Another test

About a year ago I completed my bloody-huge BBS1 exam at Jiu-Jitsu.

Nobody around here has done that since. A few have expressed interest but none have put in the necessary effort. They are smart.

It is now time to get involved in that process again.

The next technical exam in the series had just been made available; BBS2. I have no intention of doing that test anytime soon. Eventually I will, but no rush.

There is, however, pressure on the instructors. While there is a grace period, they have to complete every technical exam that becomes available. That means our teacher has to get going on it.

That also means he needs helpers. His son Scott is his usual training partner, so he's in. I'm the other one.

As our instructor practices the curriculum, Scott and I will be practising the role of the technique recipient. We have to display the correct behaviours for the technique to be demonstrated against. It's not as hard as learning the candidate's roll, but it's hard enough.

It's actually all hard. A video is made in which about 75 moves and counter moves are demonstrated. This all has to fit into 15 minutes, so there's no time to stop and think.

When that video is completed, and good enough to submit, there are still two more just like it covering different material left to record.

These are the parts we need to help him prepare for, and to help perform.

Beyond that there are still three five-minute sparring videos to record, but any Blue Belt can help with those.

We worked on the first section of the test this week, and I'd say our instructor is about ready to shoot it. He plans on doing his second section in January, and another in February. This seems realistic to me. It's all that difficult.

Tomorrow we train for the test again, with no distractions.

I'll have my camera around just in case any filming is called for.