How tough was your black belt test

[sparky]

I have heard of a school were kids have been knocked out or had their noses bloodied during their Jr. Black test. The basic rule is your test isn't over until you cry. Any thoughts....

Mike

[islandtime]

Originally posted by sparky

I have heard of a school were kids have been knocked out or had their noses bloodied during their Jr. Black test. The basic rule is your test isn't over until you cry. Any thoughts....

Mike
.................................................. ...................................
I started getting worried when they started watering down the floor right before my multiples.

The truth be told my sparring got out of control....ya think??



Gene Gabel:asian:

[DJDragon]

I used to have a friend that did Muay Thai. He said to pass some test to get thier coloured singlet, they had to do a flying kick through a wooden window.

[Bujingodai]

Wow, not getting your black belt until you cry or get hurt. Pretty f*&ckin childish to me.
My exam was pretty gruleing. i'd say about 110 waza. No Kata. The end was a spontanious self defence, singles and multiples. But it never got to the point where I would be crying.
I just don't see the point.
It doesn't take a beating to make someone cry, just look at my alimony payments. That'll destroy your life:eek:

[karatekid1975]

If a BB tests have to make you cry before you pass, it sounds like a McDojang to me. It should be hard work, but not to the point of beating someone till they cry. That's down right wrong.

I'm not no where near BB, yet, but I watched friends test for BB. In my TSD school, it was pretty grueling. They had to pass the endurance test first. Which is push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, every kick there is, and running. Do as many as you can of this stuff each. The more you did, the better the grade. Then there was the tech stuff. You have to do all the forms, all the one-steps, all self defense that you've learned to that point, sponanious self defense, breaking, and spar (usually 2 on 1).

In my TKD school (form what I saw so far), you have to run ..... I think you have to run a mile three times a week or something. I'm not sure on that. You have to do community service, and help teach so many classes BEFORE the actual test. The test is basically everything you know. Forms, self defense, step sparring, breaking, spontanious self defense, and spar 2 on 1.

[KoshoBob]

We had an endurance test the week before. Basically a kicked up version of a kickboxing class, then most of our kicks up and down the dojo, then off to a big hill so we could run up and down ten times.

The test was kata, sparring and breaking. It lasted about an hour.

[theneuhauser]

the test at my previous school was pretty basic, the instructor watches you and tells you what to do, running through a wide variety of skills and situation stuff, at the end of about 100 minutes, it was very exhausting.

but i must give a shout to the sister school, which was a sort of southern dragon style-the test was pretty simple, take the sash off the waist of the top student-full contact, no protection.

[Danny]

My first Dan test wasn't to bad. 3 patterns, step sparring, 1 knowledge question, breaking. Then sparring which was one round with my instructor, then one with the examinor was the hard part. Second round I got winded twice. Had to spar flat out for about a minute with no air. Collaped when I was done. My mouth was drier then it has even been. Three of us tested took about 3 hours.

Second Dan I had to get 8 out of 16 on a fitness test on running 1.5 miles, push-ups, sit-ups, then edurance on a shield. To put that in perspective to get a 16 I'd have to do the run in 8:30, then to 50 push-ups, then do 88 sit-ups in 2 min., then either pass out, or puke on the shield.

Next day came a 30 page written knowledge test. All 12 patterns I now. All the self defense I learned as a 1st Dan. Then a beating jokingly called a sparring match with my friend whom also happens to be the ITF Jr. Hyper weight Candian sparring champion. (It's 3 rounds with a better fighter for 1st Dan.)

Then breaking. Power, and speacialty.

Rule of thumb is whatever you do don't fail. Because it's something you would never ever want to do again.

[asoka]

Originally posted by DJDragon

I used to have a friend that did Muay Thai. He said to pass some test to get thier coloured singlet, they had to do a flying kick through a wooden window.

That's B.S,I'm a Muay Thai fighter and I've never seen or heard of any MuayThai person that had to a flying kick through a window.Infact we don't do those types of kicks in MuayThai.

[asoka]

Originally posted by asoka



That's B.S,I'm a Muay Thai fighter and I've never had to, seen or heard of any MuayThai person that had to a flying kick through a window for a test.Infact we don't do those types of kicks in MuayThai.

We do front kicks,back kicks,side kicks,round house kicks using shins,knees,jumping knee kicks,but no fly kicks.

