PROMOTION!?!?!?! WTF!!!!

So I roll into the school to get everything set up for Promotion. Pull the table and Chairs out, get the clipboards, etc. Typical.

I Dress out figuring I will need to fight (it’s common for our school to have BB fight advanced colored belts), what the heck I’ll use this time to do some form work. I run through Pawlgue 1 – 8, basi yung, korio, kumgang starting light to get warmed up and by #5 picking up the pace and ending with full power. I sit down and stretch out.

The students start filtering in about 1 hour or 45 min before the scheduled start. As things get going they hand out the promotion papers used for grading, the GM wants the students to fill them out. The head BB walks by and hands me one… WTF is this!?!?!

BB “GM says that you are taking your test today”

I walk over to GM, “excuse me sir, BB gave me a test paper, I’m sure this is a mistake correct?”

GM “Why would that be a mistake?”

JBC “I don’t feel that I am ready to take a test, I have been gone for a long time and I have only been back a few months”

GM – Blank stare

JBC “bu… bu… but I don’t have anything to break”

GM nods to the corner of the room and there lays a stack of boards.

JBC (under my breath) “%)(& #*)* %&)& QE%( &^Q_ W(E& _Q(E &*R_ (QE* &RT$” (Yes, that is an exact quote)

Yea, I get called to take my 2nd degree test and have only been back a few months (since very late april). My job is such that when it breaks loose I am under water in a bad way so in these few months I have missed about a month or so of time.

When we line up he starts his monologue. Some where in there he says in a fight on the street it is not what you knew, or what you are learning, it is what you know RIGHT THIS SECOND…

My test was very fragmented. I was the first out to do basics, etc.. He wanted an example to set the tone. When I get called up and told what to do auto pilot kicks in. when I am told to sit down and I want to die, I can’t breath I was told later it looked like I was going to get sick or pass out.

White belts, Yellow belts, Green belts, Blue belts…

GM “JBC, Do you remember when I said I want an example”

JBC “YES SIR!!!”

I get called out to do Pawlgue – 2. I remember starting it and then I was standing there locked holding for the command to relax. Again I sit down and my chest is burning.

Red belts…

GM “JBC – Basi yung”

After a few more torturous hours, min, second – honestly I have no clue he calls out one thing after another – lots of combos, stepping, you name it. It all went by like a blur.

He then calls up another 2nd degree - one that I know fights every Friday (Friday class is hard core all the time). He bow us in “NO CONTACT – GO” We proceed to beat the hell out of each other. After a few traded shots he stops us and reminds us that it is no contact. One of them must have hurt cuz when he restarted us the other guy stayed way out of my reach – at this point I am almost out of gas and use my legs to keep him out of my reach (one more round of hard fighting and I would not have made it)

GM “JBC, Breaking” – 4 board side kick - pop, 2 board turning side kick – pop, 1 board spinning heal - pop.

By this point, I am done, mentally, physically, spiritually done. I can go no more.

He walks over to me w/ a brand new BB with Name, Rank, School name embroidered. He unties my belt and ties the new one on me – Yi Don…

I think next promo I am staying home…

-JBC-

Good story. Well I guess you were wrong, and you really were ready to promote. Also from the way you described it, your GM made you knock off a couple of pounds. I think I'm sure it was worth it, since you got yourself a brand new BB!

Now do what I do, and take a week off from class after promotion to pig out! Gain that weight back!

Congrads and good for you. I wish we did it this way and it was a surprise and I just had to do it ... however all black belt testing is done together and never with the colored belts. It starts on a Saturday where you have to come in a head of time to do the endurance test. If you pass that then it is the test of patterns, one-steps, sparring and then breaks. Then if you pass this then you must do the same test again for the Provincial requirements a few weeks later. Then and only then if you pass both are you a black belt or higher.

Yup, I'd just like to be surprises and told I was testing without me even knowing I was testing and that would take a load off of my chest. Again, good for you.

Trust me I almost “Dropped” a pound or two when I got the blank look and realized I was stuck. The thing is the second stripe should be on the belt and it shouldn’t be brown…

The problem Dereck, we DON’T do it this way. All the BB that I work out with looked as shocked as I think I did when they found out I was testing. I was told repeatedly “I’ve never seen this before”

I guess I did set the example though; I had three random spectators tell me that I was “making the room shake” when I did my forms.

I wish I would have known, though. My X wife has ALL of my old demo, promo, screwing around tapes and pics and wont give them back. With the exception of high level info (most of it posted) the test went by and like I said I was on autopilot. My body is still shaking and I left the school at 5:30pm (it is currently 12:55am). My right shin looks like some one took a bat to it. I have bruises on my arms, legs, chest, and hands that I can not explain. I quite literally got the crap kicked out of me and I can’t remember it in detail. I will be checking with some of the parents to see if anybody taped me so I can see what happened.

The up side is, it will be along time to 3rd degree…

-JBC-

Dereck, what does your BB tests consist of?

Mine was not typical (or at least from what I remember from back in the day). The fragmentation I think was more so I did not grind myself into the matt and gave me a few min recovery time.

One thing that is for sure, our tests are not even close to consistent, there is a rough idea of what you will have to do, but the GM does not follow a standard. When I started tests were something like this

1st 2nd
You would have to go get GM’s rock – you had to run about 1 mile down the road and get his rock then run back (there was an aggressive time limit on this but I don’t remember what it was).

This was done in uniform so when you came back you could take your shoes off and put the chest gear on; there was a line of BB warm and ready to fight. Typically you would have to fight 3-4 big guys individually, then 3-4 fast guys individually, the last one stayed there and then one more was added (2 fast guys at once). Once they had you warmed up (or softened up), your test started. The actual test was all over the map.

3rd
You would have to go get a time card punched at the police station (GM is a retired cop). You had to have the time card punched by a certain time, and you had to be back by a certain time (approx 8 miles total). Since you did this in uniform it was a test in itself (bad neighborhood).

Then the same thing with the fighting (more guys though)

Again the test was all over the map - I saw a guy have to do his out of the same riding stance for about 2 hours .

I have not seen any BB tests since I have been back so I don’t know how they work anymore.

-JBC-

As I am currently in the mode of training for black belt, I can only give you what my requirements are, thought I have attended an upteenth amount of tests to help out, I just don't know for sure what all of the requirements are for 2nd Dan and higher. For black belt the following is required:

As an adult I must be able to repeatedly perform all of my required patterns, one-steps, sparring techniques and breaks. I must attend black belt training classes. I must help at each of the tests and be expected to be called up to perform the requirements for that belt level. I must keep a log book and have other black belts randomly test me on all of these items and they will record in this book things I need to work on. On top of that I must repeatedly prove I can do the Endurance Test with no breaks as this will be required testing day. The Endurance Test for us is:

* 3 Kilometer Run (2 miles)
* 50 Flat Hand Push Ups
* 100 Sit Ups
* 50 Stand Ups Continuous
* 5 Chin Ups
* 12 Minute of Stairs
* 1000 Continuous Skipping

Then I also must complete 2 essays with one being the history of Taekwondo and the second about my experiences and how it has helped in my life

Then at the test I will have to show up early and do the Endurance Test. I will have to perform the Koryo pattern as a group and then will have to perform random patterns (Fundimental, Basic and Taegeuks 1-8) as called out that will be different then the others around me. Then I will have to do One-Steps 1 - 9 followed immediately by full contact sparring where I will have to show every technique in the required time limit. And finally I will have to perform 8 different board breaks with the following to choose from:

1. Elbow or Punch or Palm Strike
2. Front Kick or Step Side Kick
3. Axe Kick
4. Back Kick or 360 Back Kick
5. Jump Front Kick
6. Turning Kick
7. Back Round House or 360 Back Round House
8. Knife Hand or Ridge Hand (power or speed)

This has to be done within a set period of time and you have only two attempts per board. For everything wrong within the test you have a percentage taken off. You must have a minimum of 85% to pass.

This test is done with our school and two other affiliated schools owned by my Instructor's partners/friends. Plus there is a 4th school that joins us for testing. The testers are the heads of each of the schools BUT your own Instructor cannot test/judge you. You will find out after this if you passed or failed ... and yes people do fail. THEN just when you think it is all done then you must test "again" in two to four weeks but this time for the WTF Province test that has every school in the Province of Alberta attending. The test is not as long or gruelling and you are not required to show up early to do the endurance test again. Then when you pass this you are then a black belt (or higher). You are then awarded your new uniform and two belts (one in English and one in Korean). Then months down the road you receive your WTF certificate from Korea with your log number in the WTF records.

I have to go to the office now so I don’t have time to say much, but please explain to me what you feel the strengths of your style of structured test vs the weakness of our seemingly whimsical testing style. I will respond in kind – not wanting a flame war, I just want to know your opinion of the two. I have left out some detail that I can add first if you would like (it will just have to be later).

As far as failing the test. We had a 15 year old 1st BB who got a big head. Took a year off then came back w/ a major attitude. Kept on the GM about wanting to test. Finally GM said ok and everybody freaked out wondering why. The kid did not have to run, the test started off with him in chest gear, he was offered one more shot at backing down – he got all huffy and said he was ready. GM asked one of the hot shot competition fighters to suit up. They bowed in he said go – the CF threw one round house and KO’ed the kid. His mom started crying and totally went nuts, fortunately the kids dad was there and also a BB he had no problem with it at all. When he came to he was told he failed.

-JBC-

Quote:

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I have to go to the office now so I don’t have time to say much, but please explain to me what you feel the strengths of your style of structured test vs the weakness of our seemingly whimsical testing style. I will respond in kind – not wanting a flame war, I just want to know your opinion of the two. I have left out some detail that I can add first if you would like (it will just have to be later).

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To be honest I don't see it this way. I have heard of other people's test doing far less and others doing far more. I wish ours was easier and that from class time the Instructor would just hand belts over when he thought you were capable of everything above and beyond the minimal standards. I hate testing and it gives me a lot of stress.

The colored belt tests we don't have to do the endurance or do a Provincial Test, plus you only have to show our current pattern, though you have to do all of your One-Steps to the point but also only have to do our one break. Sparring we will need to show our current skills but you use more then that for the 2 - 3 minutes ... and if not then you do it again. If you over dominate your opponent you do it again. If you don't work hard enough you do it again. For myself getting prepared for black belt, I have to attend and do pretty much everything as preparation for the black belt test.

I see no negatives or positives to how people test as long as the person doing the test or receiving the belt has the skills needed for that level. It would honestly mean more for me to be pulled aside and told that I have done the requirements and have exceeded them so therefore I am to receive a new belt. I would even go as far to say I like that idea what happened to you where you were surprised to be testing ... this would be more up my alley as I would not have time to stress about it and would just have to do it ... this I could handle far more then over thinking things.

You had asked what we do for testing for black belt so I provided that information. I did not think I came off as saying yours wasn't up to par and ours was better as that was not my intention. I would never want you or others to take offense to what I say ... unless I am upfront with you and want you to take it that way ... and this is not even anywhere in that realm.