Post-test

So, lately, I’ve been asked one question repeatedly, “What are you doing now that the test is done?”

To be honest, I haven’t had great answers to that question, but the best one that comes to mind is this.  Very little is going to change now.  To be honest, I love the way life has changed since I’ve made a more constant effort to train on my own.  It has been nothing but good for me.  But, yes, there will be a few minor changes.  For one, now that the school year is in full swing, I can’t go full bore on training 6 days a week—there’s just not enough time in the day. 

Here’s what I will do:

·  I will continue to use the striiv at least 4 days a week, averaging at least 10,000 steps a day.

·  I will try my best to write 2 blog posts a week.  I won’t bore you with numbers from here on out, but I will keep writing on fitness in general and martial arts in particular.

·  I will have several forms workouts on my own during the week.

·  I will focus more on strength training and flexibility now that I’ve stepped up my cardio.

Still sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  It probably is, but it definitely won’t chew up 3 hours a day, which I don’t have anymore.

So, on to a recap of the test.  It was a memorable experience, but interestingly enough, the most memorable thing about it was that it absolutely flew by.  The whole day was over before I even knew it happened.  I definitely enjoyed the experience, but it was a blur of activity—so much was happening that it’s difficult to pinpoint a lot of specific memories.  What won’t surprise you is this: my clearest memories of the test were the mistakes I made.  Thankfully, I wasn’t aware of a ton of mistakes, and we’ll see what I get back from the testing board, but there were a few major things that I will be working on moving forward.

·  Now that I’ve got more stamina, I definitely want to focus on the flow and tempo of kata.  It’s one of those things that definitely develops over time, but I’d especially like to get that aspect more under control—especially with weapons.

·  I’m going to experiment with my guard in semi-knockdown.  I have an issue where I’ll punch and kick, but I won’t be totally active in deflecting attacks towards the last minute of a round.  I’d like to tighten that up.

·  I will not accidently pop my uke in the head in self-defense.  Period.  It wasn’t terrible, but in self-defense, you can rehearse and rehearse the demo, and a slight change in body position in the actual test can mean a pulled technique might accidentally land.  Fortunately, I didn’t hit her hard, but I felt bad (and still do) about the contact.

So, some of you have already had this experience, so I’m sure you can relate.  For others who might one day test for your black belt in one art or another, here are a few dos and don’ts to make life more pleasant in preparation:

·  DO ramp up the physical aspect of your training as your test approaches.  I can’t tell you how much Operation Shodan Fit allowed me to give the testing performance I wanted to give.  I know I could have gotten through it in the condition I was in at the start of the summer, but I’m pretty sure it would have been a miserable process.  The training allowed me to show my best karate.

·  DO ask your instructor for help in training.  My experience in this was fantastic.  I mainly needed help with conditioning and fight prep…I got that and much more.  Remember, that instructors have a whole dojo to think of, and although they need to keep everyone moving forward, they’re more than happy to assist in your preparation.  I’ve found that if you won’t ask for something, don’t expect to get it.

·  DON’T wait until the last minute to get incidental items together.  I am so glad I got my boards, photos, and other incidentals together more than 10 days before the test.  Testing nerves are enough without scrambling to find a Home Depot that’s open on a Saturday morning.

·  DO protect your body in training, especially in the last couple weeks.  Please don’t let avoidable minor injuries take the shine off of your testing performance.  I’ve seen this happen before, and I bet it’s not fun.

·  DON’T forget to eat healthy the week of the test.  Hopefully, this process has been a part of training, but that one greasy burger the week of won’t help much.

·  DO spend plenty of time with your self-defense partners.

·  DO several walkthroughs of your break before you actually have to do it.  This will take a lot of edge off of this aspect of the test.

·  DO get a decent amount of sleep.

I’m sure that some of these go without saying, but it helps to see it in print.  For all of those who I train with regularly, making the decision to persevere and progress through the kyu grades is a major step…You won’t just find yourself there; you’ll get there because you wanted it.  If it’s what you want for yourself, I support you 100%, and I know you can do it.

 

See you in class!  OSU!