[Rob_Broad]

A Black belt test should not be designed to break you. It should lift you up to a new level. My first degree balck belt test was 6 hours long. 270 self defense techniques, 14 katas, sparring, a thesis. My instructor taped the entire thing, I still have the tape to help keep me motivated when training gets a little stale or tough.

[Danny]

It shouldn't break you, but it should ask the questions "How much do I want to be a Black Belt?" and "On the street when I'm tired, and hurt am I going to suck it up and fight, or curl up and die?"

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Rob_Broad

A Black belt test should not be designed to break you. It should lift you up to a new level. My first degree balck belt test was 6 hours long. 270 self defense techniques, 14 katas, sparring, a thesis. My instructor taped the entire thing, I still have the tape to help keep me motivated when training gets a little stale or tough.

How many people kicked you, Rob?

[asoka]

In order for us to be able to test for black belt we first had to write a report on karate.We also had to hand in papers explaining what we feel we've learnt from doing karate,and what karate means to us,which I obviously managed to do since I tested for black belt.

We did the exercises and push ups and all the basic punches,kicks,blocks in all stances.I then had to go through every single kata I ever learnt at the school,then break at least 3 boards.After that I had to sparr for about 5-10 mins,then finally we had to use a steel bo for 3 weapon katas,which we weren't used to,since we usually used a wooden one like most schools.After sparring and doing katas a steel bo doesn't exactly feel light.

We were tested on technique,co-ordination,balance,stamina,and asked questions of history of karate do at the ending of test.

In Pankration unlike karate or at least school I trained in before,we have to sparr in every test.

Testing for Pankration is as follows:

Skipping 3 rounds of 3-4 mins,sit ups and as many push ups as we can do in just a little under a minute.squats,and what we call monkey drill(exercise where someone jumps over another student,crawls between partners legs and comes out and jumps again(3 rounds of 10 each side).Then for warm up we do some shield kicking and punching focus mitts ,following different combinations that instructor calls out and counts to 10 then back down to 1 or some times he gets us to just punch according to number he tell us to.

Must know all basic boxing punches plus kicks,such as round house(which do with shins,since we do MuayThai),lead and back front kick,side kicks,knee kicks.and jabs,cross punch,hooks,moving side to side to avoid getting hit,blocking punches,ducking from hooks,blocking hooks,upper cuts and blocking upper cuts,and blocking all kicks as well ,just to name a few,plus more.

On top of that we are tested on all basic grappling techniques (arm bars,different types of chokes,neck cranks,knee locks,wrist and elbow locks,ankle locks,reversals etc.)from different positions such as side body,reverse side body,mount,and guard,as well being on top of ones back and getting out of different positions put in so we can get back on our feet.

We have to show that we are able to apply all techniques we've learnt,both stand up and then grappling.

After that we must sparr mixing our stand up with the grappling(wearing grappling gloves),so fighting from stand up and eventually taking opponent to the ground and then apply a submission or choke.

This is what most schools do not test one's ability on,which I believe is wrong.Martial Arts should be tested on more then just doing katas,infact it should be all tested on ablity to defend yourself when put in all kinds of positions,whether it be standing up or on your back.

We are tested on techniques like any martial arts school is,but we're also tested on speed and power in our punches,kicks and use of elbows as weapons.

Incase anyone is wondering,ya we wear boxing gloves for the MuayThai part but when mixing it with grappling which makes it Pankration,we don't,instead we wear grappling gloves.

All our tests last a good 4-6hrs depending on rank testing for.

[asoka]

Originally posted by sparky

I have heard of a school were kids have been knocked out or had their noses bloodied during their Jr. Black test. The basic rule is your test isn't over until you cry. Any thoughts....

Mike


To me that is plain stupid a person shouldn't be having a bloddied nose or be knocked out in a test,maybe in a tournament but not in a test.I can understand if it is an accident, but for that to happen because a sensei expects it before your test is over is wrong.

My only conclusion is the sensei of this school has no respect for his students,if that is what he expects.

Besides all of this I don't believe in kids testing for black belts.Maybe others do,but I don't.Black belts should only be for adults that are really prepared to test.

[GouRonin]

Having come from boxing I was a little afraid of a black belt test. After all, I had heard that Karate dudes were tough as nails. They had all these secret moves and stuff. All us boxers had was footwork, a few punches, some cheats that the old guys taught us, and a lot of conditioning.

My black belt test was very hard. First I had to remember how to spell my name on the cheque and then I had to send the video of me off and actually wait for the certificate to come back in the mail.

