Congratulations to the dojo…now let’s practice.

It was another Sunday practice in Dallas, yet this time, 2nd class saw five of our dojo’s senior students test. It’s been 7 years since a Denton member (Jeff H.) went for his nikyu, and as the one responsible for testing I was holding my breath and anticipating the moment. As I sat seiza, breathing was easy to do with what I was seeing in front of me. David, Ken, Cliff, Matt, and Ron all passed, and left no doubts as to what type of spirit they train with day to day.

But what does all that mean for us as a dojo? It means we get to keep practicing. Our training method is part and parcel of the physical and ethical aspects of the art. Over the years, my views on the importance of testing have changed, but more and more I see testing as part of the training method. It allows us to capture time where we polish our technique, endurance, and spirit. Organizationally, it allows our hierarchy to assert quality control on the instruction of fundamental techniques and concepts. That outside pressure so conducive to making us focus and shine goes away. In the USAF, sandan is typically the last rank with a physical test. Barring injury, I’ll have taken my last test by the end of April.

Finally- all the tests can happen in the dojo, on the mat, during seminars, at other dojos, as a student, as a teacher, as a human being…outside in the real world. We endure the rigors of testing, only to be asked in the end to find other ways to test ourselves. From another view, we must also be open minded to see the unexpected events of dojo and life as spontaneous external tests. I am very proud of the way the guys performed, and happy for the growth that it shows our (soon to be not so) young dojo has gone through in the past ten years. But I am even more content that we all have a place to put tough tests before ourselves, to accept those tests that occur on a moment’s whim, and bow graciously and thankfully.