Yes this old chestnut 'again'!?

Hi there

3 easy steps for you mate

1. Do the test and pass

2. Put the belt on

3. The most important bit. Grow with your new grade! :-)

Seriously as the old saying goes you cant win them all. Train the areas that need the most work.

5 years is enough time invested so go and give it your best shot. :-)

Best wishes

idai

First, point sparring is a poor indication of martial skill, so don't take the fact that you haven't won a match as an indication that you haven't improved or that you are wasting your time. Many will agree that this type of sparring enforces bad habits such as looking for ways to score points and not how to successfully engage an oppoent. there is some value to it, but ultimately you shouldn't place too much emphasis on it.

Secondly, a black belt only signifies that you are an advanced beginner. so if you don't feel that you are a master at martial arts by the time you test for shodan, then you shouldn't feel bad because that isn't what a black belt represents and that isn't what is expected of you at that level.

In reality the chances of getting into a situation in which you'd actually have to defend yourself are very small. Most people will never get into a fight, and in a lot of situations they are easy to avoid anyway. The bottomline is that you should pursue your art because you enjoy it. Who cares what color belt you wear? It is only a waste of time if you give up.

Lastly, if winning a sparring match is really important to you, in so far as maybe building some confidence, then you need to take a long hard look at how you've approached your training, and really ask yourself why you are training. Too many times I've had people walk into my dojo and expect that

Are you one of those people who shows up to the dojo for class and then forgets about it until the next class, or are you someone that puts in the extra training outside of the dojo? You need to be training about 10 hours a week to become proficient in your art, otherwise you'll just be coasting. What about exercise or your diet? Are you in shape? Do you work out to improve your endurance and performance? Basically, there are a lot of variables to consider. Simply showing up for class is not enough in and of itself. You need to put in the effort, and if you're struggling then you need to put in the EXTRA effort.

Your examiner won't give a damn about your tournament track record.

Tournaments are what we do for fun.

You are being way too hard on yourself. At 5 years, you have barely started to understand and master the basics. This must continue to be your priority in training. Take the pressure off yourself. You are trying to live up to what the public perceives a black belt to be.

Tournament karate is no indication of your ability. I have competed in and watched many tournaments over the years and in every tournament, the referees have made mistakes and decisions that would have changed the outcome.

Hard as it may sound, the referees have their favourites and tournaments are often political. Therefore the winner can hardly ever lay claim to anything other than the fact that the referee awarded him/her the match.

Case in point. I was at a tournament a few weeks ago. I was watching kumite between a couple of brown belts. One guy was thin, the other was overweight. The overweight guy actually moved quite well and was better than the thin guy. The referee was quite obvious in never awarding even a wazari (half point) to the overweight guy no matter what he did - yet would score the thin guy on the most dubious of techniques. He would even overrule the corner judges. I can tell you I was not the only one in the crowd shaking my head. I even mouthed the words "f.....king cheat" at the referee. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I felt that his behaviour was so dishonourable that it deserved something.

I mention this because winning at tournament karate involves a lot more luck than skill. There is no luck at all required for developing good technique and good karate.

When you wear that black belt it will show the dedication and hard work you have put into obtaining it over the last 5 years. When kyu grades at your club see you wear it with pride they will also train hard to achieve theirs.

Having a Dan grade is about far more than showing you can win at sparring or in a competition.

I wish you the best of luck in your grading. I have no doubt you will be wearing a very well earnt black belt.

It depends does losing the fight mean you fail the grade? If not then go for it the instructors over seeing the grading will look for technique, ability and confidence in your ability to fight even if its a loss. In my Shodan grading the person I got paired up with was 6ft 5 weighed in at 20 stone and already had Black belts (of varying rank) in Judo, Aikido and Taekwondo. I still passed because I was persistent, I never let him get a break even when he took me to the ground a broke his holds and reversed a few others just to try and get a leg up. I ended up losing and with a split lip. Just remember the rank is not given based on your ability to win fights but your levels of commitment and focus on what it is you do know.

The question is and this is the only question do you feel its a waist of time. 5 years of work you don't just give up, that could have been five years of being out with friends and doing other interesting things. You have to look at what your desires are, goals were you doing this just to say you can kick some *** or is this something on a mental,emotional,spiritual level. If you feel its a waste of time then stop, but if your getting something out of this you need to stick with it. maybe your stuck in a plateau change up your training, the work ethic in your training, train with those who are better than you are you just have to change it up make it more exciting. The success will come

Oh Malcky it is strictly good, sure they do have that creamy, nutty flavor, yum now i want some. i haven't seen one yet this year yet now I would be on the prowl and desire to locate him at our community Christmas industry on the 9th Dec. Roast chestnuts, a field of dates and a small silver dish of sugared almonds are what typified the season for me as a teenager. Being a traditionalist I nevertheless attempt and get all 3 for that sense solid factor, beautiful.

A good Sensei could care less about your competitive history when they look at grading you to shodan. What they are looking at is if you know your technical training properly. After shodan you will have plenty of time to develop into a better fighter. I have known many people who earned their shodan that had great technique and understanding of their basics yet they sucked at kumite. Many years latter they excelled at it. Why? Because it is all about experience and training.

To win a competition, you must fully understand the law/rule of the game...( match )

If it is just to win.....well you must have the intention to hurt the third parties, ONLY THE INTENTION.

KNOW WHERE YOU STAND IN YOUR STATE OF MIND. Hurting someone is painful.

Don't give up....

What do chestnuts have to do with this?