My student and assistant instructor Chris Olson completed his Shodan exam this past Sunday. I am happy to announce that he passed. He earned his Shodan, but suffered a number of hardships during his grading in the way of injury. This made the grading more difficult, both from his point of view in having to try and perform without aggravating his injury, and for me in that I had to strike a balance between pushing him appropriately, but without creating scenarios that are sure to cause further damage.

Chris injured his foot quite badly during the 2-on-1 sparring portion in the first quarter of his grading. We’re still waiting for x-ray results, but he either got a very serious bruise or very minor fracture. We stopped the grading after he got hurt in order to ice it and assess whether or not the grading should continue. Chris wanted to keep going. He was able to walk on it, so we let him, asking that our doctor student, Jenny, keep an eye on him for the rest of the grading.

It was clear that the foot injury was affecting Chris’s performance, but we kept that under consideration in our evaluation of the test. While his ground grappling suffered greatly (Chris normally uses his legs a lot when he grapples) and his throws weren’t nearly as smooth (his injury prevented him from bending too low), he did some beautiful Jiu-jitsu circles, including a blindfolded circle. Because of the flexibility of choice in performing the circles, he was able to choose appropriate techniques that wouldn’t cause him as much pain.

While Chris’s Shodan grading wasn’t performed under the most ideal circumstances, it was a good for demonstrating both Jiu-jitsu skill/versatility and warrior spirit to fight on when the chips are down. We are all very proud.

There is a line though that you have to be careful not to cross when it comes to injuries during belt tests. If the person can’t put weight or pressure on the affected area, they shouldn’t continue the grading in my opinion. My golden rule is that if continuing with the grading is likely to worsen the injury in a serious way, the test should be ended. It can be a hard judgment call to make though. I was just glad to have a doctor on the mats to help make the call.

Does anyone out there have any experience with handling injuries during a belt test? Please share in the comments.

Tags: belt test | injury

Some of my students are currently preparing for their upcoming belt tests. They are coming in to class early and diligently preparing so they’ll do their best when the time comes.

Here are a few tips for when you do your next belt test:

1) Breathe. When people get nervous, their muscles often tighten up. This includes the muscles that control breathing. As a result, they end up taking shorter breaths, causing them to fatigue more quickly. Try to concentrate on taking longer, smoother breaths.

2) Don’t think, react. If you’ve properly prepared for your test, your body should already know what to do. Like with multiple choice, your first instinct is likely the correct one.

3) Control your speed and power. You don’t need to go a million miles an hour and clobber your uke to show you know what you’re doing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. You should be able to show quick, but fluid and controlled movements that cause an appropriate amount of discomfort to your uke without injuring them or causing excessive amounts of pain.

4) If you don’t make it, fake it. If for some reason you do the wrong technique for an attack, don’t stop mid-technique or comment on it. Follow it through confidently as if it was exactly what you meant to do. If the examiner asks you to do it again, make the necessary adjustments, but if they don’t comment on the mistake, don’t bring attention to it.

5) Relax! This is by far the most important tip. It’s natural to be a little nervous, and that minor nervousness can even add to your performance, driving you to step up to the plate. But try to relax, stay calm and focused. This will improve every aspect of your performance.

Good luck to all those of you who are getting ready for an upcoming belt test!

Tags: belt test