Nidan test

 Martial Arts, testing  No Responses »
Mar 192010
 

On February 28th, 2010, I took the test to become a second-degree black belt.

Here is a summary of what I had to do, besides the calisthenics:

  • All my empty-hand forms, opposite side. There are eight of them. This meant that if the first step was with the left foot, I had to do it with the right foot. I suppose you could also call that ‘mirror’. The names are : seisan, seiuchin, naihanchi, wonsu, chinto, kusanku, sunsu, and sanchin. I admit we did not do sanchin opposite side, but that’s not too surprising. It’s not a complex form, but there’s nothing to be gained from being able to do it regular and opposite side.
  • My first weapon form, opposite side. This is a bo (long staff) form. The name is tokumine no kun.
  • My third weapon form. This is a bo form. The name is urashi bo (sometimes called urashi no kun).
  • My fourth weapon form. This is a sai form. the name is chatan yara no sai.
  • The fifth weapon form. Note that I said “The” and not “My” … Because I hadn’t learned it. I was told to stay with the group and keep up. I did. That is my proud moment. :) It is a tonfa form. The name is hamahiga no tonfa.
  • Self-defense, including bunkai (analysis) from the various empty-hand forms.
  • Knife defenses
  • Sparring. This was actually rather fun, about thirty people in line and we (everyone testing for nidan) fought them one after another.

It was tough, but it was mostly a mind exercise. I must admit not remembering any thoughts or feelings during the test; I heard the instructions and executed them, and waited for the next instructions.

I passed.

Phew.

Alright, let’s work towards the next steps.

Another awesome training evening

 body, Martial Arts, sparring, teaching, testing  No Responses »
Sep 172009
 

So tonight, I went to train 35 minutes away from home, at the dojo where my sensei’s sensei teaches. Warmups / stretches, kicking drills, calisthenics, sparring, then fighting drills.
Sensei’s sensei has a son who is now 48. Now — I am fast by normal people’s standards. This guy is really fast by my standards. He also has a really positive energy – very friendly eyes, a great disposition.. And he can dislocate your jaw before you can blink or think “oh sh..!”, so don’t piss him off.
Anyway, as much as shihan (sensei’s sensei) is amazing, tall, skilled, talented, dedicated to his art, as much his son inherited many of the traits, has been training under his dad a long time, and has learned a lot from a ton of sparring and tournaments and just .. being there.
So now he imparts his wisdom and skills, and it’s WONDERFUL to watch him in action, and learn from him, and listen to his way of explaining things. Just like in Dune, “A process cannot be understood by stopping it”, he explains action and reaction within the context of a moving match, which is AWESOME.

I breathe hard when I’m in this class. It’s a bit of a work-out, and excellent cardio.
Oh ! So shihan’s son hit me twice, and I managed to shift out of the way of the third strike, like I felt his movement and reacted. It was sweet. Now I only need to make that happen ALL THE TIME.

More stances and some testing

 Martial Arts, sparring, testing  No Responses »
Feb 052009
 

So, I’ve been trying to keep my stances down a lot more now – it’s making me much more aware of when I get tense.. Because I rise, because my ankles, hips and knees just don’t flex. It’s an interesting experience.
Two people are testing.. During sparring, that evening was the first time that I made a conscious point of “the first thing I do is move – and then answer”. I’m feeling good about this change, in addition to keeping slightly lower stances during sparring – mobility much increased and there is a lot more potential there.
Something to work on…

More students testing

 Martial Arts, testing  No Responses »
Dec 192008
 

This week two more students tested. We have a new green belt and a new blue belt. They did pretty well, but I am completely amazed at how many excuses adults have. Their heads are full of them. Can’t they just listen and say ‘yes’ like they were taught when they were kids? Talking back is a privilege, not a right.
Ooh.. That’s good.. I’ll reuse that.

Testing for purple

 testing  No Responses »
May 012008
 

Monday and yesterday, two blue belts were to test for purple. They went through their calisthenics and basics; I did not see their forms on Monday, but I did see them on Wednesday. They were bad enough sensei wanted to see them again, that much I understood, but not sure how bad until I saw them both.

Neither of them broke a sweat until fighting, not for the 100 jumping jacks, not for the 60 push-ups, not for the multiple kick combinations. They did get out of breath when doing all the forms in a row, at least…
Neither displayed the spirit we expected from a blue belt.. Let alone from someone testing. A test is supposed to be the hardest thing you’ve done to date and you’re supposed to work as hard as you can.. And that’s usually noticeable. Further, their forms weren’t even up to blue belt level. Chances are they did not practice outside the dojo.. Or even think about the art at all. While some people do martial arts leisurely, you should either expect to stop progressing or realize that work needs to go into it.

One of the blue belts seemed OK with the postponement and stayed to speak with sensei.. The other one pretty much stormed out.. Well, we’ll see what happens now.
You have to TRAIN !