The most common phobia in the United States is fear of public speaking.
Close behind that, but less well-known, is fear of karate belt-rank exams.
How do you deal with it?
Simple as can be. Take a private class every week, and incorporate the exam sequences in every single class for a few years.
Actually works pretty well. And I would know.
Here’s a second technique: get a dvd with all the exam requirements for your system. And watch it and practice along with it every day.
If you’re a Shotokan karate student there’s a very nicely done exam dvd from a dojo in Great Britain. That dojo sells (at EXTREMELY modest prices) both an advanced kata dvd and an exam standards dvd. And both are worth the low, low price.
You can find those dvds here. The dojo is named Club Heb Enw, or The Club With No Name. And I don’t understand that anymore than I understand the name of Rob Redmond’s site, 24 Fighting Chickens, but you shouldn’t judge a website by its cover!
And by the way, I’ve studied both dvds from Club Heb Enw, and I was very impressed. Nice work. Clean, sharp, snappy technique. Good, strong stances. Good timing in the advanced kata. The instructor’s Enpi kata, in particular, was remarkable.
Perfect? Close enough for all reasonable purposes. Particularly the advanced kata dvd.
The nice thing about dvds like those I described above is this: they are so inexpensive they are clearly a labor of love, and they are as good as anything you can buy at any price, just without the fancy package and slick editing.
And then there’s the other thing: you know you’d like to study at a dojo with teachers and students who have attitudes that good, and technique.
Kinda like the attitudes at the Arizona Karate Association Dojo.
But probably not quite as warm during the Monsoon Season!
