A discussion about the format of a belt test has popped up in THIS THREAD in the TKD community, and I thought I'd bring it out as a topic all its own here in the General Martial Arts community.
What do you think of the various formats around for belt testing, or the equivalent if your art doesn't use belts? Some of the formats I'm aware of range from "Hey, here's your new belt" at the end of class to multi-day testing, with extreme physical challenges. Some tests are little more than demonstrating a couple of forms, others run through everything you're supposed to know from every test before that one. Is a black belt test different from a regular belt? Are tests open to the public? Other students? One test I've heard of takes place after class, after everyone has left, without warning or prep; others have a year or more to prepare...
So... whaddaya think?
What do you think of the various formats around for belt testing, or the equivalent if your art doesn't use belts? Some of the formats I'm aware of range from "Hey, here's your new belt" at the end of class to multi-day testing, with extreme physical challenges. Some tests are little more than demonstrating a couple of forms, others run through everything you're supposed to know from every test before that one. Is a black belt test different from a regular belt? Are tests open to the public? Other students? One test I've heard of takes place after class, after everyone has left, without warning or prep; others have a year or more to prepare...
So... whaddaya think?