Karate Test and Put to the Test

As I mentioned, a few days back we had a test for one of the yellow belts, more of a makeup, actually. Since it was a testing situation, class was a bit abbreviated so I figured it would be an easy night and we’d go home early, but as such was clearly not the case.

We did our usual exercises, and then the test was fine, but then we had about 45 minutes left. The turnout was good, and the higher belts had shown up in full force. Not wanting the opportunity to go to waste, Master H and sensei H decided to have a massive spar fest, and this of course entailed going up against the pros.

My first impulse was to be bummed, because as I may have mentioned, I have this love/hate thing with sparring that I’m working on. I ended up sparring the new belt, who for the record was really put to the test, and then I went up against sensei H, who slapped me around. It really highlighted to me how out of shape I am and how much more I need to practice, not just my technique, but my whole approach to karate.

I can’t quite explain what I’m talking about, and for that matter, can’t completely put my finger on what I’m trying to say because it’s not clear in my head. It’s more of a feeling I have that something is missing, and though I can’t enunciate it, I can feel it. I know what I need to do, and part of that includes getting down and dirty and sparring with the higher belts and taking my punishment.

Only when you are prepared to accept this responsibility, grasshopper, will you be ready.

Until then, thanks for reading.