I just pasted my brown belt test

[mightyquinn]

Hello folks,

I am new to the forum so forgive me if I have repeated a post. This Saturday I pasted my brown belt for Shorin ryu. I am super jazzed about it. However I know I have much to do to prepare for my black belt. What should I be doing to prepare for my BB test? I know I'll have a couple more kata to learn and some more techniques as well, but I'm talking about outside the dojo. Daily practice, workout routine, streaching routine,reading material etc... I'm 45 years old and once I put that belt on I got overwhelmed. What was your preparation for the test? How did you train? What are some must read books that got you mentally and physically prepared. I have a year if I stay healthy to test. Any help would be appreciated

[pers]

If you are very keen on improving your karate then like any other skill or knowledge you need to practice in your own time as much as possible, if you can do at least half an hour to an hour a day with one day rest then you can improve faster.

Most important thing for a new brown belt is to start relaxing more and get more fluid and less rigid,.

This can happen with less tention in the limbs, shorter kime or focus.

You only need kime or focus at the point of impact, the shorter your kime the faster and more powerful your technique!

It doesn't happen overnight, it takes a while to get there, more you continously work on it the sooner you get there, having a good coach or guide is very helpful.

[JR 137]

Welcome to the forum, mightyquinn.

What you need to do depends on what the test will be like and your weaknesses. I’m a 1st kyu and my teacher recently told me he wants me to test for shodan in September under his teacher at our honbu dojo. So I can tell you what I’m doing...

Our test (Seido karate) is heavy on kumite. The final day of testing (there are 3-4 evenings and a several hour day at the end) is allegedly all sparring. Many rounds against fresh black belts. My emphasis is conditioning. It’s my weakest area, and the kumite portion is supposed to be pretty grueling.

My plan is hitting the heavy bag 4 days a week. Focusing on kicking and punching combinations, and footwork on two of the days, and keeping my heart rate up high on the other two by doing specific numbers of rounds. I just started and am doing 10 two minute rounds with 1 minute rest between them. My goal is 12 three minute rounds. I’m not a cardio guy; I lose interest very easily and get burnt out during repetitive stuff like treadmills. Hitting the bag is the only thing that keeps me motivated. And the conditioning and increased skill from it is a great preparation, as kumite conditioning is quite different from running conditioning IMO.

I also use a heart rate monitor. I keep my heart rate near maximum during rounds and try to get it as close to my resting heart rate in between rounds. It’s a form of high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is one of the best ways to train for cardiovascular endurance. I use a Polar heart monitor but have used a Fitbit in the past. The Polar is more accurate and doesn’t get ruined by the impact from hitting the bag (the shock from the bag has ruined 2 of mine, both replaced under Fitbit’s great service BTW).

On the days I don’t hit the bag, I’m typically in class, so that covers a lot of the material. And I’ll walk through some stuff like kata and the like at home. Sometimes as a warmup too.

[Fat Cobra]

Get in better shape. Run, lift weights, eat healthy, get a good nights rest. No matter what level of fitness you are currently in, make a goal to get better by next year's test.

I don't know how much Body Toughening your style requires, but if it does, get to work. Hit the makiwara and do your reps of ude tanren (forearm conditioning).

If you want a good book to read, I recommend Shin Gi Tai by Michael Clarke. He is primarily a Goju Ryu practitioner, but this book is good all around.

I am about to start reading Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe. It looks very good.

[mightyquinn]

If you are very keen on improving your karate then like any other skill or knowledge you need to practice in your own time as much as possible, if you can do at least half an hour to an hour a day with one day rest then you can improve faster.

Most important thing for a new brown belt is to start relaxing more and get more fluid and less rigid,.

This can happen with less tention in the limbs, shorter kime or focus.

You only need kime or focus at the point of impact, the shorter your kime the faster and more powerful your technique!

It doesn't happen overnight, it takes a while to get there, more you continously work on it the sooner you get there, having a good coach or guide is very helpful.

Wow thanks for the advise...it is so true my kata's this sat were so tight and and I tried to "power" through them that I ended up getting winded. I was so tense and nervous, I messed up a couple times. Thank God for my sensei's patience. He knew I knew them I was getting into my head. Great advise

[mightyquinn]

Welcome to the forum, mightyquinn.

What you need to do depends on what the test will be like and your weaknesses. I’m a 1st kyu and my teacher recently told me he wants me to test for shodan in September under his teacher at our honbu dojo. So I can tell you what I’m doing...

Our test (Seido karate) is heavy on kumite. The final day of testing (there are 3-4 evenings and a several hour day at the end) is allegedly all sparring. Many rounds against fresh black belts. My emphasis is conditioning. It’s my weakest area, and the kumite portion is supposed to be pretty grueling.

