World Of Swords

If you're ready for black belt training: Congratulations. Most students never make it this far, and the ones that do... Rarely make it further. An outsider may think of a black belt as a master of the martial arts but... If you've made it past yellow, you probably know that black is really where your journey begins.

It's the black belt where you really start learning karate. Everything leading up to black is, essentially, a practice course, a tryout session. It's after your black belt promotion that you'll really be privy to the secrets and techniques that the martial arts have to offer. From here, the journey has no end. You have only passed the first trial, but if you stick with it, you'll only continue to get better.

So, you know that your sensei isn't exactly going to take it easy on you at the upcoming promotion. The black belt test is where the real martial artists are separated from the weekend warriors. They need you to prove that you can go all the way and that you have what it takes, the dedication, the passion.

Stamina is key. At a previous belt promotion, you may have done a typical warm-up period and then had to throw a few kicks, do a kata or two, and compete in a couple sparring matches. The entirety of your brown promotion is barely even going to qualify as your warm-up for black.

So here's what you'll want to be doing for the weeks leading up to the promotion...

Cardio

Don't restrict exercise to the dojo. For the weeks leading up to the big day, you should be running laps around the block, doing jumping jacks, breathing exercise, practicing your katas at full speed at home, and generally just really giving your cardio system a run for its money. Beat yourself up at home, and the training session will be a lot easier when the day comes.

Eat Right

Obviously eating well is part of Karate in the first place, but you really need to watch what you eat leading up to the test. Watch your guilty pleasures, be it sugar, fats, salts, or even caffeine. If you smoke... You really need to quit before you even think you're ready for your black belt test. Drink more water and watch the soda, because the last thing you want dragging you down is a few extra pounds on the big day.

Get Your Sleep

It'll be tough getting eight hours the night before the promotion, but you really don't want to show up short on sleep and unable to perform even a single kata without getting winded. Do whatever you have to do to get some sleep. Don't drink any caffeine that day, just spend the day relaxing. Obviously, you don't want to work out too hard the day before or you'll be sore for the promotion. So rest well and save your energy, because that test is going to kick your butt regardless.

Know Your Kata!

Obviously, stamina is only one half of the equation. Karate is all about training the body and mind, and knowing your kata is a huge part of that. Know all of them back to front, not just the ones you learned while training for the last few months. Your sensei is likely to throw a few surprises at you and ask you to perform the first kata you ever learned just to make sure that you're not forgetting where you started. So know all of them. If you're having trouble remembering one, ask someone at the dojo or your sensei for a quick refresher.

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Tags: black belt test, black belt training, fight training, fitness, get in shape, Martial Arts, martial arts fitness, martial arts training

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