Thrown a curve

[Big Don]

So, I was supposed to be testing for my Black Belt on May 26th (three weeks from now)
On Tuesdays, there aren't any scheduled classes, just open mat time, informal time to work out with whoever else shows up.
Last night, just as I was about to leave, to drive one of the Black Belts home, my sifu looked at me and said:"Big Don, three weeks, isn't going to change a whole lot, I'm going to test you Friday."
OH HOLY CRAP
STRESS! My stomach has hurt all day.

[Bruno@MT]

Owwww....
Yes I can see how that would hit you with a bucket of stress :)
Good luck Don.

[Bob Hubbard]

Good luck! :)

[Big Don]

Owwww....
Yes I can see how that would hit you with a bucket of stress :)
Good luck Don.
Is that how we're measuring stress, by the bucket? Because it felt more like a truck...

[dbell]

Good luck, but I bet you don't need it. Your Sifu wouldn't be doing this unless he knew you were ready. Just relax and let your body do it's thing!

[Cirdan]

I know the feeling, "testing will start in 30 minutes, Rune you will join us for your 2nd brown test". Wasn`t expecting it for another few months.

Good luck, I am sure you will do fine.

[Carol]

ZOMG. But that means you're ready :)

You've been working for this for a long time. Get it over with and be done with it ;)

[elder999]

Kind of makes it a "test" all over again, doesn't it?
Relax, I'm sure you'll do fine (So are you, deep down I think...)
Good luck!

[Brian R. VanCise]

Just roll with it and you will do fine! Good luck!

[terryl965]

Don you will do fine, just remmeber to breath.....

[Big Don]

Kind of makes it a "test" all over again, doesn't it?

That it does.

[Grenadier]

He wouldn't have done this if he didn't have faith in you, Don. Take it as a badge of honor.

[Blade96]

So, I was supposed to be testing for my Black Belt on May 26th (three weeks from now)
On Tuesdays, there aren't any scheduled classes, just open mat time, informal time to work out with whoever else shows up.
Last night, just as I was about to leave, to drive one of the Black Belts home, my sifu looked at me and said:"Big Don, three weeks, isn't going to change a whole lot, I'm going to test you Friday."
OH HOLY CRAP
STRESS! My stomach has hurt all day.

Strength and courage, Don! You can do it. Remember what i said about making friends with butterflies? :p

[KELLYG]

holy cow!!! I think that I would absolutely freak out. But then I would go he is probably correct that their is probably not going to be a vast difference between me now and three weeks from now. I also would think that it is a very big complement. Just think for the next three weeks you can bask in the glow of your new belt instead of freaking out about your test!!!! Good luck I think that you will do great!!!

[Sukerkin]

The best advice I have ever been given about grading is to just treat it like more training.

It's harder to do than to say but I have found that that attitude is much more condusive to relaxing into the experience than any other.

Best of luck, Don but I, as others have said, am sure that you wouldn't be being put up for it if you weren't up to it.

[bwindussa]

You will do well. Think positively and try hard to laugh just before the test.

[IcemanSK]

You've got this, Don!!!

[Miles]

Good luck with the test! I was given 6mo (and so that is my practice) notice for my black belt test. But, I suppose 5 1/4 months into it, I'd be as prepared as I would be on the test date. Has the sifu ever done this with anyone else? (trying to get an idea if there is a pattern here.....)

[Daniel Sullivan]

Best wishes to you! I am sure that you will do well.

Daniel

[Nomad]

Good Luck, Don! Agree that he wouldn't pull this on you unless he saw you were ready (and possibly concerned about you overtraining to prepare for the test... this takes away that possibility)

Terry had great advice... just breathe.

[Touch Of Death]

So, I was supposed to be testing for my Black Belt on May 26th (three weeks from now)
On Tuesdays, there aren't any scheduled classes, just open mat time, informal time to work out with whoever else shows up.
Last night, just as I was about to leave, to drive one of the Black Belts home, my sifu looked at me and said:"Big Don, three weeks, isn't going to change a whole lot, I'm going to test you Friday."
OH HOLY CRAP
STRESS! My stomach has hurt all day.The stress trip is part of the experience. If he didn't think you were ready we wouldn't be having this discussion.
sean

[blindsage]

Good luck!

[Big Don]

Good luck with the test! I was given 6mo (and so that is my practice) notice for my black belt test. But, I suppose 5 1/4 months into it, I'd be as prepared as I would be on the test date. Has the sifu ever done this with anyone else? (trying to get an idea if there is a pattern here.....)
There was the one Green Belt who was helping out with the Brown Belts who were testing, after the entire test was over, he pulled her belt out of his GI.
SURPRISE!

Thanks everyone! I will, however, continue to stress... It's what I do

[J Ellis]

What a tremendous honor and compliment from your instructor. I'm sure you will do well, sir. Best wishes.

Joel

[Bruno@MT]

There was the one Green Belt who was helping out with the Brown Belts who were testing, after the entire test was over, he pulled her belt out of his GI.
SURPRISE!

Thanks everyone! I will, however, continue to stress... It's what I do

My old JJ sensei used to drop the bomb without notice if he thought you were up to it. My last exam under him was like that. I strolled into the dojo that day, finding many black belts from our sister dojos inside. And I thought to myself that it was odd, but didn't think further than that. Then after bowing in, he said 'Ok, Bruno, check test'.