Heh heh heh... more karate guys are ******* who do all this crap to themselves in these black belts tests that make no sense. When are they going to be pushed into doing techs and kata for hours? At least in boxing we prepped for actual use.

[theneuhauser]

gou is that really you-what the hell are you talking about?

maybe somebody hopped on your computer and started typing
or its the evil angry gou.


Heh heh heh... more karate guys are ******* who do all this crap to themselves in these black belts tests that make no sense.

[Danny]

I have heard of a school were kids have been knocked out or had their noses bloodied during their Jr. Black test. The basic rule is your test isn't over until you cry. Any thoughts....

I don't think it's that big of deal. We have people pass out, cry, bleed, puke, etc. on our Dan tests all the time. In class bleeding is quite common. (Mostly because of a few people we have that get a nose bleed if you look at them the wrong way.) And we've practiced knocking each other out a few times during Black Belt class. (Not with blunt trauma to the head if that's what your thinking.)

As long as there is no serious injury I think it's good practice for the street so you know how to take a hit and keep on going.

[tigerstorm]

I find it hard to believe, (and sad) that people have a standardized test for black rank. My mind automatically thinks that if 20 of these black belts walked down the street they would all step in the same footprints too. I dont see how you can test everyone the same, simple thoughts of an Instructor should be to know their students. My guess would be that different students should be expected to do more of certain things. I dont know about anyone else but at 60 if a guys been studying long enough to be tested for black rank, and he can live up to the rank, Im not going to tell him he failed because he couldnt do a split. Now I dont mean to cause more trouble but I also think that a person being tested for black rank shoudl be pushed alittle. I seem to read all these stories of how hard things are and that your from the "old school", but a one hour black belt test is a joke, period. If you can show everything youve learned in an hour you should be testing for a white belt.
Tigerstorm

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by Kirk



How many people kicked you, Rob?

Being my instructor's first student to make Black Belt, he was the only one who officially kicked me, but many instructors who had helped me get there gave me a kick when they saw me with my new belt.

[asoka]

Originally posted by GouRonin

Having come from boxing I was a little afraid of a black belt test. After all, I had heard that Karate dudes were tough as nails. They had all these secret moves and stuff. All us boxers had was footwork, a few punches, some cheats that the old guys taught us, and a lot of conditioning.

My black belt test was very hard. First I had to remember how to spell my name on the cheque and then I had to send the video of me off and actually wait for the certificate to come back in the mail.

Heh heh heh... more karate guys are ******* who do all this crap to themselves in these black belts tests that make no sense. When are they going to be pushed into doing techs and kata for hours? At least in boxing we prepped for actual use.


HA HA HA HA,very funny.GouRonin.I've been in karate and have tested for 2nd degree black belt.The black belt tests can be harder then you may think,however you are right in the sense that karate people get pushed into katas,where as in boxing you're at least prepared for actual use.But do remember you can never be too prepared either even as a boxer.

Lets not call other martial artists *******,whether it's true or not.

I,as a Pankrationist do agree that boxing,or even kickboxing and submission wrestling are more practical for defending yourself against an attack.So I do agree katas are somewhat useless when it comes to practicing self-defense techniques.

[GouRonin]

A friend of mine wrote this. I thought I would share it with you.

"the differences in effective fighting re boxing vs karate spring more from the level of intesity of training than the actual techniques. if a karateka practices full contact, like say a boxer does, i think the fight would be pretty one sided in favour for the karateka. with out that level of intesity in training( on the part of the karateka), the boxer takes it."

[TLH3rdDan]

i totally agree that the level of intensity in training aids a boxer or a full contact martial artist... but just as important as the training is the mind set of the fighter... you can train as hard as you want but if you dont have the will to win and the will to survive it wont do you any good...

[tonbo]

I agree that a BB test shouldn't be an all-day event. Nor do I think it needs to try and kill the practitioner.

Tests shouldn't, IMHO, be a "make it or break it" deal....i.e., you shouldn't be held back from getting a ranking because you don't test well. Lots can happen in one day, or on one test, or whatever, that can cause someone to act differently in the test.

That having been said, let me back it up a bit. An instructor should indeed push people during the tests. The stress of a test is a good thing, and gets people thinking again, for the most part. However, for a BB test, the instructor should also be pushing the students who will be testing for the whole time leading *up* to the test. I remember being pushed to work "at Black Belt level" when I got my third stripe on my brown. I knew that I was gonna be pushed until I was at the level they thought was acceptable for Black, and then I would be pushed over it. That was a given.

