Focus

At the beginning of February I faced a choice. Either I had to choose to go up to my 1st kyu graduation in March, or I had to choose to go up in the summer. I knew my form wasn't 100% since I hadn't been out running for 9 months, but the thought of becoming 1st kyu was very appealing and my basic form wasn't even that crazy now. It was so appealing that I decided to do everything I could towards the physical test. I knew that it would be hard to train up to, so I tried to focus on my fitness and relax a little as far as the strength training was concerned.

This resulted in interval training on the treadmill, every other day, right up to the physical test. Fortunately, there were no problems with the Achilles tendons, and as the day of the physical test approached, I was determined to fight to the end when the going got tough. The physical test was passed with a satisfactory result, and I could feel that the focus I had put in fitness training was paying off. I managed the three bronze circles as I had hoped for, and in the end, on the subsequent run, I felt that there was a small surplus.

To pass the physical test, one must complete 3 bronze circles followed by a Cooper test. The 3 circles must be completed in less than 12 minutes, after which you must go for a walk on the treadmill. On the treadmill you have to run for 12 minutes, at a certain speed, calculated according to the fitness figure, corresponding to your age group in Scandinavia (official scientific figures)

A week later it was time for the syllabus test, battle test and theory test. I knew that Bjørn had time off from work, and when I finished the seminar, I called him. We agreed that he should come and pick me up so that we could go to his house, where we ate together. In addition to a fantastic salad that Bjørn made, we had a good chat about karate and what we thought we were getting into. Right from the moment I woke up that morning, I could clearly feel the nervousness, and as I got to talking to Bjørn, I found I found out I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

It was a slightly special drive towards Måløv. The nervousness alternated between being very prominent to almost disappearing completely. When we arrived and got to say hello to the other Shindenkaners, that helped a bit. Bjørn and I had planned to drive to the syllabus test in good time. therefore we had 15-20 minutes to warm up before the syllabus test really started.

The last few times before a graduation, during the last part of the warm-up, I have gone away from the group. I do this quite deliberately, to try to gather myself and keep 100% focused on what I now have to go in and do. I sit and meditate without thinking about anything. I don't think about karate, nervousness, people or where I am, I ONLY think about breathing. When I open my eyes I can feel that I feel ready, ready for the syllabus, ready for theory, ready for battle!

When the curriculum test started, we had to show Pinan 1 and 2 as well as shiho in different levels. Kimu Sensei has an amazing ability to make people confused and tired. It must be the way he puts together the order of the syllabus. First we have to make Pinan 1, then Pinan 2, then Pinan 1 and 2 connected. In the middle of it all, we have to do another kata, but only the leg positions (out of the box training) At this point the confusion is total, as it all happens at a high pace, and then back to Pinan Kata 1 and 2. It's an incredibly good way to be for graduation, as you are sometimes under pressure. Thus, Kimu Sensei can see if the techniques are on the spine, as well as what one's karate really looks like.

Then it was time for the theory test. It started with us going together in groups, according to the degree we had. One group remained, the other two were sent out of the room to wait for their turn. When we were ushered in, Kimu Sensei asked a few different questions. What does it mean? What is meant by that? What is it? He continued like this for a while.

The last test was the combat test. Here I had the pleasure of facing some skilled brown belts, as well as Kjeld Renshi-dai and Jens Kyoshi. Annoying that the black belts have to be so good, otherwise I tried to do my best, but Kjeld Renshi-dai had the situation completely under control, and Jens Kyoshi seemed completely impossible to get close to. I want to be that good too, I just think I'll have to wait a few years or 10 or 20.

After the overall test, we were sent one by one to Kimu Sensei, who asked how we thought it had gone, and he told us how he thought we had managed this part of the graduation. In general, I was praised, which I am very happy and proud of, but during the theory test, Kimu Sensei wanted to hear more. Therefore, there was a theory test the next morning before the training camp started, which I passed fairly quickly.

The day after the syllabus test I was very tired. This was due, among other things, to the syllabus test, and I hadn't gotten all the sleep I had initially expected because I had spent some of the night hours studying theory. Therefore, it was a tired Karsten who showed up for the last part of the graduation, which was a training camp that had to be completed. A training camp where we had to go through the final test, the test of will on impact pads. After an hour of training, I could feel my legs getting heavy and starting to ache, and by the time we got to the test of will, I was done.

I find it difficult to describe how I experienced the test of will, because it was extremely hard. The test is otherwise very simple. First you have to hit the impact pad until you are told to stop. Then it's the legs' turn, and finally it's both arm and leg techniques. It always takes every last bit of effort, but this time I thought the last lap took a very, very long time. In the end, all I could think about was how tired I was.

I didn't hear the 300 people standing and shouting at all. The only thing I heard was the increasingly pitiful voice in my head saying "Stop now, I can't do it anymore" and then Martin Renshi-dai's voice answering back "Come on Karsten, keep going! You can! Come on!" The cool thing about the test of will is when they say stop, after the last round. The feeling that you managed something that you didn't really think was possible gives you confidence, and as hard as it was when you were doing it, you're just as happy afterwards.

The most important thing is that I passed the graduation. It means everything. I have been confirmed once again that when Kimu Sensei says "You can do much more than yourself, and others command you”, then he is absolutely right. It's just important that you stay focused at all times.

Motivation

Why even bother going through all this, "just" to get that last brown belt? Why bother training karate at all? I only know why I bother and why I always come to practice. The reason I am going through all these tests to pass the next level is because I love to train karate. I love karate because I learn a lot about myself and I can feel how it makes me stronger. The curriculum test gives me the opportunity to work with my uncertainty. In addition, it teaches me to be more spontaneous.

The physical test keeps me in fairly good, if not great, shape. It teaches me, just like the syllabus test does, to stay focused on something for a longer period of time. In addition, it gives me surplus in everyday life, as you have to be active to be able to get in shape faster for the physical test. The test of will tells me that I can do much more than I think, and here I get the opportunity to fight against my pitifulness. It teaches me, like the physical test, that the body is capable of more than we think, and that it is ultimately our thoughts that slow us down.

The great thing about training karate is that I can use it in my daily life. I got so much more in my backpack. Through the instructor courses, where you get some tools to teach, I have also learned to present projects, which I can use in connection with my education. 2 years ago, I became very nervous when I had to present, and this resulted in me often speaking softly or mumbling. I don't do that at all anymore - on the contrary!.

I have gained more confidence and a higher self-esteem from practicing karate. I have become better at focusing and concentrating. I have become more open to new things that in the past I didn't even give a chance to. I have become better at taking responsibility. This is my motivation for training karate and the reason why I can highly recommend it.

Over the past year, I have become better at focusing because I have learned that with the right will and attitude, you can go far. It largely helps to motivate me to train karate. I see karate as a way to learn effective self-defense, and as a tool to become more aware of yourself and work with it. I am happy about all the graduations I have passed. I am very happy with all my belts. The important thing for me is the mental aspect that comes with the karate training, nevertheless I have to admit that there was a very big smile on my face when I was graduated 1st kyu. It is with life and soul that I managed to get the last brown belt.