Preparing for a Black Belt

[Mark L]

The push-ups are feeling so so much easier. I almost have it back to sets of 50...just those last couple... My instructor gave me an hour and a half mock test yesterday, and I did all that pad work and exercises and techniques, and I can see that the extra training is really paying off, because I felt strong, but the pad work was hard! It had like a cumulative tiring effect!

Glad to hear it your work is paying off. It's remarkable how much improvement can be realized over a short time when you're willing to work hard.

Here's a question for anyone. I have to do the 170 self defense techniques, and for each one will have 7 seconds to complete it. The lower belt moves don't require that much time to complete. The pace can get dizzying by the time you get to Brown I. So I have a question related to pacing here...

We routinely are timed in class and occassionally on tests. We are allocated 5 seconds for each technique. That really is a long time. My struggle is to slow down and execute precisely and properly, ignore the clock. When I do this I invariably perform better and within time.

Keep working hard!

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Glad to hear it your work is paying off. It's remarkable how much improvement can be realized over a short time when you're willing to work hard.

Thanks Mark. I'm working hard, but everyone's advice has helped to keep me going! Of course all my energy and free time is going to this right now...everything else suffers and there's nothing left in my fridge... :uhohh:

We routinely are timed in class and occasionally on tests. We are allocated 5 seconds for each technique. That really is a long time. My struggle is to slow down and execute precisely and properly, ignore the clock. When I do this I invariably perform better and within time.

You are right five seconds can be a long time. I want to try and take some of my time for pacing, but it's hard because in the moment you get caught up and start going faster than you plan or hope to, and ironically the faster you do them the faster they are called out and it starts to cycle faster and faster and I think they can sometimes get sloppy that way. In our school as soon as you finish one the next technique is called so if you use three seconds then that's all you get. I've been trying to play with it, slow down and like you said be more precise. I'm trying to find that balance between using speed and power without losing precision. It's just that when I slow it down it seems to be at the expense of explosiveness.

 

[OC Kid]

I didnt read the entire thread so I dont know if this was mentioned. If your concerned about your form while doing your self defense techniques, I would say the best training at this point would be to visualize them. In the evening when your lieing in bed close your eyes and breath slowly, in on a count of 2 and out on a count of 4 , then picture your self going through the tecniques slowly, feel your muscles moving concentrate on being calm , picture your self doing the moves exactly as you would want your instructor to see them. Ive done this to the point of actually sweating. It does work.

I read recently where a chinese concert pianist was locked up in a chinese prison for 20 years. Upin his release he immediatly started playing the piano again as well or better than he did before prison. He visualized playing the songs on the key board. He didnt have a piano but he knew the key board and what is looked like and what keys his hands were supposed to hit for each song. He also heard the music in his mind.
Right now you know the techniques, you know whats required..just go to your regular practices and visualize at night....hope this helps and the best of luck to you.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

I didnt read the entire thread so I dont know if this was mentioned. If your concerned about your form while doing your self defense techniques, I would say the best training at this point would be to visualize them. In the evening when your lieing in bed close your eyes and breath slowly, in on a count of 2 and out on a count of 4 , then picture your self going through the tecniques slowly, feel your muscles moving concentrate on being calm , picture your self doing the moves exactly as you would want your instructor to see them. Ive done this to the point of actually sweating. It does work.

I read recently where a chinese concert pianist was locked up in a chinese prison for 20 years. Upin his release he immediatly started playing the piano again as well or better than he did before prison. He visualized playing the songs on the key board. He didnt have a piano but he knew the key board and what is looked like and what keys his hands were supposed to hit for each song. He also heard the music in his mind.
Right now you know the techniques, you know whats required..just go to your regular practices and visualize at night....hope this helps and the best of luck to you.

I really like this. It is a terrific suggestion! I've read similar things about visualization, but didn't think to try it here...too tired tonight, but I will definitely try it this week. You have some very interesting perspectives thanks!:ultracool

 

[kenpo tiger]

MJ - What in the world were you doing up at 12:04 am if you're in training? Wait till I see you. KT

 

[mj-hi-yah]

MJ - What in the world were you doing up at 12:04 am if you're in training? Wait till I see you. KT

Special operations - Why I'd just finished my night training o' course! :ubercool:

 

[OC Kid]

I really like this. It is a terrific suggestion! I've read similar things about visualization, but didn't think to try it here...too tired tonight, but I will definitely try it this week. You have some very interesting perspectives thanks!:ultracool

Dont forget the breathing and conentrating on your Ki/Chi center while doing your visualization. Only about 10 to 15 minutes a night is plenty.

When I was doing it, I would get so relaxed I would just fall asleep . It was awesome.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Dont forget the breathing and conentrating on your Ki/Chi center while doing your visualization. Only about 10 to 15 minutes a night is plenty.

