sensei8

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!! Always allow the testing cycle to take care of itself; don't worry about it before, during, and afterwards: what happens happens! The stress is enough without having to compound the entire process! Practice often, yet with purpose! Rest whenever you become fatigued so that bad habits don't start to creep in in the hopes of causing you to not succeed in your upcoming testing cycle! It's a time to celebrate to have been giving the opportunity to test in the first place; you must've been doing something right for your instructor to notice your passion in your training!! Remember what your instructor told you concerning each technique as far as your "Do's" and "Don't's"! However, don't dwell on them so long that you wrongly second guess what you've been taught thus far...it happens with the best, and at the wrong time! Remember this: you don't have to score a 100% to pass the testing cycle; this means that you can, and probably will, mess up someway and somehow that day/night! Your instructor's made his mistakes often, but look where he's at!! Good luck....train hard...and for the love of the testing cycle Gods...RELAX!! When your name is called, it's not to be executed, but only to be examined!!

Are you experiencing any skin color changes of any kind? Or is the skin cold to the touch? Either can mean something quite alarming, and in that, I'd get it looked at by a doctor asap!! Please, go see a doctor, if only for some piece of mind and a advice!! Hang in there, take care, and don't rush the healing process!!

Your opening had me...in stitches!! Loved it, Patrick!! Your kindness always touches my heart in ways that I can never repay you; except to say, thank you, Patrick! Even saying "thank you", as much as I mean every syllable, it pales in significance! While I miss the floor, I'm still on the KF floor, and this is the extension of the Shindokan circle for me!!

Thank you so much, JohnASE!! My Shugyo is exhausting my Ganbatte, at times!!

Thank you so very much, mazzybear!! I miss the floor with every piece of my heart!!

Thank you so very much, I appreciate it, Nidan Melbourne!!

Thank you so much, andym!!

The good fight is on!! Thank you so much, devil dog!!

Thank you so much, jaypo!!

Thank you so much, Noah!!

Your kind words have not been taking lightly; they mean the world to me!! Thank you, Hawkmoom!!

Ditto!! Happy Birthday, Brian!!

Ditto!! And many more!! Happy Birthday, Heidi!!

This is truly sad news!! My prayers go out to his family and friends!! He's one of the very few reporters on ESPN that I truly looked forward in watching his segments on ESPN; a true master at work!! His interviewing skills, imho, were unmatched on any given topic, including MMA!! Thanks, Patrick, for providing the links, and for letting us know!! He will be missed!!

There you go; the rest is, as they say, up to you!!

Ditto!!

Time heals all MA ailments; time on the floor is time well spent! In time, your balance will be solid! In time, stances will solidify! In time, kata becomes natural! In time!! Learn that time is on your side!! Not one Senior Dan started solid on the floor, they faced quite similar things that you are right now! Question everything, but do it with respect!! Having said that trust must be earned by every rank!! The higher the rank, the harder one must work to earn trust and respect! Trust your Sensei's grading decision through and through! To do otherwise is a from of disrespect, and I don't know many Instructors that appreciate their grading decisions being questioned by any rank, particularly beginners!! Your Sensei passed your on your merits and the like, and as in any test, you can still pass without making a 100% on the testing cycle!! DON'T ASK TO BE DOWN GRADED...and if you do, you'll deeply regret having done so!! As others have stated, we're individuals, and in that, the learning curve is easier for some, and difficult for others You passed! Congrats! Now practice until the wheels fall off, and then some! Nothing in the MA is suppose to be easy, and if it was, everyone would be doing it.

Ditto!!

Any new videos, Brian??

Solid post!! Verbal threats need to be reported to the police, and they shouldn't be taken lightly, imho!!

Thank you, Wado Heretic!!

Thanks, Danielle!! And no, it's not easy at all! When all of this is behind me, I'll spend some time with Greg at the Hombu to shake the rust off and see if the floor will accept me back!

Ditto!!

Great tutorial, as always, Alex!! Thank you for sharing!! I believe all of us who've been on the grappling mats have struggled one way or another with being static; it's the unknown familiarity of it all! Took me some time because I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Solid post!!