I suppose the benefit was that I had no stress in advance :)

[Big Don]

My old JJ sensei used to drop the bomb without notice if he thought you were up to it. My last exam under him was like that. I strolled into the dojo that day, finding many black belts from our sister dojos inside. And I thought to myself that it was odd, but didn't think further than that. Then after bowing in, he said 'Ok, Bruno, check test'.

I suppose the benefit was that I had no stress in advance :)
That's a pretty big benefit

[Rich Parsons]

Is that how we're measuring stress, by the bucket? Because it felt more like a truck...

Use the the Bucket from a front loader to load the bucket of the dump truck.

Relax.

Breath.

If you were to test then you should have been ready before the test.

Spot testing and surprise testing are examples who ways to test people and how they handle stress or react in stressfull situations.


Good Luck.

[Big Don]

OK. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, although, you couldn't tell that by looking at the marks on my face... pictures to follow...

[Big Don]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/dcs1326/MINE/Face1.jpg

[Bruno@MT]

I take it this means you're a BB now?
Congratulations Don. Well done!

[Big Don]

I take it this means you're a BB now?
Congratulations Don. Well done!
It does. Thanks!

[Carol]

It does. Thanks!

:-partyon: :-partyon: :-partyon: :-partyon:

Well done! :kiss:

[Bob Hubbard]

Congrats! :)

[Blade96]

Congrats - Black belt. :angel:

[Sukerkin]

Good news! Enjoy the rest of the journey now that first big step is taken :bows:

[Big Don]

Good news! Enjoy the rest of the journey now that first big step is taken :bows:
Thank you. Yes, the learning doesn't end.

[jks9199]

Great news! Congratulations!

[dbell]

OK. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, although, you couldn't tell that by looking at the marks on my face... pictures to follow...

Congratulations Mr. BB!! What is your next "end" goal in that art? (Having just reached the first "end" goal of making black belt?)

[Bruno@MT]

Congratulations Mr. BB!! What is your next "end" goal in that art? (Having just reached the first "end" goal of making black belt?)

I can't answer for Don, but in Genbukan, Soke says kyu level students should focus on getting black belt. Black belt students should focus on getting 4th dan and the test for Renshi. After that I don't know.

[dbell]

I can't answer for Don, but in Genbukan, Soke says kyu level students should focus on getting black belt. Black belt students should focus on getting 4th dan and the test for Renshi. After that I don't know.

Kinda what I was asking. For me it was 3rd Dan (when I would receive the ability to open my own school (although I waited till much later to do so...)).

[Rich Parsons]

Congrats!

[tellner]

Your teacher is right. It's crap you've done a million times before. If you got scheduled for the test, you're ready. A bunch of needless worrying isn't going to make a bit or difference. But you've made a simple physical performance into something enormous and significant.

The real lesson here is not to care about a stupid scrap of cotton so much. It's making you miserable and interfering with your peace of mind. Just go through the performance - which you can probably do in your sleep - and get it out of the way.

[elder999]

It does. Thanks!

There, now, that didn't hurt too bad, did it? :lol:

Congratulations! Now keep going.....

[Big Don]

Congratulations Mr. BB!! What is your next "end" goal in that art? (Having just reached the first "end" goal of making black belt?)
Thanks.
Eventually, I want to have the kind of school my Sifu does, although I can't imagine leaving him. I want the respect and love from my students that he has from all of us.

[Big Don]

There, now, that didn't hurt too bad, did it? :lol:

Congratulations! Now keep going.....
Thanks, I will! My sifu called me this morning and told me that of all my tests, this was my best. I had thought so myself, but, was great to hear it from him.

[Grenadier]

Congrats!

Your teacher knows best, after all.

[Touch Of Death]

Congratulations! Gosh; all this time I could have been saying, "What do you know? You're just a brown belt.", but now I can't go there. Curses!
Sean

[Big Don]

Congratulations! Gosh; all this time I could have been saying, "What do you know? You're just a brown belt.", but now I can't go there. Curses!
Sean
funny, too drunk to spell hilarry=us

[Daniel Sullivan]

OK. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, although, you couldn't tell that by looking at the marks on my face... pictures to follow...

Congrats sir!! Looks like you had a good test!

Daniel

[Big Don]

Congrats sir!! Looks like you had a good test!

Daniel
Thank you. Honestly, I performed better than at any of my previous tests

[tellner]

Glad you had a successful test.
It sounds like your teacher knew what he was doing. If he'd given you the extra six weeks you would have just had more time to worry about it and probably wouldn't have done nearly as well.

Now that that's out of the way, what are you working on next?

[Brother John]

Congrats man!

Your Bro.
John

[Xue Sheng]

Could have been worse, he could have said; "Big Don, three weeks, isn't going to change a whole lot, Get out of the car I'm going to test you NOW!!!!!." :D

You'll do fine, relax, take it easy and roll with it.

[Balrog]

So, I was supposed to be testing for my Black Belt on May 26th (three weeks from now)
On Tuesdays, there aren't any scheduled classes, just open mat time, informal time to work out with whoever else shows up.
Last night, just as I was about to leave, to drive one of the Black Belts home, my sifu looked at me and said:"Big Don, three weeks, isn't going to change a whole lot, I'm going to test you Friday."
OH HOLY CRAP
STRESS! My stomach has hurt all day.
Performance under pressure is what it's all about.

Take heart in the fact that your instructor thinks you are ready to test, and just go out on the floor with a smile on your face and show 'em what you got. You'll do great!