When I was doing it, I would get so relaxed I would just fall asleep . It was awesome.

I'm still trying to find my ki...have you seen it:idunno: ? Actually I know it's in the center of your body right? I think the hardest part here is making the time to be still. I'll give it try. Thanks!

 

[OC Kid]

I'm still trying to find my ki...have you seen it:idunno: ? Actually I know it's in the center of your body right? I think the hardest part here is making the time to be still. I'll give it try. Thanks!

Your Ki/Chi center is a area about 1" above your naval (it doent matter if its a innie or a outtie ) but thats where I concentrate while Im breathing and visualizeing. Visualize lines /flow of energy from that area out through your finger tips and feet, when you do that it will developoe your inner power. Then you visualize the tecniques. Then your test will be a piece of cake. Thats what I did for mine.

But I have a question for you. What do you plan on doing once you get your black belt.
I read once where getting a black belt is like getting a collage degree. I look at it the same way.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Your Ki/Chi center is a area about 1" above your naval (it doent matter if its a innie or a outtie )

thats where I concentrate while Im breathing and visualizeing. Visualize lines /flow of energy from that area out through your finger tips and feet, when you do that it will developoe your inner power. Then you visualize the tecniques. Then your test will be a piece of cake. Thats what I did for mine.

I did try this once but found it so hard to do...like everything else that you have on your mind pushes it's way in. I will give it a try...it sounds :ultracool !

But I have a question for you. What do you plan on doing once you get your black belt.
I read once where getting a black belt is like getting a collage degree. I look at it the same way

I had an ongoing discussion with a friend of mine about this subject... He said the same thing - he thought of it like a college degree...I think that is a good way to equate it, in some ways it's similar, but of the degrees I hold I think this will be much more hard earned!!! I've done as much or more learning here and have had to physically work very hard for years - it's been very challenging. The big difference is that when you complete a college requirement you don't have to then face a physical challenge like this. I think of the test as being like running a marathon.
When you graduate from college, the college or institution hands you a diploma and sends you on your way. It's also different, because to me this really is just the beginning of my understanding. This doesn't mark the end or a completion for me. Until a short while ago I was not ready to grasp many of the ideas and principles of kenpo, and the more I know the more I see this really could be a lifelong pursuit. Although you can always further your college learning on your own, or go back and get another degree. :idunno: Maybe it just depends on what you want to spend your energy on in your learning. Karate is hard work, but it's also rewarding and so much fun! I joke with my friends that we'll be learning this together when we're 90. I can't see not doing it.:asian:

Ironically, it is really not the belt that matters to me. I can't say it never did. In our school the different colored belts hang on the wall for us to aim for. I remember thinking as a yellow belt - I want one of those - and it was for all kinds of personal reasons but nothing really important... all superficial stuff - like won't it be cool to wear a black belt? :ultracool Thankfully, my attitude and desire to have it all changed completely when I began teaching. It was the best thing that happened to me. I completely changed my perspective, and my focus changed as well. I no longer cared about myself and began to focus on giving back. I spent a year of my private lessons annoying my instructor (he's a good guy...never once complained ) with hundreds of questions about how to teach certain things. I can really say I no longer care about the belt. I've been feeling that way for awhile. So I think the marathon will be fun to run, but I'm quite sure I won't wake up the next day any smarter, happier or feeling more worthy than the next guy or gal.

Of course, :lol: I do plan on sleeping in my new belt that first night though.

 

[OC Kid]

A friend of mine who was a green belt when I met him after his finally tested for his BB did the same thing. He hung it on his bed post at night.

It is quite a accomplishment. I was told by my first instructor that maybe 1% of all people who join the MA ever make BB. I wish you the best. Maybe you could get some pics and post them for us.

About a week before another guy I know (dojo mate) was going to test, He was so nervous he was going to change his mind. So I ran this though him.... Sensei Bill said your ready right...yea, Sensei Randy said your ready right..yea, everyone thinks yopur ready and they wouldnt allow you to test thinking you would fail ..true? yea, why then are you doubting your self? Well I cant do this or that and i got this or that problem.... I told him ok (as I held out my hand) give me what ever it is thats stopping you. He looked at me like I was nuts.
Another thing I told told him was as We get better and beeter we have less and and less to work on so the minor things seem larger and larger....
BTW I got that philosophy from a book called "The way of the peaceful warrior" by Dan Millman, I recommend it.

 

[MichiganTKD]

Speaking from experience and from what I've seen, the more the Instructor makes the black belts feel special, works with them, and provides guidance, the more they are likely to stick around. Sounds pretty obvious.
Unfortunately, at our Central Studio where I used to train, the Head Instructor does very little to no work with the Dan students-no Black Belt class, no special practice, nothing to make them feel that they accomplished something special. As a result, predictably, morale is down, technique is down, and many of the Dan students do not stick around. I know Dan students with tremendous amounts of talent who never come because they have no reason to.
I always promised myself I would never let that happen to my own students. I want them to understand how much there really is to learn after Black Belt.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

A friend of mine who was a green belt when I met him after his finally tested for his BB did the same thing. He hung it on his bed post at night.

