. Dominic out-classed his partners in a big way. He loves sparring. He's small but quick. There was another 10-minute break after sparring for the students to change out of their gear.
At this point it's about 12:30 pm. I'm glad I packed plenty of snacks because there was no lunch break. The next item on the program was forms. I was surprised that they included the basic forms. I had only expected to see the tae guk forms. I was also surprised to see them performed out of order. I will need a lot of practice to be able to do that, and some of the students testing appeared to be in need of bit more practice. To keep things interesting, they had half the students sit down at one point and watch the other students perform, and then they switched. Then, they had half the students perform one form while the other half of the students performed a different form.
At 1:00, it was time for nun chucks. The poom candidates and the 1st dan candidates sat on the floors to watch because only the 2nd & 3rd dan candidates learn the nun chuck routines. It was something like forms, but they were only just numbered. They didn't have names. They just worked through a series of pre-defined movements. It looked cool. Dominic is looking forward to learning nun chucks. He will pretest for his 2nd dan three times in the next two years. I think he has to learn the first four routines for his first pre test.
At 1:00 pm it was time for speeches. The masters previously asked four people to prepare a few words. The first speech was given by a 30-something woman who was testing today for her 1st dan. She described how she and her husband used to work out at different things until they started practicing taekwondo together. He was testing for his 1st dan today, too. Master Jason commented that he knew them when they first started, so I'm guessing they studied at Master Kim's Portland location on West Union Road.
The second speech was given by a mother of one of the poom candidates. She described her son as "bouncing off the walls." It made me smile. That's how I got started in taekwondo: looking for something for my son. The third speech was given by a father who over came spinal injuries in order to practice taekwondo with his son. His son has been ready to test for some time now, but he's been waiting for his dad to test with him. His dad is currently a brown belt, so he's about a year away from his black belt test, but he convinced his son to go ahead and test today. The final speech was given by a black belt candidate who remarked how much he hates to exercise. I could really appreciate this. I really hate running for example. I used to like weight lifting, but he also commented how motivational he found the frequent rank advancements, and I had to agree with that, too. When my next belt test is only three months away, I'm very unlikely to slow down or take a break. Even the black belts pretest every six months.
Finally, it was time for board breaking. It rather a long time to hand out all the boards. Each student had to receive their boards from their master, presumably because the cost of the boards was paid from the e testing fee which is paid to the head master of each school. This is perhaps an indelicate detail, but it's a detail lots of people need to know, so I will share with you that the belt fee for this particular test was $550.00. I'm glad I discovered that because my daughter and I will hopefully test on the same day, and that is not a sum I can come up with all at once, but a year is more than enough time to save it up.
Anyway, each student received eight boards. The poom candidates received thinner boards than the dan candidates. Students held for each other, and they seemed to choose their own breaking techniques. Dominic broke his eight boards with four kicks, two at a time. Master Jason had gone down to the floor at this point to help hold boards, and he had to make some special effort to hold for Dominic as others, trying to help, kept offering to hold for him.
The closing ceremony began with the distribution of new uniforms. These uniforms featured the familiar school logo on the back, but they also included the words World Champion Taekwondo on the pants in large red letters. To be more specific, the word World appears on the outside of the left leg, the word Champion appears across the back of the jacket, below the belt, and the word Taekwondo appears on the outside of the right leg. This led to some confusion in Dominic's family because from the back the students all appear to be labeled as champions. In addition, the 1st dan uniforms feature a single black line on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg; the 2nd dan uniforms feature two black lines on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg; and the 3rd dan uniforms feature three black lines on the shoulder and on the outside of the leg.
When the students arrived in their new uniforms, the masters called them up one at a time to receive their new belts. The belts were all embroidered with the students name and either the name of the school or the name of their master. I can't remember. There was also some Korean embroidery. The 1st dan belts included a single gold bar embroidered at the end of the belt, the 2nd dan belts included two gold bars embroidered at the end of the belt, and the 3rd dan belts included three gold bars embroidered a the end of the belt. I believe the poom belts included the same embroidery, but they were not entirely black. They were divided in half lengthwise and one half was red and the other half was black. I can't remember if the it was the top half or the bottom half that was red, but I do remember that those little kids sure were happy running around in their new uniforms and belts.
