It seems that I'm going to get to test for Black. I managed to pass my pre-exam this afternoon with a solid 'A' in all categories. I'm a bit sore right now; the exam doesn't involve anything new; holy shit it takes forever; we don't stop until we're done. I made a couple of mistakes that apparently got missed, but Master Lightfoot (ML) was watching eight of us, and it was just him. Four of us are actually going on to take the final, but ML allows, and encourages, anyone Brown belt or higher to take the pre-exam so that they have an idea of what they're preparing for, and we had four other soon to be, but not quite yet, candidates. The actual exam moves a little slower, and we have some breaks since they break the larger whole into groups of no more than eight once we get past the really low level things. The panel consists of Grand Master Rhee and ten to twelve instructors from all the schools in the area. Those little things that I know I screwed up (and really, they ARE little things), but ML missed today? They'll definately get noticed if I do them again.
Evan performed well, but he could have done a bit better. I'm proud of him : he DID pass, but his power is a little uneven. It's a shame, as his technique is beautiful (damn kid can execute just about anything we do flawlessly), but he is only seven, so either way, if he passes the Black belt final (and hell, even if he doesn't this time, there's June), he's accomplished an amazing thing for someone at his age to get as far as he has. He doesn't really understand that, I think, but he will at some point. We have a lot of kids who get to Brown or Novice Black, and never manage to go beyond that point. For that matter, we see quite a few adults do that too.
With the exception of
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mjschaef, who is unfortunately wheel chair bound, I don't believe there's anyone on my flist who couldn't meet the physical requirements to get to Black. For most, it's a matter of will and time. It saddens me when I see kids or adults disappear at Brown or Novice Black. They were there. Even the ones who drop at lower belts could have made it, but for a Brown or Novice Black, they really have learned everything they need to know to pass the exam. At that point, it's all about cleaning up and building your stamina to the point where you can make it through the test.
I have no doubt that I'll pass two Saturdays from now. Master Lightfoot intentionally makes the pre-exam tougher than the actual Black belt final in front of the panel. He will not send a student up that he doesn't expect to pass. He does that because he'd rather we not get that far, only to fail, and because it makes him and his school, including the First, Second, and Third Dan instructors under him, look good. Sure, that's a bit of a pride thing, but I'm an assistant intructor so I can understand taking some pride when the students you've had a hand in teaching excel. Tommy is known for being one of the harder instructors in our system, but his students tend to stand out, and I hope to continue that tradition.
Oh well, I've eaten enough of your screen real estate for now. Enjoy your weekends, my friends. I know I'll enjoy the rest of mine, despite living with the knowledge that I'll have damn near a foot of snow to shovel off the drive come morning.
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