I 'knew' I was going to fail. I couldn't do the pushups and situps required. I was very knit-picky on my only kata I had to do. Were my strikes are sharp as they needed to be? Was my stance correct? Then I was worried that I wouldn't remember kihon and would forget to pivot when I kicked.
Turns out I was fine. I managed to do my fitness requirements, barely. Kata was good and so was everything else. I really had nothing to worry about.
In my dojo, Shihan will not invite you to a test if you cannot pass the test. The true test is in the everyday class. only when you are ready are you asked to attend. Shihan P. doesn't believe in setting people up for failure. Things I need to work on are private and are never pointed out.
You will never hear Shihan or Sensei call out any one person on a technique gone wrong. They will call out corrections without even making eye contact with the offender. For example, if I am not pivoting properly while doing a round house, kihon will stop while Sensei tells us all to make sure we pivot. She will then demonstrate and give a reason on why we should do it that way.
I love my dojo and I will be sporting a shiny new green belt tonight. I know I will because I have worked hard and I have been invited.