The final element of the closing ceremony was a group picture.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tae Guek Sa Jang
There are many sites on the Internet which offer instruction on performing the forms of taekwondo. They vary widely, partly because instructors refer to the same techniques by different names, but mostly because people just write things differently. I am intrigued at the notion that although we are all doing these forms exactly the same way, we are all talking and writing about them very differently. It's really easier to learn forms in class than it is to learn them from written text, but I think this is helpful. I wrote this out to help me study for my test, and I offer it up to anyone who might find it useful. If you note any errors, please let me know. Thanks.
Tae Guek Sa (4th) Jang is represented by the symbol for_____.
From the Joon Be (ready) position:
Tae Guek Sa (4th) Jang is represented by the symbol for_____.
From the Joon Be (ready) position:
- Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in back stance and perform a double knife-hand block with the left hand forward.
- Perform a downward palm block with the left hand (from the belt), step forward with the right foot into front stance and perform a middle spear-hand strike with the right hand.
- Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in back stance and perform a double knife-hand block with the right hand forward.
- Perform a downward palm block with the left hand (from the belt), stepping forward with the left foot into front stance and perform a middle spear-hand strike with the left hand.
- Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot into front stance (left foot forward) and perform open palm high block with the right hand and a chop with the right hand.
- With the right foot, perform a front kick coming down in front stance (right foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
- Perform a side kick with the left foot, coming down in horse stance.
- Perform a side kick with right foot, coming down in back stance and perform a double knife-hand block. KI HAP! (yell)
- Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in back stance and perform a forearm block with the left hand.
- Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest), returning to back stance (left foot forward) and an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
- Turn 180* to the right and find the right foot forward in back stance and perform a forearm block with the right hand.
- Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at chest), returning to back stance (right foot forward) and an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
- Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a open-palm high block with the left hand and a chop with the right hand.
- Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest) and land in front stance (right foot forward) and perform a back fist (from the belt) with the right hand.
- Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot into walking stance and perform a outside-in middle block with the left hand and a middle punch with the right hand.
- Turn 180* to the right and find yourself in walking stance with the right foot forward and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand and a middle punch with the left hand.
- Turn 90* to the left and step forward (toward the back) with the left foot into walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
- Step forward with the right foot in front stance and perform outside-in middle block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand. KI HAP! (yell)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tae Guek Sam Jang
There are many sites on the Internet which offer instruction on performing the forms of taekwondo. They vary widely, partly because instructors refer to the same techniques by different names, but mostly because people just write things differently. I am intrigued at the notion that although we are all doing these forms exactly the same way, we are all talking and writing about them very differently. It's really easier to learn forms in class than it is to learn them from written text, but I think this is helpful. I wrote this out to help me study for my test, and I offer it up to anyone who might find it useful. If you note any errors, please let me know. Thanks.
Tae Guek Sam (3rd ) Jang is represented by the symbol for fire.
From the Joon Be (ready) position:
Tae Guek Sam (3rd ) Jang is represented by the symbol for fire.
From the Joon Be (ready) position:
- Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
- Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance.
- Perform a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
- Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
- Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance
- Perform a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand.
- Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot into walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a chop with the right hand.
- Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform a chop with the left hand.
- Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot forward into back stance and perform a single knife block with the left hand.
- Shift into front stance by moving the front foot (left foot) and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
- Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot forward into back stance and perform a single knife block with the right hand.
- Shift into front stance by moving the front foot (right foot) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
- Turn 90* degrees to the left (facing flags) and slide the left foot forward into walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
- Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
- Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
- Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance
- Perform a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
- Turn 180* to the right and find the right foot forward in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
- Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance.
- Perform a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand.
- Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
- Step forward with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand.
- Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at chest) and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
- Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand. KI HAP! (yell)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
FarmVille Tips: Week 14
I was having a lot of fun the other day buying goods and converting them into fuel and farming my little heart out. Then I noticed that my coin total seemed to falling rather than rising after each round of harvesting, plowing and planting, so I began to wonder just how expensive were these goods compared to the net profit of the crops I was planting.
To answer that question I did some research online. I found a table that explained the cost of each level of crafted good compared to how much fuel it was worth, and I found another table listing the net profit of each crop. I left out the limited edition crops which come and go with each new theme. Those are usually very profitable, but this table is already quite unwieldy.
In order to make the table easier to read, I left out my calculations. My raw data came from Seeds and Sweet Sake at FarmVille.Wikia.com. I divided the cost of the good by the amount of fuel each good could buy, then I multiplied by three (harvest, plow & plant). Level 1 goods cost 33.3 coins per unit of fuel. Level 55 goods cost 21.3 coins per unit of fuel. I then compared those numbers to the net profit of each crop. The net profit of each crop was calculated adding 15 coins to the cost of the seeds (for plowing) and then subtracting that number from the yield.
The crops are listed in descending order of profitability, that is, yellow melons have the highest net profit. I did not divide the profit by the number of hours it takes to grow the crops, that might make another interesting table, but right now I'm most interested in cultivating specific crops in order to craft specific goods, but I still want to make SOME profit, so this table suits my needs at this time. I hope you also find it useful. Crops listed in boldface are those required to craft goods in a 1-Star Crafting Cottage.
| Item Level | Cost of Goods | Amount of Fuel | Crops which are still profitable even if you have to buy all your fuel at this price (XP Level) |
| Level 1 | 1,000 coins | 30 plots | Yellow Melon (33), Broccoli (35), Red Wheat (30), Cabbage (27), Corn (24), Lavender (30), Watermelon (18), Potatoes (21), Peas (32), Sunflowers (25), Grapes (19), Yellow Roses (1), Forget-Me-Not (90), Lilies (35), Cucumber (43), White Roses (80), Ginger (42), Rye (21), Pineapples (15), Asparagus (37), Artichokes (6), Pink Roses (20), Cotton (9), Amaranth (76), Bamboo (60), Chickpea (10), Bell Peppers (11), Coffee (23), Agave (27), and Iris (45) |
| Level 2 | 1,100 coins | 35 plots | The above listed crops and White Grapes (29) |
| Level 3 | 1,200 coins | 40 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 4 | 1,300 coins | 45 plots | The above listed crops and Onion (34) |
| Level 5 | 1,400 coins | 50 plots | The above listed crops and Basil (48) and Heirloom Carrot (57) |
| Level 6 | 1,500 coins | 55 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 7 | 1,600 coins | 60 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 8 | 1,700 coins | 65 plots | The above listed crops and Pattypan Squash (16) |
| Level 9 | 1,800 coins | 70 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 10 | 1,900 coins | 75 plots | The above listed crops and Peppers (12) |
| Level 11 | 2,000 coins | 80 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 12 | 2,100 coins | 85 plots | The above listed crops and Carrots (22), Posole Corn (54) and Purple Pod Peas (40) |
| Level 13 | 2,200 coins | 90 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 14 | 2,300 coins | 95 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 15 | 2,400 coins | 100 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 16 | 2,500 coins | 105 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 17 | 2,600 coins | 110 plots | The above listed crops andGreen Tea (28) |
| Level 18 | 2,700 coins | 115 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 19 | 2,800 coins | 120 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 20 | 2,900 coins | 125 plots | The above listed crops and Oats (53) and Saffron (64) |
| Level 21 | 3,000 coins | 130 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 22 | 3,100 coins | 135 plots | The above listed crops and Red Tulips (15) |
| Level 23 | 3,200 coins | 140 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 24 | 3,300 coins | 145 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 25 | 3,400 coins | 150 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 26 | 3,500 coins | 155 plots | The above listed crops and Acorn Squash (36) |
