Going for Black Belt

[CTTKDKing]

Best of luck with the test! As an older guy (40 years old), I find I can do just about anything I did a decade or two ago. It just takes a bit more effort and far more recovery time.

Make sure to get adequate rest beforehand, and even more afterwards.

Perhaps I should elaborate on what I meant earlier. My concern actually lies in the recovery time. The 3 days of this test this week are Monday (tomorrow), Wednesday and then Saturday is open door so our families can come watch as well as other people from the school. The days are spaced out exactly so you're on that 2nd to 3rd day, which for a 20-25 year old should be feeling a bit better from soreness and whatnot with a little stretching. I find my recovery puts me at my sorest on that 2nd to 3rd day after extreme exertion, so this test should be quite challenging.

That said, I've been taking it easy today and doing a lot of thinking and reflecting and I'm feeling pretty good. I've thought about my training both ongoing and the intensive cardio I've been doing since my summer semester ended in mid July, and I literally couldn't fit any more in, without neglecting my family, even if I'd wanted to. I'm as ready as I can possibly be and am looking forward to starting this challenge tomorrow. That and I can hardly wait to start training to what comes next after black belt.

Our school is structured so that you basically build your own requirements to go to 2nd degree. There are requirements that all have to do but a good 50% of your higher degrees, in our school, are entirely your choosing. I like Sho Bin Ju a lot and find it to be rounded and fit what I like and what my goals are, but it'll be very nice to tailor it even more so as I start teaching, and start my higher levels of training so that my art properly reflects me.

[CTTKDKing]

I'm happy to say that after what turned out to be 10.5 hours (4.5 of which was this past Saturday) of what was literally the most physically/mentally demanding test I've ever taken this week, I came out victorious. My ribs look like someone took a hammer to them (knees from the sparring portion of the test), and I'm the sorest I've been in years, but I feel great.

My instructor really makes you earn your black belt. Almost feels weird being back in work today. Ha ha.

[LLLEARNER]

Great job. Hope those ribs heal up quickly. Next step is your dan ratings.

[CTTKDKing]

Great job. Hope those ribs heal up quickly. Next step is your dan ratings.

Indeed. I don't plan on rushing anything at this point, but the quickest anyone has ever earned 2nd degree BB is about 3-4 years after first (and those are teachers in the school that train every morning). It's probably going to take me a while anyway simply because I'm going to cross train some in the mean time. My ground game is a bit weak so I'm thinking I might roll a day or 2 a week with our jujitsu guys to help that part of my game. I'm just not a fan of grappling so I've put it off but it's probably time. Also would like to get back into Kali if I can find the time.

[DWx]

I'm happy to say that after what turned out to be 10.5 hours (4.5 of which was this past Saturday) of what was literally the most physically/mentally demanding test I've ever taken this week, I came out victorious. My ribs look like someone took a hammer to them (knees from the sparring portion of the test), and I'm the sorest I've been in years, but I feel great.

My instructor really makes you earn your black belt. Almost feels weird being back in work today. Ha ha.

Congrats CTTKDKing!

What did the test entail?

[CTTKDKing]

I'm happy to say that after what turned out to be 10.5 hours (4.5 of which was this past Saturday) of what was literally the most physically/mentally demanding test I've ever taken this week, I came out victorious. My ribs look like someone took a hammer to them (knees from the sparring portion of the test), and I'm the sorest I've been in years, but I feel great.

My instructor really makes you earn your black belt. Almost feels weird being back in work today. Ha ha.

Congrats CTTKDKing!

What did the test entail?

So there are some tasks that our instructor has requested we not share with anyone but other people that are black belts in our system as they are something that only he does and offer a very unique spin on a black belt exam that he'd prefer to keep private to our school. That said, we had 2 days of closed door testing with no observers except my head instructor. After one of the tasks I wont discuss, we spent the rest of the first 2 days going through all of our curriculum belt by belt, and between each piece we had a severe physical exercise we would have to execute to whatever standard he decided. Example, we did a set of defense techniques for a belt, then ran suicides for 15 min, and then ran the forms for that same belt, then some cross-fit exercises for 10 min, then the rest of the strikes and kicks for that belt. Then 1 more physical activity and then you'd move to the next belt. You basically had to re-earn each belt from white to advance brown. You get back up to advance brown before the end of day 2 and then you do it all over again at the open door test on day 3.

After you've covered the entire curriculum again with shorter intervals of exercises between on Saturday (due to time constraints), when you're totally exhausted (at about hour 3), you then get to put on the sparring gear. I had to fight 2 rounds with some of our Thai Boxers who were nice and fresh and then had to do a 3 min BJJ match with the head instructor (who's actively competing and is fantastic). It was funny because I was reaching the point of muscle failure when i got to sparring. I couldn't kick with my right leg and my abs were cramping horribly. After that it's 10 min of horse stance and you receive your belt. Also while the fight portion is happening, since i was not the only one testing, you have more exercises you're doing while you wait your turn so there is literally never a break.

Saturday's portion of the test was 4.5 hours of non-stop high intensity exercise. He makes the test this hard, because he wants to test your heart. He doesn't allow people to test until he knows they are ready knowlegwise so he pushes you to a point where he wants everyone to consider quitting, and then to push through it. It also shows if you really do know your curriculum because you are so tired you cannot think. So if you can execute defense techniques and forms under this much duress then you REALLY know it.

It's funny because as I went through it, I hit my breaking point on the day 1 portion due to poor choices in my breakfast, and the fact that I had a stomach bug 2 days before day 1 and the last hour of the exam period I literally was fighting through the room spinning around my head. The other 3 test candidates turned into cheerleaders, especially this 14 year old girl (going for youth black belt) that I've become friends with in there. Their encouragement got me through day 1 but as I finished, the first day it made me want the promotion that much more. In fact I hit a point where I never wanted anything more, and it might sound cheesy but i felt a fire in me on day 2 when we began and I knew the only way I'd quit is if something broke. The other 3 candidates, hit their breaking point on the 2nd day. All 3 of them had a lot of trouble on a specific cross-fit exercise that we had to do for a very long time and I turned into their cheerleader. That 14 year old girl was in so much pain on it that she was sobbing. She made it through it, and almost collapsed. I half carried her over to get her next belt. She got her bearings and pushed through it to finish day 2.

Day 3 my wife, who finds the whole concept of practicing martial arts to be quite boring and off-putting, saw what we were going through and even she was screaming encouragements and getting really into it. This test was a life changing experience. I think we all shed some tears at the end when we got our belts. Was an intense experience that I think only others who've done it and maybe some of you can understand.

Sorry for the long response. I waited until I got home to answer your question because I wanted to convey what it was really like. I still don't think I am doing it justice. I already had a 1st and 2nd Dan in WTF TKD, and this black belt means so much more to me than that. I'm still proud of my TKD ranks, but I KNOW what my 1st degree in Sho Bin Ju took to get. I earned my TKD black belts, I became a Sho Bin Ju black belt.

Trial by fire.

[Patrick]

Congrats CTTKDKing! Thanks for sharing this with us.

[sensei8]

Congrats, CTTKDKing; well deserved!!

[MatsuShinshii]

Congrats on earning your Shodan.

[Bulltahr]

Congratulations!!! Big effort!!