The day finally came! Black belt test number 3, the final test.
It started with basic actions and combos. There were always a few that I have trouble starting, but I get them within one or two repetitions. We moved on to forms. I struggled with a few forms, not because I don't know them but because it is hard to do them with a group. However, I've also been at enough practices lately that they know I know the forms and this last test is mostly just for show. (There were a few people missing and I think there were a few students they were watching a bit closer than normal. They got a little grumpy at the lack of power some students were putting forth, but besides that they seemed happier than normal too.)
Phew. We were through the hardest stuff. Self-defense followed. I had been struggling a bit with this because they would previously only give the name of what they wanted...and it felt like the names and/or the motions kept changing. So this time they gave a quick description too. I was with a lovely partner and we had a fun time together. We are trying to come up with a word when we execute the move correctly. We don't want to say "good", because it doesn't feel good. But we don't want to say "bad", because the move was executed correctly. We've been using "terrible" and laughing about it, which lightens the mood.
Next we had some fun things! We were divided into two groups and needed to make a six-motion form in five minutes. There was one adult in each group, with the expectation that we'd help lead. No problem there! One student would select a move, we'd run form. Then the next student would select a move and we'd run the form. If they were too slow to choose a move someone else got to choose, although everyone did get to put a move in by the end. The parents voted and we won! Huzzah!
Then the parents came out and we had to teach them the first five moves of a form. My sparring partner's mom came out to help me since the rest of my family was camping. She is a red belt, although hasn't been on the mat for a while, so we had to do one of the harder forms. We ended up with Bassai, which was the one I disliked the most. But we only had to do the first five moves and I know the form! I just don't like it.
The mile came next. I just gave them my time from Thursday again (12:02). I feel a bit like it's cheating, but that 10 minute break is so nice.
We finished up with some sparring. I never love sparring but it was fine. It helped that I had just had a break.
And then we were done. They noted that I was the first adult female to become a black belt under their leadership of about eight years. (In fact, there aren't that many adults that make it. I obviously don't know the history all that well, but in talking with the other adult that was testing for his second degree belt there might only be two males as well. There are several teens that are now in college and on the cusp of adulthood, but they were all younger when they actually got the belt.)
(Note that we were all able to flip our belts! Previously we had the red on the top black on the bottom denoting black belt candidate. Now we have black on the top denoting that we've passed but are waiting on the official ceremony.)
