How tough was your black belt test

[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 pussies 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 pussies,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.

 

[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.