| Level 27 | 3,600 coins | 160 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 28 | 3,700 coins | 165 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 29 | 3,800 coins | 170 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 30 | 3,900 coins | 175 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 31 | 4,000 coins | 180 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 32 | 4,100 coins | 185 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 33 | 4,200 coins | 190 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 34 | 4,300 coins | 195 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 35 | 4,400 coins | 200 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 36 | 4,500 coins | 205 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 37 | 4,600 coins | 210 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 38 | 4,700 coins | 215 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 39 | 4,800 coins | 220 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 40 | 4,900 coins | 225 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 41 | 5,000 coins | 230 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 42 | 5,100 coins | 235 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 43 | 5,200 coins | 240 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 44 | 5,300 coins | 245 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 45 | 5,400 coins | 250 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 46 | 5,500 coins | 255 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 47 | 5,600 coins | 260 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 48 | 5,700 coins | 265 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 49 | 5,800 coins | 270 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 50 | 5,900 coins | 275 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 51 | 6,000 coins | 280 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 52 | 6,100 coins | 285 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 53 | 6,200 coins | 290 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 54 | 6,300 coins | 295 plots | The above listed crops |
| Level 55 | 6,400 coins | 300 plots | The above listed crops |
The following crops are not profitable if you have to buy all your fuel: Daffodils (8), Elderberry (39), Sugar Cane (31), Tomatoes (20), Eggplant (1),Morning Glory (13), Lemon Balm (50), Peanuts (1), Ghost Chili (26), Rice (7), Soybeans (1), Wheat (1), Clover (70), Cranberries (10), Black Berries (29),Blueberries (17), Lilac (4), Pumpkin (5), Purple Poppies (38),Aloe Vera (14), Raspberries (8) and Strawberries (1).
Another thing that surprised me about this list is that it doesn't seem to matter if you make your Level 15 good in a 1-Star Cottage or a 2-Star Cottage, so where's the value of leveling up your cottage. Well here it is: when you craft a good in a 1-Star Cottage, you receive 2 in your inventory, but when you craft a good in a 2-Star Cottage, you receive 2 in your inventory.
The goods in a 1-Star Cottage start out as Level 1 goods, and you have to level them up a certain number of times before you can level up your cottage. The goods in a 2-Star Cottage start out as Level 3 goods, and you have to level them up a certain number of times before you can level up your cottage. My original plan had been to level up my first three recipes as high as I could and then level up my cottage and work on the next set of recipes, but now I think it's best to level up the cottage as soon as possible and start working on the 2-Star recipes right away. The 3-Star recipes are bound be even better.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Farmville Tips: Week 13
I didn't write any tips for Weeks 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 (so don't waste any time looking for them). I still want to write about ribbons, but I’m currently obsessed with finding a queen bee.
Beehives were introduced on 07/13/2010 (two weeks ago). It took me a few days (maybe a week) to collect all the materials to complete my beehive, now I need to find a queen bee before I can fill the hive with bees. I've been receiving bees as gifts, but I can't put them in the hive until I find a queen bee. Queen bees are a rare item. There is a 6% chance of finding a queen bee whenever you harvest or fertilize flowers, so I've been planting my whole farm in flowers for a few days now, but I haven't found the queen bee yet, so the quest continues.
Last night (07/26/2010) I finally received my crafting cottage. This is going to be a rather complex feature in FarmVille. Inside the cottage, you can use bushels to craft goods. You can sell the goods to your neighbors for coins. Your neighbors can trade the goods for fuel (and other bonuses). By pollinating your crops (with bees), you increase your chances of finding bushels, so the bee hive and the crafting cottage and the farmers market all work together. I think that's what makes this part of the game a little complicated. I think I like complicated.
My personal challenge is going to be collecting bushels from what I call the short-date crops. That is, the crops that must be harvested less than 24 hours after planting. I can really only plant these crops on the weekend because during the week, I can really only play in the evening after work, so here I've decided to create some tables listing the recipes for the goods and the length of time to harvest each crop. Boldface indicates crops which are ready to harvest in less than 12 hours (because they will start to wither in less than 24 hours).