Also, we really had *two* tests: The "ceremony", where people actually received their belts, and the "test", which was our normal class period for the couple of months leading up to the ceremony. We were pushed to beyond our limits, but not to a point of humiliation or near-death.

Ah, well......your mileage may vary.....

Peace--

[islandtime]

Originally posted by tonbo

I agree that a BB test shouldn't be an all-day event. Nor do I think it needs to try and kill the practitioner.

Tests shouldn't, IMHO, be a "make it or break it" deal Lots can happen in one day, or on one test, or whatever, that can cause someone to act differently in the test.
Oh, well......your mileage may vary.....

Peace--
.................................................. .................................
I feel tests should NOT be carried out in one day that is the "longest day of my life".Testing should be an ongoing thing not just one day

As far as bad days and good days go. I have always thought that the Olympic selection was crappy it that area.. Too much rides on how you are feeling and acting on THAT particular day..


Gene Gabel:soapbox:

[asoka]

Lets face it,when it comes down to it,any school that doesn't test you on both stand up and grappling might as well not have tests.

Anyone in martial arts should have equal knowledge of grappling as well as stand up.After all in a real situation you wouldn't want to lose as soon as someone takes you to the ground.like most fights end.

Forget the forms, test on what is really important,which is the basic punches,blocks,kicks and sparring,forget the stupid and useless stances that most martial arts schools teach,they won't do you any good in a real situation.

To beat a fighter you have to put yourself in his shoes.Basically to beat a fighter you have to train like one,katas won't save your life in any confrontation.

Another thing is,anyone can break boards if taught properly,great for concentration however,boards don't fight back.

That's the problem with many martial arts schools,they don't test you on what is really important to learn.

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by asoka

Lets face it,when it comes down to it,any school that doesn't test you on both stand up and grappling might as well not have tests.

Anyone in martial arts should have equal knowledge of grappling as well as stand up.After all in a real situation you wouldn't want to lose as soon as someone takes you to the ground.like most fights end.

Forget the forms, test on what is really important,which is the basic punches,blocks,kicks and sparring,forget the stupid and useless stances that most martial arts schools teach,they won't do you any good in a real situation.

To beat a fighter you have to put yourself in his shoes.Basically to beat a fighter you have to train like one,katas won't save your life in any confrontation.

Another thing is,anyone can break boards if taught properly,great for concentration however,boards don't fight back.

That's the problem with many martial arts schools,they don't test you on what is really important to learn.


I know this is very unprofessional of me to say this but, "Are you still whining about katas". If you don't like them, fine. But to say any school that doesn't teach both how to fight standing up and the ground shouldn't fight at all, come on that is a little much.

Pankration is a very old style but has come back into the limelight because it will be featured in the 2004 Olympics. it appears to me that it is currently the FAD martial art that everyone flocks to thinking it has all the answers.

Asoka I am happy that you are happy about the style you are studying, but please spare us from hearing anymore about how you feel kata is useless. You started a thread about how oyu feel forms are useless please post more comments of that ilk there.

[LanceWildcat1]

I may be in the minority here, but my take on kata's is this: Kata's teach us how to put move's back to back without having to stop and think about them. Continuity in a street fight may well mean the difference between victory and broken bones. If you are a martial artist, and you are in a street brawl, your opponent is not going to stand around and wait for you to decide what to do next!!! Kata's teach us how to 'string' moves together that work well with each other. In a street fight, for instance, being able to follow up a punch with a kick may well mean that the opponent hits the ground instead of you. I can see where some may feel that kata's are only stylized movement's, but put those move's together during a fight, and you have a formidable offense and defense. I have found that when I spar in class, I find myself pulling bits an pieces of kata's together in either offense or defense. I think that this is why kata's were put together and I, for one, think that when they are used correctly, they can be a great help in helping to master your art. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. :cool:

[VampyrSoul2000]

Is surviving an auto accident considered as being tough?

[GouRonin]

Originally posted by VampyrSoul2000
Is surviving an auto accident considered as being tough?

Renegade :erg: survived his auto accident and I consider him pretty tough. I would think that luck might be a factor in auto accidents though. But that's just me.

