23 1/2 hours and counting...

[bluekey88]

Welp, after many many years of hard work, I will be testing fro blackbelt in less than a day. It's been a challeneg coming back from my knee injury, but I am definitely stronger and more fit than when I was up for testing in October.

I'm starting to get a bit excited...gonna have to channel that for tomorrow.

I'll post with results after they happen.

Also, a thank you to all the folks here who have been supportive and helpful with my questions, quesries and comments these past few months.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Kacey]

At this point, I would suggest you relax and get some rest - or at least try to do so. If you haven't learned it well enough by now, then practicing before your test will only make you more nervous.

Good luck, enjoy, and show 'em what you can do!

 

[shesulsa]

Good testing to you! Let us know how it goes.

 

[Lisa]

Whoot! Good Luck on your Testing!

 

[exile]

Ditto, ditto to what Kacey, Shesulsa and Lisa have said. This is your moment, Bluekey; just live out your knowledge and skill for them to see, and you'll be there. We await word with the greatest interest!

 

[Carol]

Fantastic news!!! :highfive: :highfive:

I'm sure you'll do great but I'm wishing you good luck anyway.

 

[Thloe]

You could look at it like a test, or you could see it as a formality. I wouldn't think anyone is setting you up for failure. As long as you dont grease the bottom of your feet with lard you will be fine.

 

[bluemtn]

Wooohooo!! Best wishes for your test, and keep us posted on what happens, ok?

 

[Last Fearner]

Have fun, do well, and enjoy the moment!

(Have someone take a lot of pictures and video to preserve this occasion, and share with us later) :ultracool

See you on the other side!

CM D.J. Eisenhart

 

[IcemanSK]

Rest tonight & then Go get em, tomorrow!

 

[terryl965]

you will be fine just relax and get it done

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Best of luck to you bluekey88!

 

[TKDmel]

Best of luck! You will do great!

 

[crushing]

You know it, just relax and show it.

Best to you!

 

[Gemini]

I hope you find the moment as memorable as I did at mine. I'm sure you'll do great!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Welp, after many many years of hard work, I will be testing fro blackbelt in less than a day. It's been a challeneg coming back from my knee injury, but I am definitely stronger and more fit than when I was up for testing in October.

I'm starting to get a bit excited...gonna have to channel that for tomorrow.

I'll post with results after they happen.

Also, a thank you to all the folks here who have been supportive and helpful with my questions, quesries and comments these past few months.

Peace,
Erik

So 23 hours later I expect a full report in about an hour, 2 on the outside.

How did it go?

 

[bluekey88]

Ok, for those of you who hate reading long posts...I PASSED!!!

For those interested in more details, here's the scoop.

I've been pursuing the goal of attaining a blackbelt since I was about 10 years old. My parents enrolled me in some form of striking/karate art (possible Tkd or TSD...never was clear on what it was other than "karate). I did that for awhile (not quite a year) before I stopped going. I suspect we were having money troubles at the time...although again, not sure. All I do remember is that I wanted to do MA and I wanted to be a kick-A invincible blackbelt.

A fre years later when I was 12, I was enrolled in Aikido. I did that until I was almost 17. I was abot a year or so away from getting that blackbelt. Then my parents split. Money was tight. I ended working to help support my mom and my sister. No time for MA.

This pattern went. When I had time and money I'd sign up for whatever was around where I was living at the time. However time and money oftne didn't occur at the same time. I'd usually run out of one or the other (by the time I was 22, I have a son, was working 2 or 3 part time jobs and going to school full-time). But I stayed obsessed. Ask my wife, one of the first things I do when I move to a new area after I get the phone book is check out the yellow pages to see what MA schools around. I usually call and check prices and set up some intro classes and the like.

Anyway, finalyl at the age of 34, I followed my son and daughter into TKD. Things have been reasonably stable financially and I haven't had to move or change jobs...so I was able to stick with it this time. Seriously, I've been after this gola (get the BB in something...anything) for a LONG time.

