What I do remember vividly is my preparation in the months leading up. The I Ho Chuan did not exist, therefore I had to find my own stepping stones. I knew I needed to condition my body, therefore I did 150 push ups, sit ups and leg lifts nightly. I remember doing them on my bedroom floor, using my little pink throw rug as a mat while my tiny tube tv played Dawson’s Creek or The X-Files.
I did not know my grading mates, other than Sifu Olsvik. He and I worked months on our techniques, refining and changing them completely on occasion.
I ran frequently (I had heard nightmares about the 2k run). I studied the theory, memorized the Code of Ethics, read and reread Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (that took me the full year, I suggest getting on that asap).
Most importantly, I made sure I was informed on all expectations, deadlines and requirements. Oh, and I made sure I was significantly early (definitely didn’t want to be excluded due to a late assignment or a train crossing on the day of). Sixteen year old me had to become responsible and decide how I wanted to define myself.
Of course things are different today. The process has evolved, and as a result every new crop of black belts seems to get better and better.
Moral of the story- the I Ho Chuan is everything you need to do for grading prep all wrapped up in a neat little package. Sifu Brinker did all the figuring out for you, all you need to do is just follow the instructions.
Me? I had to first determine what I was lacking and what I needed to do about it and then figure out how to do it. You? The how to do it is already defined for you. What you should be doing is defining the why behind each how.
No comments:
Post a Comment