On September 11, 2004 I will be tested for promotion to the rank of Black Belt from the Defense Tactics System of Kenpo karate in Kittery, Maine. This is a momentous occasion for me, and I have been training hard for the past few weeks in preparation.
The training will get more rigorous, right up until 9/9, where-after I will take it easy and rest and heal. And eat. Carbs. Lots of them. This test, assuming that it is an order of magnitude harder than my test for 1st Degree Brown (which was very difficult), will be very hard to pass. I know my material well, and can perform it well, but hours and hours of physical strain can do horrible things to one's grace and ability. All I can say is, I will be as ready as I can be and I will do my best.
In preparation and (perhaps somewhat premature) celebration, my wife has ordered me a very nice new Ghi from BuJin Design. It is far too expensive, and I would have recommended getting the standard-issue uniforms from my own school, but the sentiment is dear and the quality of BuJin gear is unmatched. I will wear it with pride, freshly pressed and adorned with a DTS school patch, to the test.
Her part was easy :-) My own preparation involves torturous amounts of pushups, crunches, wrist-squeeze-things, mountain-climbers, safety rolls, and of course the ever-dreaded Kung Fu Jump (squat with feet shoulder-width apart and your hands touching the ground, and then jump up as high as you can, touching your knees to your chest, and landing in the same position you started in).