I'm a bit of a jokester:boing2: , and I was really just kidding about sleeping in it, but I don't blame your friend in the least. It is a tangible sign of all the hard work!

It is quite a accomplishment. I was told by my first instructor that maybe 1% of all people who join the MA ever make BB.

That's amazing, but not surprising considering the commitment needed.

I wish you the best.

Thanks!

[QOUTE] Maybe you could get some pics and post them for us.

uhoh while I expect to do my best I imagine I'll be looking my sweaty old worst...I'll consider it though, but I don't know how to post pics here.

About a week before another guy I know (dojo mate) was going to test, He was so nervous he was going to change his mind. So I ran this though him.... Sensei Bill said your ready right...yea, Sensei Randy said your ready right..yea, everyone thinks yopur ready and they wouldnt allow you to test thinking you would fail ..true? yea, why then are you doubting your self? Well I cant do this or that and i got this or that problem.... I told him ok (as I held out my hand) give me what ever it is thats stopping you. He looked at me like I was nuts.
Another thing I told told him was as We get better and beeter we have less and and less to work on so the minor things seem larger and larger....

I can really relate to the self doubting part right about now. I told my instructor yesterday during a day class I think:idunno:.... I know nothing !!! I was really feeling that way. Then last night in black belt prep class I accomplished a lot and felt better. I think this feeling will come and go.

BTW I got that philosophy from a book called "The way of the peaceful warrior" by Dan Millman, I recommend it.

I have a couple of Martial Arts books lined up, but I'll look for that one.

Thanks...

MJ:asian:

 

[kenpo tiger]

Hey MJ. Sorry I missed your epiphany last night. I was tied to my desk at work and won't see you until next week unfortunately.

For the rest of you posting such great and encouraging things for The Flurry Queen, as we affectionately refer to MJ at our dojo:
I don't know how tests in all your schools are done, but we are permitted to select the people helping us on our test - attackers for no mind, sparring partners, etc. [My other schools didn't permit that; in fact, at the first I am told that your bb test is a cast of thousands (a slight exaggeration but the system has a lot of schools) and you have people just thrown at you for sparring - or they can choose to spar you without your prior knowledge.]

We are all VERY supportive of each other in our dojo. If you are testing for bb it's because our master instructor has deemed that you are ready. I often equate it for the 'outsiders' who ask to a dance recital. It's merely your day to shine - and MJ will!!!! love you, KT

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Speaking from experience and from what I've seen, the more the Instructor makes the black belts feel special, works with them, and provides guidance, the more they are likely to stick around. Sounds pretty obvious.
Unfortunately, at our Central Studio where I used to train, the Head Instructor does very little to no work with the Dan students-no Black Belt class, no special practice, nothing to make them feel that they accomplished something special. As a result, predictably, morale is down, technique is down, and many of the Dan students do not stick around. I know Dan students with tremendous amounts of talent who never come because they have no reason to.
I always promised myself I would never let that happen to my own students. I want them to understand how much there really is to learn after Black Belt.

Personally, I think of it like a garden you spend so much time cultivating it why would you let the flowers just die without enjoying their beauty? The head instructor is responsible for setting the tone for his bbs, and I agree can do certain things to help with interest, but I also think that we are somewhat responsible for what we choose to put into a thing. It would be an interesting study to do to see why some people leave and others choose to stay. Perhaps for some they were expecting to get to the top of the mountain and for it to be over. Like there is a finish line. Some people just don't want to learn more, and that's okay if the decision is a conscious one - like you want to explore other things. In kenpo there is so much to learn and after black it just keeps going and going...if you just focus on finding the end I think you miss a lot, maybe the more important lessons, along the way. If you can get yourself to the point where the belts really are not so significant, and you are there for the love of the thing - the love of the learning, than you won't need to depend so much on having someone else making it exciting for you. Does this make sense?

MJ:asian:

 

[mj-hi-yah]

I often equate it for the 'outsiders' who ask to a dance recital. It's merely your day to shine - and MJ will!!!! love you, KT

Hey KT...you're too funny...Not quite a dance recital, I've never been to one of those where one dancer performed for three plus hours, but certainly I agree we are backed by the confidence and encouragement of our instructor, partners and friends like you!!! .

