BallistikMike
Green Belt
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2004
- Messages
- 105
- Reaction score
- 3
New stories / old stories anything. Did any of you have a specific workout or point in time that you look back on and can say "I grew as a Martial Artist at that specific point!"
I remember this because it happend the week of 9/11 and also may contribute to the growth factor.
The Thursday after 9/11 (9/13) I was feeling very ... I dont know what it was I was feeling, angry, sad, scared, frusterated, all of the above. I have a good home gym in the basement. 4 bags that I can hang in about 8 different spots to simulate multiman. Well I hung all 4 bags this time in a standard square, set my 3 minute boxing timer and went to town.
On my 7th round my wife came down stairs with the phone. It was a good friend of mine from a previous school who needed people that night for the second 2nd part of a 3 part black belt test. Tuesday was supposed to be the original test but it was canceled and rescheduled for Thurs.
The 2nd part is the notorious 4 hour session of a beat down. Everything and the kitchen sink is thrown at them. Self-defense, weapons, forms, forms again, back to self-defense, back to weapons, back to forms, breaking, back to forms, back to self-defense, sparring, savage circles, etc... I can go on and on. Its brutal, its to break you down and make you dig deep.
Im in. I enjoy giving the beat down, and whispering words of encourgement when doing bear hugs and grabs ("Man im going to drop you hard or just give up") lol I dont do it that often, but it fires them up right at the right itme.
30 minutes of going hard on the bags I was pretty warmed up, I had about 30 minutes to get to the school which is 40 minutes away lol.... So I grab my GI, put on my sandles and flop out to the car in my shorts and wife beater tank top ... Yeah I was a sight.
So I get to the school in 50 minutes, flop on in and the head instructor, my friend, 2 - 3rd browns and another fella I never met turn to look at me. My buddy laughs. It was pretty funny. The review board is just the head instructor and my buddy, the 2 browns are testing and the guy I never met is packing it up to leave when he saw me get there.
Usually the test is pretty formal with 5 people on the review board, plus 10 - 20 people to help the test. Tonight it was me, my buddy and the head instructor. I throw my GI on, we go through the bow in and get at it.
The 1st hour is all me trading haymakers and straight shots at both guys so they can demo the techniques and freestyle them. Then move on to grabs. All single man attacks.
My buddy takes off his GI top reties the belt and we begin two man grabs with punches, freestyle, threatening gestures, what have you. That was a great time. I was warmed up by now ... lol and took of my gi top, so now I am in faded back gi pants, with a beater t-shirt and my brown belt. The head instructor then stands up takes off his gi top and we begin 3 man.
45 minutes later we begin 4 man with one of the other testers <sp?> having to fill in for the 4th so there is no rest for anyone. This was truley awesome and inspiring. The head instructor someone I never really saw move and engage people (because I left the school early) and he also saw me move and engage people (I was usually working out on his off nights or the day classes with my schedule or privates with my friend who is an instructor there). We began to push harder, we all did.
Things were being thrown with such focus and power that when we missed someone was bloody, or bruised. We all brought each other to another level. We did things on that test night that haven't been done since. The savage circle was done by all of us not just the testers. Everyone of us was planted on the ground several times.
5 hours, and myself having to make it to the bathroom to heave later the test was completed. We picked up our Gi tops, retied our belts, sweeped up the broken patio bricks, put away the 1st AID kit, cleaned up and bowed out.
The following Monday I was invited back for the Black Belt ceremony but couldn't make it due to work. I was told it was a huge success, they video tape the test and replay the high lights for the family. Normaly about an hour. That Monday it was 2 and 1/2 hours of video play back.
What changed for me that night was how far people will go to help out others, and how we can all come together in a time of need. It wouldn't have ben great if there were 20 people there to help. What made it great was the effort all 5 of us put into the test to make sure the two testers deserved the rank. We brought it above the normal test.
Those 2 brown belts are now 2nd Blacks and out rank me. They still call me sir though because of the 9/11 test (which it is now refered to). On that day 5 men earned the respect of each other through comradeship and an event two days ago that I believe caused us to step up and feel alive.