Of course, you can level up your recipes and you can level up your crafting cottage which unlocks more recipes. The crafting cottage will actually change appearance as it levels up, much like the other buildings change appearance when the expand. I think I'll try to combine co-op farming with my quest for bushels, I know there are carrot, cranberry, grape, pumpkin, and rice co-ops. That should help because not only would I find lots of bushel, but my neighbors would find bushels, too. I'll have to find out which neighbors have the same crafting cottage that I do, and then invite them to be a part of my co-op. Yeah, that's a great idea.
The tables I made before to help me keep track of which trees and animals are most profitable are proving too complicated, so I'm making up some new ones. These group the trees and animals together in groups based on how many coins per day per square each item produces.
Nursery Barn Another thing I've been meaning to pencil out is the profitability of using the nursery barn. Like the chicken coop, dairy barn and stable, the nursery barn makes it easier to harvest coins from calves and foals; however, the nursery barn also transforms them into cows and horses. Generally, cows and horses produce fewer coins per day than calves and foals, so it might not be worth it.
The nursery barn occupies 63 squares on the farm (7x9=63), but it only holds 20 animals. Twenty calves would only occupy 20 squares on the farm, but 20 foals would occupy 80 squares (4x20=80), so from a land use perspective, it is only profitable to fill it with foals.
Foal and calves both produce 80 coins per day, but because foals occupy four squares and calves occupy one square, calves produce 80 coins per square per day and foals produce 20 coins per square per day (80/4=20).
All foals (80 coins per day) transform into a black horse, a cream draft horse or a light blue pony. The horses and pony earn 21 coins per day outside the stable, but they earn 84 coins per day inside the stable, so if you have plenty of room in your stable, it IS profitable to transform your foals to horses. It's also fun to see if you can fill your stable with black horses, cream draft horses or light blue pony because then you can start producing black foals, cream draft foals and blue pony foals for your neighbors.
All calves (80 coins per day) transform into Holstein cows (12 coins per day) or chocolate cows (80 coins per day). Because the Holstein cows earn so very much less than the calves, but chocolate cows earn just as much, I've created the following table to remind me which calves I might transform, and which ones I definitely shouldn't.
Beehives were introduced on 07/13/2010 (two weeks ago). It took me a few days (maybe a week) to collect all the materials to complete my beehive, now I need to find a queen bee before I can fill the hive with bees. I've been receiving bees as gifts, but I can't put them in the hive until I find a queen bee. Queen bees are a rare item. There is a 6% chance of finding a queen bee whenever you harvest or fertilize flowers, so I've been planting my whole farm in flowers for a few days now, but I haven't found the queen bee yet, so the quest continues.
Last night (07/26/2010) I finally received my crafting cottage. This is going to be a rather complex feature in FarmVille. Inside the cottage, you can use bushels to craft goods. You can sell the goods to your neighbors for coins. Your neighbors can trade the goods for fuel (and other bonuses). By pollinating your crops (with bees), you increase your chances of finding bushels, so the bee hive and the crafting cottage and the farmers market all work together. I think that's what makes this part of the game a little complicated. I think I like complicated.
My personal challenge is going to be collecting bushels from what I call the short-date crops. That is, the crops that must be harvested less than 24 hours after planting. I can really only plant these crops on the weekend because during the week, I can really only play in the evening after work, so here I've decided to create some tables listing the recipes for the goods and the length of time to harvest each crop. Boldface indicates crops which are ready to harvest in less than 12 hours (because they will start to wither in less than 24 hours).
