Testing for black belt? Here's the official SSK advice....

Post by Steve Nelson, Sarah Nelson, Steve Hegarty and Chris Robinson. Compiled by Sue Wharton. Testimonial by Katrin Seamer.

So, you have a black belt grading coming up soon? This may be imminent (November 28^th) or, like me, you are grading next year. Either way you will already be thinking about it and preparing for it. Are you making the best of your preparations? I asked the SSK dan grading officers and other club instructors for their advice on how you should be preparing for black belt – here’s what they had to say:

“Dan grading should be a natural progression and part of the journey not the end destination. Karate is circular as with lots of Japanese ideas – the more you know the more you realise you haven’t yet learnt.  So really Shodan is the beginning point of the journey for all true karate-ka.”  (Steve Nelson).

1.       Physical/technical preparation:

• Train hard, at least twice a week, preferably more. Don’t just turn up TRAIN, SWEAT, and GET OUT OF BREATH! (Steve Hegarty) 
• Attend as many courses of the courses as you can: Black/brown belt courses, squad training – just to get the extra training and experience of training with others. (Steve Hegarty) 
• Slow all the sections down and analyse them, practice them slowly making sure all the little parts of tthat section are correct before adding speed and power. (Sarah Nelson) 
• You MUST train at home, in your own time a little every day. Run through your syllabus. (Steve Hegarty) 

 2.       Mental preparation:

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” Vince Lombardi. (quote provided by Chris Robinson)

• Belief. You should be wearing your black belt before you take your grading. In other words you believe you have passed already. The mind is a powerful thing. (Steve Hegarty) 
• Talk to yourself; tell yourself you are good enough. I know this sounds mad coming from me, but it works. Try placing affirmations like ‘I am a black belt ‘around the house and read them. Visualise yourself being handed your 1^st dan by your sensei and everybody clapping and cheering. (Steve Hegarty) 
• Mean it! Show aggression when performing kata and kihon. (Steve Hegarty) 
• Be positive, remain positive and give it your best. Don’t lose focus. (Chris Robinson) 
• Put yourself under pressure – enter competitions, either kata, kumite or both. This gets you used to performing then when you finally do your grading it’s not as daunting. (Steve Hegarty) 
• If you have been training hard and your sensei is happy to enter you into the grading, you will be fine – just think positive and show them that you deserve that black belt. (Steve Nelson) 

 3.       Knowledge and understanding:

• Listen to your sensei, he/she has been there, or talk to other dan grades from the last grading session. (Steve Hegarty) 
• Know your stuff! Read your syllabus and understand it. (Steve Hegarty)
• Ask questions (they get really silly the closer to the day you get!) (Sarah Nelson)
• Make sure your partner is happy with all your sections.(Sarah Nelson)
• If you are not ready – DON’T DO IT! Train harder and remember it’s not a race. The last thing any good panel wants is to have to fail people. (Sarah Nelson)

 4.       The grading day:

• The grading itself shouldn’t be a big deal. If you are training properly, you won’t have to put in any additional effort because you should be preparing at 100%. The only difference will be that you will cover all sections in succession, which will take a lot longer than a standard class. (Steve Nelson)
• Make sure you know what is expected from you and how the day will run. (Sarah Nelson)
• I tell my students on the day of grading that, “They were good enough to pass yesterday and they will be good enough to pass tomorrow – just show them you are good enough to pass today.” (Steve Nelson)
• As it’s an assessment, on that particular day all sorts of things can happen, so concentration is a must. It’s a long day, covering 15 sections of karate; however, you can only perform one section at a time so the best way to think about the task ahead is to take each section one at a time and then move on, putting that section behind you. This way you only have to concentrate on a smaller section of the grading and put everything into it. (Steve Nelson)
• Give everything you’ve got on each section and never give up. (Chris Robinson)
• If a section goes wrong put it behind you and move on to the next section. Remember it sometimes feels as if you completely messed it up but often didn’t look as bad as it felt. (Steve Nelson)
• Keep your muscles warm and stretched. If it is not your turn then focus your mind on the next task in hand. (Chris Robinson).
• It is a formal day and the panel can tell a lot about you by your appearance, approach and etiquette. Appearance: this sounds silly but make sure your gi is clean and ironed properly. Maybe have a talk to sensei to see if you would look better in a new/different cut gi. Approach: Approach each section with respect and concentration. Don’t rush. Don’t just run through the sections – PERFORM THEM. It’s your chance to show what you can do. Etiquette: Normal etiquette, don’t panic and forget to bow in and out. Observe all the formalities.(Steve Nelson)

 5.       What to take with you: (Sarah’s list)

• You!
• Your partner
• Gi and belt
• Mitts
• Gum shield
• Slip on shoes
• Over gi top
• Drinks
• Food
• Confidence

 Final words:

“Once you have achieved your first dan, KEEP TRAINING! Remember this is a white belt again – you just start another journey.” (Steve Hegarty)

Black belt achiever testimonial:

Katrin Seamer (EKC, Sheffield) successfully passed her 1^st dan grading in May 2010. She has kindly agreed to share the story of her own personal preparation for her grading:

“When I first started karate five years ago, I never thought that I would still be pursuing this sport now, never mind be calling myself a first dan. The main idea was to accompany my little boy and to get fit myself, but it became strangely addictive and I found myself becoming more competitive as I progressed through the gradings. However, I still did not feel confident that I would ever manage to fulfil the requirements of a black belt grading, so as the day approached, I regularly asked myself whether I was actually fit enough, whether I would remember the 15 sections, whether I would be good enough… What helped me enormously was attending sessions at least twice a week, turning up for every extra session, practising at home and with my grading partner regularly, making notes during lessons, watching kata videos and going through the grading in my mind every night just before going to sleep. So, when the day was finally there, yes I was nervous, but I felt that I had done my best to prepare.

“The grading itself was the most nerve racking and physically demanding test I have ever had to take. With the day starting at 10am and finishing at 5pm I not only had to keep my concentration going and but also ensure that my body was not giving up on me. My notes came in very handy to remind myself in the short breaks between sections and my husband Paul was a great help as a partner especially because he had been through the grading himself. Last but not least, having enough water and energy drinks as well as little snacks was an absolute necessity during the day.

So, how does it feel to finally be able to wear this black belt? Well, I am certainly proud of myself! All my hard work and practice have paid off. But also I can now fully appreciate what it means to reach this level and how you can achieve a lot if you just believe in yourself. Well, of course, practice makes perfect!!!” (Katrin Seamer)

This has been the official SSK advice to student’s preparing for their black belt grading. On Friday I will give the collected advice and experience of martial artists, from all styles of martial arts, from around the world; who have responded to a request for advice to give to you. You will be surprised at how common the experience is for all students testing for black belt – whatever the martial art and wherever in the world they train…….