[VampyrSoul2000]

The doctors said if it was not for my training and the mind set that we don't every quit, that I should have been dead by all accounts.
But were as we in our system are not allow to give up, I didn't. That was the difference. They said I would never walk again either, but guess what, I may not be able to run a marathon, but I walk pretty damn good for a supposely dead guy.. lol

[Chiduce]

It was a pretty rough test. My lower body shook on it's own whenever it wanted for a week afterward!
Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

[old_sempai]

:asian:

ith regard to Nihon Goshin Aikido, it is more than just one test. You must complete 50 hours of student teaching, then demonstrate the ability to do all 50 "Classical" techniques, both from the left and right sides, then demonstrate two applications, dynamically for each one, demonstrate all striking forms, i.e. kicking, punching, elbow strikes. Then 15 different projections of Ki, a First Aid test, a written test, and finally the Black Belt Self-defense Line.

This last segment consists of 100 non-stop, one on one attacks both with and without weapons, then an additional 40 two person attacks, again with or without weapons. You are permitted no more than 15 mistakes in the first group of 100, and must correct them.

For myself this segment was completed in 40 minutes at age 55, a year to the day after a serious car accident had left me with about 5 herniated discs [that still haven't healed], and having only 7 "do overs."

:cheers:

But, thanks to a book called: "The Science of Breath" I never ran out of "air," and was told I had the loudest Kiai's that had ever been heard in an SDL.

:asian: :asian:

[samuraijack]

any school that requires the student to bleed and be beat till they cry i would think would be rare. the black belt test that took and the one that i give to my students is comprised of every kata, every weapons kata and self defense move they learned since day one. not counting the black belt material. they then must do a required number of exercises and not quit or whine about it until done. then they are tested on there self defense techniques again by actually defending themselves against other students in the class, taking special care that no one is injured and not shadow boxing either. they must then defend themselves against multiple opponents. by this point they should be pretty worn out and about 4 or 5 hours have past and they must then do what i call the mental test. in this segment they will answer questions about the history of the art,and general knowledge questions, such as ones pertaning to the law, and when to use your art and force used etc.. then when all is said and done then they must free style spar against me. i don't expect them to beat me but show me that they can hold there own up to an extent. when these things have been met then they are awarded the black belt and they know they earned it and are proud of themselves and have grown in mind body and spirit

[stone_dragone]

My shodan test was 9 hours and I lost 10 lbs.

Major events (not necessarily in this order):

Bow in
Kiba dachi 30 minutes
Written Test
9 mile run (completion, not time)
calistenics
Stances
Caslistenics
Punch, block, kick
Calisten... (you get the idea...)
Combinations
Sprints
Kata (21, incl weapon, empty hand)
Bunkai demonstration
Demonstrate original weapon kata
Punches, kicks on bag (25-30 each kick, each leg, front and back)
Self-defense demo (10 min)
Semi-live self defense (bearhug defense, headlock, etc...)
Live grappling (for take down, tap-out) approx 1 hour
Sparring (single and multiple opponents)
Jog to cool down.

Thats about how I remember it...I may have left something out, but It probably got blacked out!

[fnorfurfoot]

My test for 1st Dan wasn't all that bad. It lasted between two and three hours. I had to perform 12 forms, 24 combinations, numerous techniques (I don't know how many I actually did on the day but I know I had practiced about 150 the week before), and sparring. During the one on one sparring I accidentally cracked two of my classmate's ribs. I didn't find out that his ribs were broken until the following Monday. After the one on one, my instructor decided that it would be fun to see how I would handle two guys at once. I actually remember that as being kind of fun. At the time, it was something I had never tried before.

[Explorer]

After a couple of hours of drills, breaking, kata, demonstration and explanation of technique ... the fighting. My sensei brought in a board of black belts to judge my test. They determined that I should fight several opponents of increasing rank. They wanted to see dominance and control with those less experienced AAAAANNNNND how much I had left when the fighting got serious. In the first few fights I wore sparring gear to protect the lower ranking students. When I started hitting the black belts, the mitts came off ... just a cup and mouth guard. By the time I got to the 3rd dan opponent, I was just about done. He started off by slapping me in the face three times. Then he began to pick me apart ... mostly hitting me in the groin. He was a pretty funny guy, afterwards he told me he wondered if I was wearing a cup ... while in the motion for a groin strike ... "I guess I'll find out" he said to himself. At one point he made a footwork mistake, I drove him to his back and shoved my forearm into his throat ... GET THIS ... this guy wasn't big but he used to play pro football and he bench pressed a 250lb man off his chest with ONE ARM!! At that point I figured I was in some trouble ... he didn't kill me ... but he could've. Thinking about it still makes me smile.