It gets better. Once I attained my Cho Dan Bo rank, I learned that God (or the creator deity of your personal choice...hey it's cool) has a wicked sense of humor. I'd always trained hard...never got ceriously hurt. About 3 weeks into my final BB prep after getting the Cho Dan Bo rank, I injur my ribs grappling with an instructor. Seperated ribs or something...not broken or so the x-rays indicated. That took me out of training for a few weeks. Hurt like hell. It really was the oddest freak accident, I was on top holding my instructor in a scarf hold. He tried to roll underneath me to flip me over. His ribcage went up against mine and POW! I couldn't breathe...could hardly stand for awhile.

I get over that injury and get back into training. Get caught up with the rest of my group who are preparing for BB. Then it happens again. A few weeks before I am to test, I blow out my ACL. I've recounted that story a few tiems here, so I won't go into details. Suffice to say, that was back in October and I didn't test. However, I through myself into recovery and rehab and got better. I stayed with the hard work and got even stronger and better cardio. I wanted to nail the next test.

God is funny. Really. After I started this thread, I started feeling a littel run down. Figured I was nervous until my wife kisses my forehead and mentions I feel really warm. Get the thermometer...sure enough, I'm running a fever (about 100.3 at the time). Within about about an hour I'm grappling with a nsty stomach bug that I picked up from my 7 y.o. daughter. Seriously, God is REALLY funny.

Yesterday came, I was still feeling lousy...not gonna quit though. So, we hit the hottest day of the year to date. Well over 95 degrees (the dojang is NOT airconditioned...so it was even warmer in there come test time). There were supposed to be thunderstorms coming in around the time of the test. I was hoping they'd show up and break some of the heat...didn't happen until I walked out of the dojang AFTER the test (see? snes of humor...funny...gotta love it).

Needless to say, all that extra cardio work probably saved me...but it felt as if I was sucking wind as bad as I usually do. It was TOUGH. Between my fever, the heat and mentally willing myself to not puke or mess my pants, I had no time to feel nervous.

Sabumnim assigned me as lead student. That means I took first position in the test and led everyone through techniques and forms (everyone followed my lead and cadence to stay synchronised). We got through all that ok. I felt my forms were pretty good. The rough part about having lead position is that it put me towards the edge of the matt and near the wall. There were a coupld of time (during Koryo in particular) where I worked really hard not to kick the wall or any spectators. I tried my best to pull that off without letting on that it was an issue. Based on my scores I pulled it off. I got full marks for all of that.

Then we went into dive tumbling. My Aikido background generally makes this a piece of cake (dive over 5 kneeling people, then over 3 waist high people). Howeber, this was the only part of the test we hadn't really gone over since I returned to training from my knee surgery. Mentally, I was a little nervous about doing this full blast and untested. Thankfully, it was no problem. There's something about watching a 240 lb man get fully airborne and not get hurt on the landing. I imagine it was similar to watching that single flight of the "Spruce Goose." It's like, "Wow, that man should NOT be airborne...but he is...that's rather unreal."

Dive tumbling went on to creation self-defense. Got to flex my old Aikido muscles again for a bit. I felt that it went well. Then we did prescribed self defense. By this time I was seriously starting flag energy wise. All this getting thrown and getting back up...very hard. I lost some points there, I think partially due to my lack of energy at this point and my partner having a hard time taking a fall ont he last technigue (the classic monkey flip...he'd always had a hard time going with the throw and would panic...makes me work harder to pull it off and it ends up not looking as good as could've). Still, while not full marks...pretty good considering the GM that oversees our school (GM Soon Ho Chang) was grading me.

