Last night I joined other black belts at the Dojang (school) and sat on the panel as we watched the current black belt candidates go through all their curriculum. This is their official test. How well they did last night determined whether they passed as black belts, with one final test...the dreaded fitness test.
Overall they looked really strong as a team. And they were pushed pretty hard. During the several minutes of sparring (this being after they demonstrated all their forms, blocking sets and kicking sets) I saw slumped shoulders and longer breaks between kicks (when they could manage it). But they pushed through and didn't give up. Giving up is something a black belt doesn't do. You know what we call a black belt that gives up....a color belt.
I then had the pleasure of watching a current group of black belts who are testing for their 2nd degree. They looked stellar. The actions and grunts and groans of pain as they did their Jujitsu demonstrations seemed authentic...but having done this I know are just for show.
I'm inspired now. Hopeful that I can continue to work on my 2nd degree. I'm only two stars away from the final stretch. In theory, I could test next May. We'll see. There's a lot going on right now, but perhaps working on this would help in my fitness and enable me to be a better runner.
I've still got my sights on the half-marathon in January 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment