I had the opportunity to judge a regional black belt pretest recently. In the process of testing for my 4th Dan, this is a new responsibility that I get to take on and as such, I was very excited. I was the first judge on the panel to make it to the testing floor and when I arrived, all of the candidates were already lined up and “ready” to go. I use quotation marks because they looked like they were about to have a colonoscopy done, not take a black belt test. They were absolutely terrified!
Even as a proctor and judge for these kinds of tests, I get nostalgic about testing for my 1st Dan at 12 years old and being one of the youngest on the floor. I was scared too! It took some reflecting on my part to put together what I wished I had heard before my test to ease my nerves in order to put the candidates at ease. Here are my 3 keys to a good test that will help you to have a good mindset and a high level of mental preparedness. This can of course easily apply to other things you are pursuing in your life as well.
- Sweat. It is important when you are pursuing something to approach it with passion and intensity. Have you ever tried to train and hold the sweat in? I have (I may have had a date after class), and it is not satisfying. You end up not giving it your all and you have regrets. Each class, each test, each job interview is an opportunity, an opportunity to develop and learn.
- Smile. If you aren’t having fun, then why are you doing something in the first place? Smiling helps to solidify your desire while bringing out optimism. You have done martial arts up to this point and have found it fun. You have found joy in it. Let the test be an expression of your hard work and love for the martial arts. Think back to all of the fun that you had and remind yourself of why you are here. These reminders will help you get through the hard points in life in whatever you do. Things won’t always be easy but if they really mean something to you, you can power through the adversity.
- Learn something new. In the process of taking the test, you will encounter challenges and even weaknesses. You may even notice new techniques and combinations from the proctors. We can be so focused on the result that we do not enjoy the process and we are not mindful of the lessons it provides.
At the end of the day, you can pass or fail the test, but if you take into consideration these three things, you will have a good test and you will stand to gain from it. This will also alleviate a lot of the pressure you may be putting on yourself. The goal is not the belt. The goal is mastery and to do that you must trust the process, learn, work hard and have fun.