One step punch sparring went much better and I was able to catch my wind a bit. But then we came to the "endurance" portion of the test. First was 2 on 1 sparring. I think I did ok...totally couldn't lift my legs by the end...although I was able to finish with a side kick shot to a younger, taller 2nd dan that knocked him out of the ring right as they called time. I felt like puking at this point. I was totally exhausted and wanted to die. At this point, I'm drenched in sweat (seriously, I look like I'd just taken a shower in my dobok...not a pretty sight) and about 3 shades whiter than my already pale self...(I put the white into Wonder Bread...and even the Wonder Bread was going "you ok man?"). Then again, I've always said that my TKD did not look pretty, but it gets the job done.

From a few rounds of sparring we moved on to grappling. I had quite a bit of size on my opponent...also some experience. But I'm spent. He's young, and appears he'd been taking some grappling/wrestling classes. I did not blow through him as expected. First round, back press position, me on bottom...I'm able to get out and almost arm bar him before time is called. Second round, back press, him on bottom...I hold him for awhile, but he slips out (I thought I almost had him, but I was too tired to press my advantage effectively). He gets his legs around me (this kid is freakishly tall, about 6'3") and squeezes. Normally, this is no big deal, but did I mention I had a nasty stomach bug? As soon as he did that I was on the verge of messing my pants again. In an effort to save face and not become a dojang legend for crapping himself in the middle of a blackbelt test...I tap out. I'm sure this has happened before...the submission due to incontinence...but I'm guessing I'm the only dude who'll fess up to it .

From grappling we go to breaking. This is another challenge for me. Generally my size strength and technique make breaking no problem. BUT, we had to do 3 difficult kick breaks (never did that many in a row before). Jumping front kick over head height through 2 boards. Jumping front leg roudhouse through 2 boards. Flying side kick through 2 boards.

Here's the deal. I've suffered from serious chronic gout since I was about 14. It took years for the docs to figure out why my toes and feet would swell up and gte painful. While I've got things under control...it's always just barely. My right foot is pretty messed up from the damage (bones spurs on my big toe and on the side of the ball of my foot). What happens lately is that after breaking with that foot it gets aggravated from the impact (hurts like hell). In the case of going from a ball of foot technique to a sole or knife-edge part of foot tecnique is no problem. I discovered (mere days before this test mind you) that doing back to back ball of foot techniques is hard on me as the foot starts swelling almost immediately.

Of course, the techniques were called in order of front kick, round house then side kick. Got the front kick (2 tries...only broke one board on the first try). Then totally screwed up the jumping roundhouse. My foot was starting to hurt but the holder wouldn't switch over and so I could go lefty. I nailed the board but missed the break, totally racked my toe. I didn't scream but the grimace was enough for Sabumnim to let me go lefty. I still missed the break though. I was SO pissed. That however fueled me for the flying sidekick. Nailed that first shot. (in practice that had always been a difficult break for me usually requiring multiple tries). I really hope someone got a good picture of me doing that. From there I did my concrete block break (hammer fist, 2" block) no problem (my mother claimed the peices of the block to use as "special" pavers in her garden ). I finished by redoing the roundhouse kick break lefty style with one board. I just had to take a moment to get refocused. In the future I'm going to have to look at my foot breaks...probably learn them all on my left side to save wear and tear on my right foot.

We wrapped up the test with physical skills and questions. I was SO tired. I truly left it all on the matt (with the exception of my lunch and whatever was gurgling in my colon thankfully ) I am so jazzed right now I can't even sleep. What an ordeal....but soooooo satisfying. I highly recommend everybody try it (without the fever and stomach bug though...that's really not necessary).

If you;ve made it this far through the post...congratulations! Thanks for hangin' with me.

Peace,
Erik

 

[Carol]

Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!

Migosh to do all of that with being ill too...that is really something to be commended.

HEARTY congratulations to you! You are a huge inspiration BlueKey!! Great job!

artyon: artyon: :highfive: :cheers: :highfive: artyon: artyon:

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Congratulations that is great!

 

[Shaderon]

Congratulations Erik, that's really good! Fantastic work SIR! *bows*

I'm sure you'll get over the ordeal pretty quickly too