| Farmville Bakery Recipes | ||
| 1-Star Recipes (recipes which can be made in a 1-star bakery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory | ||
| Pumpkin Bread | 4 Pumpkin Bushels | 8 hours |
| 4 Wheat Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Strawberry Shortcake | 4 Strawberries Bushels | 4 hours |
| 4 Wheat Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Spicy Muffins | 3 Carrot Bushels | 12 hours |
| 1 Pepper Bushel | 1 day | |
| 3 Ghost Chili Bushels | 6 hours | |
| 2-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 2-star bakery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory | ||
| Pattypan Tart | 2 Onion Bushels | 12 hours |
| 3 Rice Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 3 Pattypan Squash Bushels | 16 hours | |
| Triple Berry Pie | 3 Blueberry Bushels | 4 hours |
| 2 Blackberry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 3 Raspberry Bushels | 2 hours | |
| Peanut Butter Cookies | 2 Peanut Bushels | 16 hours |
| 3 Rice Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 3 Sugar Cane Bushels | 8 hours | |
| 3-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 3-star bakery) | ||
| Raspberry Blondie | 2 Wheat Bushels | 12 hours |
| 3 Rice Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 3 Raspberry Bushels | 2 hours | |
| Vegetable Tart | 1 Broccoli Bushel | 2 days |
| 2 Asparagus Bushels | 16 hours | |
| 3 Peas Bushels | 1 day | |
| Mocha Blackberry Tart | 3 Coffee Bushels | 16 hours |
| 2 Rice Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 3 Black Berry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 4-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 4-star bakery) | ||
| Oatmeal Cookies | 4 Oat Bushels | 8 hours |
| 2 Wheat Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 2 Sugar Cane Bushels | 8 hours | |
| Baked Cucumber | 1 Cucumber Bushel | 1 day |
| 4 Basil Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 1 Pepper Bushel | 1 day | |
| Pizza Bread | 4 Wheat Bushels | 12 hours |
| 2 Tomato Bushels | 8 hours | |
| 2 Basil Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 5-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 5-star bakery) | ||
| Ginger Snaps | 2 Ginger Bushels | 18 hours |
| 2 Sugar Cane Bushels | 8 hours | |
| 2 Oat Bushels | 8 hours | |
| 2 Rice Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Potato and Onion Bread | 1 Potato Bushel | 3 days |
| 2 Onion Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 2 Wheat Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 1 Posole Corn Bushel | 12 hours | |
| Carrot Cake | 2 Carrot Bushels | 12 hours |
| 1 Red Wheat Bushel | 3 days | |
| 1 Soybean Bushel | 1 day | |
| 2 Cranberry Bushels | 10 hours | |
| Farmville Winery Recipes | ||
| 1-Star Recipes (recipes which can be made in a 1-star winery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory | ||
| Sweet Sake (aka Sweet Energy Drink) |
5 Rice Bushels | 12 hours |
| 3 Cranberry Bushels | 10 hours | |
| White Sangria (aka White Grape Cooler) |
3 White Grape Bushels | 12 hours |
| 2 Sugar Cane Bushels | 8 hours | |
| 3 Strawberry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| Red Table Wine (Rich Grape Juice) |
2 Grape Bushels | 1 day |
| 5 White Grape Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 2-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 2-star winery) Preparation time: 6 hours Yield: 3 for sale & 1 for personal inventory | ||
| Fruit Wine (aka Fruit Punch) |
3 Raspberry Bushels | 2 hours |
| 3 Blueberry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 2 Sugar Cane Bushels | 8 hours | |
| Spicy Tomato Juice | 3 Tomato Bushels | 8 hours |
| 3 Pepper Bushels | 1 day | |
| 3 Carrot Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Dry Sake (aka Spiced Lilac Tea) |
4 Rice Bushels | 12 hours |
| 2 Green Tea Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2 Lilac Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 3-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 3-star winery) | ||
| Blackberry Wine (aka Blackberry Explosion) |
3 Black Berry Bushels | 4 hours |
| 1 Grape Bushel | 1 day | |
| 3 White Grape Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Strawberry & Cranberry Juice | 3 Strawberry Bushels | 4 hours |
| 2 Raspberry Bushels | 2 hours | |
| 3 Cranberry Bushels | 10 hours | |
| Raspberry Wine (aka Raspberry Energy Drink) |
3 Raspberry Bushels | 2 hours |
| 2 Black Berry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 2 Grape Bushels | 1 day | |