My plan is hitting the heavy bag 4 days a week. Focusing on kicking and punching combinations, and footwork on two of the days, and keeping my heart rate up high on the other two by doing specific numbers of rounds. I just started and am doing 10 two minute rounds with 1 minute rest between them. My goal is 12 three minute rounds. I’m not a cardio guy; I lose interest very easily and get burnt out during repetitive stuff like treadmills. Hitting the bag is the only thing that keeps me motivated. And the conditioning and increased skill from it is a great preparation, as kumite conditioning is quite different from running conditioning IMO.

.

That is awesome. I am taking Shorin Ryu however my Sensei also has a background in Kyokushin so we do kumite however not as heavy as you. I believe i will go 5 3min rounds. But conditionig is a must of course. I have been skipping rope for a while which has helped a lot. Yea I have to hit the bag thanks for the advise.

[mightyquinn]

I don't know how much Body Toughening your style requires, but if it does, get to work. Hit the makiwara and do your reps of ude tanren (forearm conditioning).

If you want a good book to read, I recommend Shin Gi Tai by Michael Clarke. He is primarily a Goju Ryu practitioner, but this book is good all around.

I am about to start reading Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe. It looks very good.

Thanks man, I just ordered the book Shin Gi Tai from your suggestion. It looks really good. As for Body Toughening we do whats called pain training but not much maybe 4 classes a session. I was planning on putting up a makiwara very soon I do use iron fist bags (filled with rice) on my own for conditioning but not every day.

[JR 137]

Welcome to the forum, mightyquinn.

What you need to do depends on what the test will be like and your weaknesses. I’m a 1st kyu and my teacher recently told me he wants me to test for shodan in September under his teacher at our honbu dojo. So I can tell you what I’m doing...

Our test (Seido karate) is heavy on kumite. The final day of testing (there are 3-4 evenings and a several hour day at the end) is allegedly all sparring. Many rounds against fresh black belts. My emphasis is conditioning. It’s my weakest area, and the kumite portion is supposed to be pretty grueling.

My plan is hitting the heavy bag 4 days a week. Focusing on kicking and punching combinations, and footwork on two of the days, and keeping my heart rate up high on the other two by doing specific numbers of rounds. I just started and am doing 10 two minute rounds with 1 minute rest between them. My goal is 12 three minute rounds. I’m not a cardio guy; I lose interest very easily and get burnt out during repetitive stuff like treadmills. Hitting the bag is the only thing that keeps me motivated. And the conditioning and increased skill from it is a great preparation, as kumite conditioning is quite different from running conditioning IMO.

.

That is awesome. I am taking Shorin Ryu however my Sensei also has a background in Kyokushin so we do kumite however not as heavy as you. I believe i will go 5 3min rounds. But conditionig is a must of course. I have been skipping rope for a while which has helped a lot. Yea I have to hit the bag thanks for the advise.

Be smart about hitting the bag. Too many people get in front of it and just start going all-out on it. It’s too tempting to do that

The bag isn’t just a strengthening and conditioning tool. You can use it to practice all your kihon strikes on as well. There are days when I’ll just do stuff like throwing sets of 10 kicks with each leg, ie 10 back leg front kick, 10 front leg front kick, 10 front leg and rear leg roundhouse, etc. It doesn’t have to be a power thing or a cardio thing; it can be strictly a focus on technique. Practically anything you do in the dojo you can do on a bag. The only thing it won’t do is move out of the way and hit you back.

I can’t hang a bag in my basement for several reasons, so I have a Century BOB XL. It’s by far the best MA equipment investment I’ve made. I also just bought an Everlast Axis freestanding bag. It’s a lot like the Century Versys VS, only it stands back up on its own when knocked down. I just picked it up last night and haven’t put it together yet, but I planning on having put it to use a few times by the end of the week before I have a definitive opinion of it. I played around with it a few times in the store and it was a lot of fun. It seems a lot like a double-ended bag to me.

Just some ideas.

[bushido_man96]

Congrats on your promotion!

Lots of good ideas have been mentioned so far. Have you watched any black belt testings? It would be a good way to have an idea of what to expect. That, and perhaps speaking with the instructor and asking for advice on how to prepare.

[sensei8]

Congrats on earning your Brown Belt!!

As far as preparing for your BB Testing Cycle...Practice as though there's no tomorrow!! Don't fret over the Testing Cycle because it'll take care of itself, sure enough. Train hard and train well!! Besides, you've got plenty of time to prepare before you test for your BB, and that's because you just earned your Brown Belt.