GO FOR IT
As one of the few female Black belts in our association I have been asked to write a few words on my recent Dan grading experience. This note is not to tell you how easy it is to get a black belt, far from it, it takes dedication, determination, guts and hard work to get a black belt, but I can tell you it is worth working towards your Dan grading, it is a wonderful sense of achievement, and the next stage after first Dan is even more challenging and exciting.
It took a long time for me to feel confident enough to go for my Dan grading, I was a first Kyu for 2 years but I think that gave me a solid grounding and a familiarity and ease with the syllabus. While it is not easy going for your Dan grading you can always find an excuse to not go for it. However, in the end, despite renovating a house, getting a new job and organising a wedding I made the decision to go for my grading and once the decision had been made it gave me an incentive and drive to work hard. It will not be all plain sailing though, during your first Kyu training you could well have periods of negativity as this is the nature of the repetitive training you need to undertake to get to Black belt. You have to work through this negativity if you want to succeed, and I feel this is one of the Dan grading challenges even before you reach the big day.
Training before the grading has to be 100% all the time and you have to use any spare moment at home to run through a Kata or memorise all the stances, but you can think about things too much. Nearing the big day every Black belt will confess that you have some shocking lessons where you cannot remember a single Kata, and this is because you are trying to remember too much all at once – don’t. The biggest tip I can give you is to practice so much that all the techniques, especially the Katas, become second nature to you; that you can clear your mind and just do them instinctively. Getting yourself fitter is also an asset as then you can concentrate on the karate as apposed to how tired you are feeling, I went to the gym twice or three times a week (basically when I wasn’t training) to build up my stamina and my strength in the build up to the grading.
On the day there is no point in last minute cramming or running through Katas as this will just confuse you and worry you. Although it is easier said than done I just accepted there was nothing else I could do and tried to relax. Everyone on my grading forgot a Kata and had to start again, but this is not a problem, and you do not get a direct fail for it; in fact it shows your commitment and determination if you can pick yourself up after forgetting a Kata and go on to perform that Kata correctly with confidence and conviction.
Having a Black belt is a very precious thing, you appreciate the hard work you put in to achieving it, and it gives you a new challenge to face; believe me when you get your black belt you realise how little you know and how far you still have to improve. A Black belt is not the end of a journey but the beginning, you now not only have to learn many more Katas and techniques but you have to perfect all the Katas and techniques that you have done before; in addition you become a role model and tutor for the rest of the club. Therefore you must know and understand the techniques and syllabus and have the correct attitude that will inspire and motivate others to attain their Black belt. All that’s left for me to say is it is worth the hard work so GO FOR IT, work hard, keep motivated and GOOD LUCK.
© John Grantham 2006
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