| 4-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 4-star winery) | ||
| Blueberry Wine (aka Blueberry Delight) |
4 Blueberry Bushels | 4 hours |
| 2 Black Berry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 2 White Grape Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Herbal Elixir | 3 Basil Bushels | 10 hours |
| 3 Ginger Bushels | 18 hours | |
| 2 Green Tea Bushels | 10 hours | |
| Pumpkin Vinegar | 4 Pumpkin Bushels | 8 hours |
| 2 Acorn Squash Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2 Rice Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 5-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 5-star winery) | ||
| Cucumber Wine (aka Cucumber Cooler) |
2 Cucumber Bushels | 1 day |
| 1 Squash Bushel | 2 days | |
| 2 Acorn Squash Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 1 Rice Bushel | 12 hours | |
| Rose Petal Water | 1 Pink Rose Bushel | 2 days |
| 1 Lavender Bushel | 2 days | |
| 2 Morning Glory Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 1 Sunflower Bushel | 1 day | |
| Melon Juice | 1 Yellow Melon Bushel | 4 days |
| 1 Watermelon Bushel | 4 days | |
| 2 Carrot Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 1 Strawberry Bushel | 4 hours | |
| Farmville Spa Recipes | ||
| 1-Star Recipes recipes which can be made in a 1-star spa Prepartation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory | ||
| Fresh Sachet | 3 Pumpkin Bushels | 8 hours |
| 3 Cranberry Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 1 Sunflower Bushel | 1 day | |
| Floral Perfume | 4 Blueberry Bushels | 2 hours |
| 4 Morning Glory Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Soothing Herbal Lotion | 4 Aloe Vera Bushels | 6 hours |
| 4 Green Tea Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 2-star spa) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 3 for sale & 1 for personal inventory | ||
| Relaxation Oil | 4 Blackberry Bushels | 4 hours |
| 4 Morning Glory Bushels | 12 hours | |
| Devotion Perfume | 3 Blueberry Bushels | 4 hours |
| 3 Lilac Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2 Basil Bushels | 10 hours | |
| Petal Sachet | 1 Iris Bushel | 1 day |
| 2 Sunflower Bushels | 1 day | |
| 1 Pepper Bushel | 1 day | |
| 3-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 3-star spa) | ||
| Energizing Lotion | 1 Red Tulip Bushel | 3 days |
| 3 Aloe Vera Bushels | 6 hours | |
| 3 Black Berry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| Restoring Candle | 4 Green Tea Bushels | 10 hours |
| 2 Ghost Chili Bushels | 6 hours | |
| 1 Sunflower Bushel | 1 day | |
| Lily of the Valley Soap | 1 Lily Bushel | 1 day |
| 3 Blueberry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 3 Morning Glory Bushels | 12 hours | |
| 4-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 4-star spa) | ||
| Iris Soap | 2 Iris Bushels | 1 day |
| 3 Aloe Vera Bushels | 6 hours | |
| 1 Sunflower Bushel | 1 day | |
| Meditation Candle | 3 Lemon Balm Bushels | 6 hours |
| 3 Green Tea Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2 Ginger Bushels | 18 hours | |
| Pick Me Up Sachet | 3 Lemon Balm Bushels | 6 hours |
| 2 Coffee Bushels | 16 hours | |
| 3 Basil Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 5-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 5-star spa) | ||
| Iris Soap | 2 Ginger Bushels | 18 hours |
| 1 Lavender Bushel | 2 days | |
| 2 Lilac Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2 Purple Poppy Bushels | 8 hours | |
| Meditation Candle | 1 Daffodil Bushel | 2 days |
| 2 Aloe Vera Bushels | 6 hours | |
| 2 Strawberry Bushels | 4 hours | |
| 1 Lily Bushel | 1 day | |
| Pick Me Up Sachet | 1 Pink Rose Bushel | 2 days |
| 1 Daffodil Bushel | 2 days | |
| 2 Lilac Bushels | 10 hours | |
| 2 Morning Glory Bushels | 12 hours | |
Of course, you can level up your recipes and you can level up your crafting cottage which unlocks more recipes. The crafting cottage will actually change appearance as it levels up, much like the other buildings change appearance when the expand. I think I'll try to combine co-op farming with my quest for bushels, I know there are carrot, cranberry, grape, pumpkin, and rice co-ops. That should help because not only would I find lots of bushel, but my neighbors would find bushels, too. I'll have to find out which neighbors have the same crafting cottage that I do, and then invite them to be a part of my co-op. Yeah, that's a great idea.
