Testing for Black Belt

[ERPMISTER]

My instructor just told me that his shihan just let him know that all the brown belts at my dojo would be testing for our 1st dans at our next huge tournament in New York in 2007. That gives me two years to train, but I feel way nervous about it. Any ideas to calm myself and help me prepare for the testing which will be around in the next two years? I've earned my black belt in another style when I was like, 11, but I don't remember much about it, so anything that would help me know what to expect and what to do would be great. Thank you all.

Oh ya, It will be my 1st Dan in Shito-Ryu.

[Menjo]

Well good luck

[kyospirit]

I hope you will be ready then , because seems that you are not ready now.

Good Luck !

[Menjo]

Its wierd how you forgot your training from another stlye when you were a black belt,

[f2journeys]

What to expect really depends on your school. With some school there isn't much variation between the kyu belt test and the dan belt, it's just one more grade. Others make it more epic. Two parts of my school's test I espicially like is sparring for two hours straight, with only one two minute halt in the middle to hydrate and forming your own applicable kata with bunkie.

[24fightingchickens]

2007? Two years to train?

It's fantastic that you are asking now, because usually people come to forums asking these sorts of questions ten minutes before the exam begins. You have a lot of time to work with.

I would suggest that you direct the question at the guy who can best answer it - your instructor. Ask him what's on the test. Ask him to work with you after class to start getting you ready, and ask him to give you some big points to work on and a list of rough spots to work out between now and then.

He's the one with all the answers.

[Fairfax_Uechi]

Wow,

That seems a little strange to me. Now I know different styles and dojo's do things differently, but having a hard set date doesn't seem right to me. My thoughts are as follows, what if you're ready sooner, isn't it unfair to you to not be able to test sooner if a test is available. And what if you're not ready, then his statements imply that you will test anyway, again not fair.

Now maybe this is the way that your system works, and please excuse me if my comments are off base.

I agree that between now and your test time, you need to work hard. Practice all you have learned, learn to work every move to perfection (or as close as you can get). Learn to visualize things. By this I mean to practice in your head with your eyes shut. This way when you do test, you'll be relaxed.

[Sauzin]

I was tested for my 2nd dan at a rather large seminar that my Sensie was giving. He knew of the seminar date about a year before it happened and he told me then that I would be testing at that time. I think he had a pretty good idea of how I was progressing and decided to match the promotion date to the date of a large gathering. I don't think there's anything wrong with this. In many arts a big part of tests, especially in the upper belt ranks are not so much to actually test as they are to demonstrate and celebrate the student's accomplishments. Large martial gatherings are a particularly good place to do this. Also keep in mind the saying that belt testings are as much for the instructor as they are for the student.

As far as not being ready, an instructor can always pull a student out of the event if he feels his progression has not kept up to what was previously expected. But in most dojo's it would take a lot for this to happen. Generally by the time an instructor has several brown belts he has a pretty good idea of who's progressing at what rate.

Edited August 29, 2005 by Sauzin

[Fairfax_Uechi]

Sauzin,

I agree with what you said, but 2 years is a long time. Even a year is a long time. Many things can happen in that time frame.

Again, personal opinion, but I would pencil something like this in a calendar, but wouldn't tell someone "you will be testing" at the event. My wording would be different. Something like, if you're ready....

Maybe I missed something but just a different view.

[ERPMISTER]

Its wierd how you forgot your training from another stlye when you were a black belt,

I studied Kenpo along time ago from ages 6 - 11. I got my black belt when I was 11 and decided I had enough of Karate and quit a few months later to play football. Years later I decided to start up in another style and progressed through that to where I am now. So it had been years since my 1st black belt test and I guess I was a young fool at the time sick of martial arts.

That seems a little strange to me. Now I know different styles and dojo's do things differently, but having a hard set date doesn't seem right to me. My thoughts are as follows, what if you're ready sooner, isn't it unfair to you to not be able to test sooner if a test is available. And what if you're not ready, then his statements imply that you will test anyway, again not fair.

I will have the opprotunity to test sooner if my sensai deems me ready. This is basically a progression as I'm a brown belt right now and I need to wait 1 year for my next brown belt rank, and then another year to get my 1st dan. If everything works out right, then the 2007 tournament will be the perfect time to test as thats when the head cheese of the Shito-Ryu style will be the one running the testing. (The suke?) Our style allows us to test at other times, this just makes it eaiser for my sensai as here in Utah, we are the only Shito-Ryu dojo out here and for the black belt, we need a council to test in front of, and its hard to get people out here to do that.