Thankyou for letting me share a bit about myself. Forgive my grammer and speeling and how I jump.
Mike
I remember this because it happend the week of 9/11 and also may contribute to the growth factor.
The Thursday after 9/11 (9/13) I was feeling very ... I dont know what it was I was feeling, angry, sad, scared, frusterated, all of the above. I have a good home gym in the basement. 4 bags that I can hang in about 8 different spots to simulate multiman. Well I hung all 4 bags this time in a standard square, set my 3 minute boxing timer and went to town.
On my 7th round my wife came down stairs with the phone. It was a good friend of mine from a previous school who needed people that night for the second 2nd part of a 3 part black belt test. Tuesday was supposed to be the original test but it was canceled and rescheduled for Thurs.
The 2nd part is the notorious 4 hour session of a beat down. Everything and the kitchen sink is thrown at them. Self-defense, weapons, forms, forms again, back to self-defense, back to weapons, back to forms, breaking, back to forms, back to self-defense, sparring, savage circles, etc... I can go on and on. Its brutal, its to break you down and make you dig deep.
Im in. I enjoy giving the beat down, and whispering words of encourgement when doing bear hugs and grabs ("Man im going to drop you hard or just give up") lol I dont do it that often, but it fires them up right at the right itme.
30 minutes of going hard on the bags I was pretty warmed up, I had about 30 minutes to get to the school which is 40 minutes away lol.... So I grab my GI, put on my sandles and flop out to the car in my shorts and wife beater tank top ... Yeah I was a sight.
So I get to the school in 50 minutes, flop on in and the head instructor, my friend, 2 - 3rd browns and another fella I never met turn to look at me. My buddy laughs. It was pretty funny. The review board is just the head instructor and my buddy, the 2 browns are testing and the guy I never met is packing it up to leave when he saw me get there.
Usually the test is pretty formal with 5 people on the review board, plus 10 - 20 people to help the test. Tonight it was me, my buddy and the head instructor. I throw my GI on, we go through the bow in and get at it.
The 1st hour is all me trading haymakers and straight shots at both guys so they can demo the techniques and freestyle them. Then move on to grabs. All single man attacks.
My buddy takes off his GI top reties the belt and we begin two man grabs with punches, freestyle, threatening gestures, what have you. That was a great time. I was warmed up by now ... lol and took of my gi top, so now I am in faded back gi pants, with a beater t-shirt and my brown belt. The head instructor then stands up takes off his gi top and we begin 3 man.
45 minutes later we begin 4 man with one of the other testers <sp?> having to fill in for the 4th so there is no rest for anyone. This was truley awesome and inspiring. The head instructor someone I never really saw move and engage people (because I left the school early) and he also saw me move and engage people (I was usually working out on his off nights or the day classes with my schedule or privates with my friend who is an instructor there). We began to push harder, we all did.
Things were being thrown with such focus and power that when we missed someone was bloody, or bruised. We all brought each other to another level. We did things on that test night that haven't been done since. The savage circle was done by all of us not just the testers. Everyone of us was planted on the ground several times.
5 hours, and myself having to make it to the bathroom to heave later the test was completed. We picked up our Gi tops, retied our belts, sweeped up the broken patio bricks, put away the 1st AID kit, cleaned up and bowed out.
The following Monday I was invited back for the Black Belt ceremony but couldn't make it due to work. I was told it was a huge success, they video tape the test and replay the high lights for the family. Normaly about an hour. That Monday it was 2 and 1/2 hours of video play back.
What changed for me that night was how far people will go to help out others, and how we can all come together in a time of need. It wouldn't have ben great if there were 20 people there to help. What made it great was the effort all 5 of us put into the test to make sure the two testers deserved the rank. We brought it above the normal test.
Those 2 brown belts are now 2nd Blacks and out rank me. They still call me sir though because of the 9/11 test (which it is now refered to). On that day 5 men earned the respect of each other through comradeship and an event two days ago that I believe caused us to step up and feel alive.
Thankyou for letting me share a bit about myself. Forgive my grammer and speeling and how I jump.
Mike
