Written by Wow! That was a spectacular black belt test. Lucas and Cooper showed tremendous heart during it. Their katas had such power and strength. They preformed extremely well under pressure. They knew their katas so well they probably could have done them with their eyes closed. They had a dojo full of people with all eyes on them. I could tell they had practiced their katas thousands of times. The sparring katas were really fascinating to watch without partners and then with them. They knew the movements and techniques very well.
I was part of the sparring portion of the test. I was so glad I got to share in their experience in testing to become a black belt. They knew all the different types of punches, kicks, blocks, angles, fakes, faints, throws, and grappling moves. They did everything that they had been taught in karate over the 12 years. After sparring all the yellow, green, and brown belts they had to spar the black belts. They were tired, but they kept going. They never gave up. They would be knocked down to the ground and they got back up. When they were done they had to do bare knuckle sparring. I could tell they were extremely tired, but they kept going. They never gave up their spirit. What a victory. The black belts all agreed they earned their black belts. It was an incredible day. I am so glad I got to be a part of their black belt experience. I was glad to be part of their day. It was inspiring.
Well said! It was an amazing experience to be a part of.