Blue Belt continued

Last night I tested for my blue belt and tried to convince myself that I would be cool and collected, but have to confess to feeling a bit of anxiety. It's in my nature, and I don't think I'll ever escape it. It helps when you have a fairly good grasp of the things you need to know, and that only comes through discipline and practice. It's interesting as an adult who is surrounded by kids to see how distracted the little ones are, and while it's perfectly natural for them to have their minds in a million other places, I can't help but think that we live in an increasingly distracted world.

Either way, I didn't have as much time to prepare for my test because I spent a few days in Virginia to see my cousins and pay my respects to my uncle. As I was driving up on Saturday, I envisioned my katas in my head, and believe it or not, it helped, keeping in mind that it was only possible because of practice. And a bit of anal retentiveness.

I did have Sunday and Monday to prepare, and the truth is, I try to keep the katas fresh in my head all the time. It doesn't take a lot of time to simply run through them as well as the one-step spars, and again, even ruminating on them quietly in your head helps.

Audrey and Nicholas must think their old dad is a little crazy, because sometimes I'll try to squeeze in some practice in any spare moment I have with them, even in the bathroom. Nicholas likes to have some company in the bathroom when we're in a public facility, so while he's answering nature's call, I'll do katas in what little space I have. Kind of crazy, I guess.

There were not as many judges at this test as when I tested for my yellow belt, and in a way, I'm glad. The last test, there must have been about five black belts watching over us, adding to the pressure, not to mention half a dozen family members. This time it was just Chip and Joe, and only four of us were testing. We've become a fun group to work out with, and I just want to mention that I feel really lucky to have Peter Carini in the group. Great guy, great karate student, and it's nice to have someone who is more on my level (vs. sparring with black belts like Chip) to spar with and talk to.

The test went fine, and there times I can't imagine they would ever deny somebody their belt, especially the kids. As intimidating as Grand Master Hammond is, he's got a warm heart, and he's a great guy. BTW, I called him Joe for the first time last night.

As far as the test, it was a good night for everyone and all my classmates did a stand-up job. I like to think that by coming out and trying our best and showing our sincerity in wanting to work hard, it makes Chip and Joe more inspired to teach us. The reality is, they devote their time and efforts with no monetary compensation, and as students we should not only be aware of it, but should be grateful for it, because it is an opportunity that should not be taken for granted.

One quick note-Joe did throw me to the lions a bit by making me perform a bo kata, which he clearly indicated was not required, but I managed to pull it off, thanks to practicing with a broomstick in the bathroom with Nicholas.

So now I'm a blue belt. I'm hoping Audrey and Nicholas will begin to show some interest in karate, and might even start coming to class, but we'll see. One thing at a time.

Until the next time, my name is Fred Lee, and thanks for reading.