Taking a promotion exam can be a scary and challenging thing – especially for newer students. Most often, very advanced practitioners sit on a judges panel and watch every move the student makes. It’s a succinct moment where the student will pass or be delayed; and that kind of pressure can throw someone off their game.
A few things that will help.
It is important to make all the classes you can. Keep participating, listening and practicing. Over time it will all pull together from within. Your confidence will raise and therefore, so will your performance.
Train steady. Set up a few times a week where you practice on your own. Create a schedule in your life that allows calendaring personal practice sessions. Train by yourself: train with a partner. Both ways cement together to improve your performance.
Take some private lessons. Sign up for some personal “one on one” training with your instructor or one of his/her assistants. Ask questions: get answers. Then practice as often as your schedule will allow. Remember: try not to make excuses of why you cannot train, but rather, “make excuses” on how you can! Think about that for a moment.
If you are inconsistent with your training, it will be harder to do well under pressure. This goes for testing as well as for personal self defense. Again, your confidence rises a lot as you train more and more. It only makes sense.
Another good idea:
A few weeks before the test, get some fellow students together and create a pretend test. All students become the panel while one is performing their skills. The practice panel should make notes for each student (friend) to look over and use to improve his/her skills. This works really well.
Good luck with it. And, remember to enjoy the process. Don’t be in a hurry. It will all unfold on its own. Just keep participating. It’s you showing up for class that counts: it’s you “showing up for you” that really counts!
Cool…I really like the idea of a pretend test!
The past few tests have been slightly easier for me to handle and keep my cool because I have been much more prepared. When I have that confidence, it is harder for my nerves to overcome me.
Nerves at a promotion are a two way street.
As a Sensei I get nervious for my students just wanting them to perform at there best especially while there parents are watching. So I calm them down by telling them to let me worry about how well they’ll do. I’ve observed their training and I know they are ready. So I say just go and execute with speed and power maximum relax to maximum tense at your best.
It’s always helped me to remember that everyone on the panel is hoping for me to do well also. No one wants to see me fail. That’s a somewhat comforting thought to me amidst all the anxiety of testing. I also keep in mind that the test is not about a competition with other students, it’s only about me doing the best I can do as a martial artist…and showing what I know. And when it’s all over, you have the satisfaction and pride that you just accomplished something you may never have thought you could do. It’s really an amazing feeling! And this time, I’m actually (almost) looking forward to the test! Over the years, after taking so many (and training regularly to be prepared!), my confidence in myself has grown and I know I can get through it successfully. Best of all…it can even be fun!
Nerves at a promotion ARE a two way street! I used to get so freaked out at my tests because the panel of masters and instructors – people who are normally friendly and light and fun – were suddenly uncharacteristically serious. Talk about nerve-racking!! Now I know that part of it was them being a good example, maintaining an appropriate air of dignified formality about a test. The rest of it was the fact that THEY were nervous for ME.
Enjoy the process. Boy, it took years but now I can understand that. Tests can be incredibly fun if you can manage to enjoy the process. Of course, you can’t go in with the idea of having fun without confidence in your skill. These tips will sure help anyone get to a point where they can have a good time with testing.
The thought that the panel is hoping you do well is absolutely right — in fact, they are sometimes, as mentioned, even nervous for you. Once you make a few moves, you’ll begin to loosen up. Then, just take it on and go for it! What do you have to lose? And keep in mind, no one is putting any serious pressure on you but yourself. The panel isn’t the one to worry about. Handle yourself: the panel is on your side. Don’t forget that on test day!
During this most recent test I felt as though a paradigm shift had occurred, and indeed it had; for the first time I experienced a profound sense of joy leading to and during the examination. Who would have thought to experience jubilation on a test? Yet that’s precisely the emotion I felt. Though there was no lack of nervous energy, I was reminded that nervous energy is likened to the tributaries of a great river; if one attempts to swim headlong into these tributaries then we may indeed drown, never having enjoyed the majesty of the river. However, accepting them only swelled the joy of the experience, prompting a buoyancy of spirit that made for a thoroughly exhilarating adventure.