The Flurry Queen :boing2:

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Three weeks to go ...the techniques and forms are looking good, I feel inspired in doing my personal form, but all this intense training is starting to take its toll on my body, that or wahhh...could I be getting old? :waah: . Experiencing lots of aches and pains, bruising, a slightly twisted ankle, a sprained index finger and I pulled a muscle that's keeping me up at night. It's nothing I haven't experienced before, just not all at once. I took off a couple of days last week to try and rest the muscle pull, but I'm afraid to take off more than that. I'm not sure if I should continue to work through the pain risking further injury or take more time and risk compromising my cardio...right now I'm working through the pain and can't wait to do this already, and for July 11th to just hang at the beach!:cheers:

MJ :asian:

 

[terryl965]

Remember to give your body a couple of days of rest before your test, you don't want to crap up or not beable to finish because of injury.....for every 8 hrs. of hard training the body needs 16 hours of pure rest, so try to remember that the last week before testing... Good luck and may al your kicks be high and powerful.... God Bless America

 

[OC Kid]

mj ,
your ready believe me. Dont sweat it. Its just like the final exam in college>).
Nows the time to work on your mental conditioning remember the visualization /breathing /ki excersize I mentioned. Make your work outs light and fun right now. Then when its time to turn it on..look out. Tell me are you testing alone or is it a group test.

For my test I was alone with 14 senior black belts present. It lasted for about 3.5 hours. The hardest part was just before the end with the 3 on 1 fighting . The defense against multiple attackers with weapons wore me out as well. But all in all the test looking back I now realize the test was for ME.
My instructor and everyone there knew( much like yours) I was ready going into it. It was for me to see how far I could be pushed. It was a valuable life lesson for me.

So much like you , your test is for YOU not the instructor. He/She knows your ready. So enjoy it. I really mean it enjoy it. It is something that you'll do only once in your life and something that most peole only dream about.
I still want to see pics of you getting it awarded.

ps see look, I just got my Orange belt..:>)

 

[mj-hi-yah]

ps see look, I just got my Orange belt..:>)

Well hey looky here.... hee hee ... first things first...artyon: I have this feeling you'll be moving up in the ranks pretty quickly here at MT...congratulations !

Nows the time to work on your mental conditioning remember the visualization /breathing /ki excersize I mentioned.

I've been trying to do this but there are 170 techniques and I get through the yellow belt stuff and get to orange and I remember Sumo and then start forgetting what comes next, so it makes it hard to do this for the techniques, so I had to improvise and do it by looking at the sheets. I was able to visualize my form really well though and I'll definitely do that some more as a breathing/ki developing exercise.

look out.

:lol: lol... funny...look out,

Make your work outs light and fun right now. Then when its time to turn it on..

You may be right about lightening it up, although I had planned to step it up over the next couple of weeks...I think the injuries were partially from sparring Tuesday night, but the muscle pull is an injury that I got a few months ago and it's been aggravated by all this. The sparring was great, I went 25 minutes straight without getting too tired, and I felt very confident, but maybe a little too confident for my own good.

Tell me are you testing alone or is it a group test.
For my test I was alone with 14 senior black belts present. It lasted for about 3.5 hours. The hardest part was just before the end with the 3 on 1 fighting . The defense against multiple attackers with weapons wore me out as well. But all in all the test looking back I now realize the test was for ME.
My instructor and everyone there knew(much like yours) I was ready going into it. It was for me to see how far I could be pushed. It was a valuable life lesson for me.

I think I know what you mean about being pushed, when our friend Joe tested for his black belt a couple of months ago he started strong, but then was having a lot of trouble getting through all of the push-ups because of a bad shoulder injury (he's had it for a long time). Kenpo Tiger was sitting next to me watching the test and I could hear her whispering, "Come on you can do it!" That alone was such an obstacle for him and it was like witnessing how strong the human spirit really is, but then unfortunately during the sparring his finger got bent back on a 90 degree angle...OUCH! and my instructor had to end the test and take him to the hospital. He persisted though and completed the test later in the week in a splint. It was such a proud moment!

At my test there will be a bunch of students there who collectively have lots of time in Kenpo and other arts, but only one is a black belt (3rd degree) in another style, and the school is so new there will only be one black belt on the panel with my instructor that day...which to tell you the truth is just fine...I think having 28 black belt eyes on me might make me a little :uhohh: since I will be the only one testing. I think being alone is going to be strange, but that's the way it is.

So much like you , your test is for YOU not the instructor. He/She knows your ready. So enjoy it. I really mean it enjoy it. It is something that you'll do only once in your life and something that most peole only dream about.

That's the funny thing I know that and I'm excited about it, and I feel emotionally well prepared, and mostly mentally prepared in terms of the material (just a couple of little things) it's the physical stuff like endurance that there may never be a good time for, like why is it that no matter how many times I do push-ups I still hate them?.. Maybe I'll just start thinking...LOOK OUT!

I still want to see pics of you getting it awarded.

I don't think I'm allowed to post pics here...maybe someone can let me know. If not, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll see what I can do.