The tables I made before to help me keep track of which trees and animals are most profitable are proving too complicated, so I'm making up some new ones. These group the trees and animals together in groups based on how many coins per day per square each item produces.
Level | Animals (coins per day per square) |
| Level 1 (1-10 coins per day per square) |
cow (1.5); brown, groovy & Holstein cows (3); circus elephant (3.5), pink cow (4.5); silver pony (7); chicken (8); white-tailed buck (8.3); sheep & birthday sheep (9.3); reindeer (10) |
| Level 2 (11-20 coins per day per square) |
male ostrich (11.3); duck, party duck, chinchilla, pig, black pig, Ossabow pig, rabbit, gray rabbit & squirrel (15); brown chicken (16); black sheep (18.7); bull, chocolate cow & foals (20) |
| Level 3 (21-40 coins per day per square) |
horses & ponies (21); party pig (25); goat, Boer goat & Saanes goat (27), Mouflon sheep, llama & poncho llama (28); black cat, Himalayan cat & turlte (28.7); grey tabby & lop-eared bunny & white kitty (30); black chicken (32); brown goose, farm goose, swan & turkies (40) |
| Level 4 (41-80 coins per day per square) |
peacock (45), golden chicken, Cornish Chicken, Rhode Island Red & Scots Grey (64); calves (80) |
| Level 5 (81-160 coins per day per square) |
snow leopards (150) |
| Level | Trees (coins per day per square) |
| Level 1 (1-10 coins per day per square) |
cherry (9); apple (9.3); orange & plum (10) |
| Level 2 (11-20 coins per day per square) |
|
| Level 3 (21-40 coins per day per square) |
pomegranate (12.6, available as a mystery gift); date (23, available as a gift at Level 20); olive (28, available as a gift at Level 32); mango (32.5, available as a gift at Level 40) |
| Level 4 (41-80 coins per day per square) |
ginko (43.3); arjuna (46.6); jackfruit & lychee (46.7); acai (79) |
Nursery Barn Another thing I've been meaning to pencil out is the profitability of using the nursery barn. Like the chicken coop, dairy barn and stable, the nursery barn makes it easier to harvest coins from calves and foals; however, the nursery barn also transforms them into cows and horses. Generally, cows and horses produce fewer coins per day than calves and foals, so it might not be worth it.
The nursery barn occupies 63 squares on the farm (7x9=63), but it only holds 20 animals. Twenty calves would only occupy 20 squares on the farm, but 20 foals would occupy 80 squares (4x20=80), so from a land use perspective, it is only profitable to fill it with foals.
Foal and calves both produce 80 coins per day, but because foals occupy four squares and calves occupy one square, calves produce 80 coins per square per day and foals produce 20 coins per square per day (80/4=20).
All foals (80 coins per day) transform into a black horse, a cream draft horse or a light blue pony. The horses and pony earn 21 coins per day outside the stable, but they earn 84 coins per day inside the stable, so if you have plenty of room in your stable, it IS profitable to transform your foals to horses. It's also fun to see if you can fill your stable with black horses, cream draft horses or light blue pony because then you can start producing black foals, cream draft foals and blue pony foals for your neighbors.
All calves (80 coins per day) transform into Holstein cows (12 coins per day) or chocolate cows (80 coins per day). Because the Holstein cows earn so very much less than the calves, but chocolate cows earn just as much, I've created the following table to remind me which calves I might transform, and which ones I definitely shouldn't.
| These calves will transform into Holstein cows and earn only 12 coins per day. They should not be placed in the Nursery Barn. | These calves will transform into chocolate cows and earn 80 coins per day. They can be placed in the Nursery Barn. |
| calf brown calf Holstein calf Longhorn calf belted calf groovy calf chocolate calf |
pink calf pink patch calf fan calf green calf Kelley green calf Neapolitan calf |
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