Always ready or ramp up?

[Gnarlie]

Should a black belt always practice at grading standard or should they cool off and then ramp up?

Obviously practicing before a grading intensifies either way, but should there be a 'slack' period in between?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Is this for TKD practitioners only, or is it open to perspectives from other arts?

 

[Gnarlie]

Naturally open, just posted it here because TKD is my main art. I'm interested to see how it works in general too...

 

[Dirty Dog]

All students of any level should strive to practice at the very highest level they can achieve on any given day.
That's going to vary from day to day, of course, and most of us are going to fall short of this ideal, but it's still the goal. There's no good reason to intentionally slack. If your hip is hurting and you lower your kicks with that leg, that's not slacking; it's doing the best you can despite the injury.

 

[tshadowchaser]

I completely agree with Dirty Dog. A student should do his/her best every class. Anything less than your best is a wast of time unless your just there to impress someone with your "skill" or presence. You improve by pushing yourself not by just going through the motions.

 

[Danny T]

I believe one should always do your best.
Your best will change from day to day due to a number of factors. Energy level, nourishment, hydration, strength, physical abilities, overall health will be different from day to day. Rest and relaxation is a very important part of training as well as mental imagery. There are many ways to keep a part of your training ramped up while another part wanes.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

The idea of ramping up or intensifying training before a grading doesn't apply in my experience. I've mostly had instructors who promoted based on long term observation of my practice rather than testing on a given day. (Although I have had some who did testing.)

I generally prefer this practice. Think of all the exams in school that we crammed for and then forgot most of the material by the following semester. Ongoing observation gives a better understanding of what a student has actually mastered.

 

[Danny T]

Tony I tend to look at testing for my students more as a confidence booster and a affirmation for thems. I all ready know if they are able to pass the test by ongoing observation. However the pressure of going through the test method is also a very good teaching method for the student as well.

 

[drop bear]

The idea of ramping up or intensifying training before a grading doesn't apply in my experience. I've mostly had instructors who promoted based on long term observation of my practice rather than testing on a given day. (Although I have had some who did testing.)

I generally prefer this practice. Think of all the exams in school that we crammed for and then forgot most of the material by the following semester. Ongoing observation gives a better understanding of what a student has actually mastered.

I don't know our guys don't test they fight and have to taper or they would combust. I could see the advantage of a camp before a grading.

We are about to kick off a 12 week camp that some people will use to fight and some will use just as a spur to either get fitter or better.

And the improvement in one of those is quite significant.

of course this will all depend on how. Hard the test is i suppose.

 

[Buka]

A student of any-God damn-thing should give their all, all the time. Or not.

IMO, a Martial Artist falls into one of those two two categories. Which one are you in?

 

[dancingalone]

I think it might be a good thing to train for different qualities at times. The couple of weeks immediately following a grading generally are slower paced as new material is taught to the recent promoted. High intensity isn't always needed nor desired.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I do not know of any high level competitor that trains at competition / testing intensity all the time. Furthermore practice should require attention to details, positions and motions that cannot really be done or corrected at full intensity.

Chuck Norris tells a story (True or not it's a good story) of working out with Bruce Lee who was trying to do something CN had showed hm and CN purportedly told him "You have to slow down to speed up". In essence you have to learn and practice motions at less than full intensity and once they are leanred you cn go full blast. Still, some polishing and attention to detail may require that intensity be lowered.

One the funadamentals are ingrained and it's time for competition and testing the elements are put together for full throttle performance.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I do not know of any high level competitor that trains at competition / testing intensity all the time. Furthermore practice should require attention to details, positions and motions that cannot really be done or corrected at full intensity.

Chuck Norris tells a story (True or not it's a good story) of working out with Bruce Lee who was trying to do something CN had showed hm and CN purportedly told him "You have to slow down to speed up". In essence you have to learn and practice motions at less than full intensity and once they are leanred you cn go full blast. Still, some polishing and attention to detail may require that intensity be lowered.

One the funadamentals are ingrained and it's time for competition and testing the elements are put together for full throttle performance.

Altering the focus of the training doesn't alter the intensity.


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[Flatfish]

I think it might be a good thing to train for different qualities at times. The couple of weeks immediately following a grading generally are slower paced as new material is taught to the recent promoted. High intensity isn't always needed nor desired.

LOL, in our Dojang, the week after testing is lovingly called "Torture week" by our instructor.

Lot's of exercise after technique focused training for testing, but I am talking about keup gradings.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Tony I tend to look at testing for my students more as a confidence booster and a affirmation for thems. I all ready know if they are able to pass the test by ongoing observation. However the pressure of going through the test method is also a very good teaching method for the student as well.

I can respect that. I've been through at least one test that was more a test of mental fortitude than any sort of technical evaluation. I'm glad I did it, although I wouldn't want that to be the usual approach to promotion.

The couple of weeks immediately following a grading generally are slower paced as new material is taught to the recent promoted.

This I don't care so much for - the idea that it's like school where you learn a module of material, get tested, and then move on to the next module. In my training, every single week I am both learning new stuff and also working to improve techniques I first learned 20 years ago. I'm not working on new material just because I got a new belt.

High intensity isn't always needed nor desired.

Yep. I try to keep the quality of my practice high, but intensity can vary considerably based on my physical condition, my mental condition, my current focus for improvement, my training partners, and more.

CN purportedly told him "You have to slow down to speed up".

Slow makes smooth, smooth makes fast ---> slow makes fast. (Before any pedants jump in to point it out, that's not the whole picture. Just training slow will not ever get you fast, it's just one piece of the puzzle.)

 

[dancingalone]

This I don't care so much for - the idea that it's like school where you learn a module of material, get tested, and then move on to the next module. In my training, every single week I am both learning new stuff and also working to improve techniques I first learned 20 years ago. I'm not working on new material just because I got a new belt.

To be certain, you never actually "move onto the next module", at least in the sense you are thinking here. We always constantly polish and improve technique throughout our martial art lifetimes. Just because I have learned for example a front leg sidekick and am now ready to study a rear leg spinning sidekick doesn't mean that I am done with the first technique and never ever practice or revisit it. As an experienced martial artist you know this, and surely I and most everyone else here does as well.

I like to teach new material after promotions. It is a reward of sorts and outlines the additional expectations newly ranked students must know. Does this mean they are "done" with their previous material? Of course not.

 

[Gnarlie]

Thank you for all of your responses. Sometimes I wonder if I'm slacking or just having a technical lesson. I try to give my all every time, although I admit not always achieving that goal. However, when testing time approaches, I do train more often, and I do put in specific very intense training in the disciplines I know are my weakest, at a level that I could definitely not sustain in the long term. Does the fact that I ramp up like that mean that I am slacking in between? I'm not sure it does, but I'd love to be able to sustain that intensity.


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[Earl Weiss]

Perhaps the distinction is between "Learning" and "Training" . Something like training is to take what you've learned and develop it to your optimum potential. This requires intensity. Learning is a process that takes however long at whatever speed is needed for your mind and body to properly assimilate the motions.

 

[drop bear]

How hard are you going when you say go all out though? I mean if you train three nights a week yeah train hard. If it is six night. You may need some rest days.

We gave a drill that you physically couldn't put a guy through if he does the rest of the class. So he is told specifically to take it easy in class.

And sparring has to be tapered up and down. You can do 80%ers. But you cant do them all the time.