Test Prep - What to expect

[tizod]

Hola.

I have been taking Krav for 4 months now at the center in L.A.

I am planning on taking my level 2 test in 2 weeks.

I have no idea what to expect other then that I have heard it is looooong.

If anyone can give me any suggestions for how to prepare and what to expect I would appreciate it.

Thanks

[johnwhitman]

Hey tizod,

Sorry no one answered your question earlier!

You're going to have a good time...at least, you'll be happy when you're done. :wink:

You'll go through a workshop that will be 2-3 hours long. The workshop will be hard, but not a real killer. It is designed to give you one last chance to review techniques, get comments from the instructor, etc. Then you'll go right into the actual test, which will be another 1-2 hours depending on how many people are in the group.

The test will be non-stop. You will go through combatives, alternating with a partner being the pad holder or the striker, then move straight into self defense. You will be put under stress and, to be honest, you'll feel like you want to quit during the first 15 minutes. But you won't quit...you'll keep going and the techniques will fly out of you. You'll do some training at the end, when you're tired, where you don't know what attack is being made and you have to simply defend yourself. You'll do great!

Eat well the night before. Have a light breakfast that gives you energy. Drink fluids...bring MORE than just water. Drink Gatorade or something else that replenishes electrolytes.

It'll be a blast.

[joewags]

Tizod, Good Luck with your Level 2 test. I am curious about the \"time element\" in your training as compared to mine. I have been traing in KM for exactly 1 year and just completed my Level 2 exam last week. :D

Perhaps John Whitman could reply to this: Is there any time frame for each Level? Surely it depends on the individual and their motivation, instructors motivation and KM training centers desire to test on a regular basis; however, is their a \"time frame\" that I should expect to be tested for each new level? I am extemely motivated and train 4-5 days/week and have excellent instruction from Dan Taylor Martial Arts. Thank you in advance for your replies.

Joe

[tizod]

thanks for the replies.

From what I was told, they recommend testing after 4 months of training assuming you were coming at least 2 - 3 times a week.

Which I have.

[johnwhitman]

Yes, the recommended time frame tha we use a the KMNTC is four months, as tizod mentioned. Some schools wait six months or even a bit longer. A year is too long, unless there are circumstances related to the individual.

[BradM]

John,

Similar question. I've been a Level -2 student for about 2-years, maybe longer. We have a lot of students that have been Level-2 for a long time. We have all wondered why we haven't been tested to Level-3 yet. My thoughts are that maybe our instructor is not qualified to teach Level-3 yet.

What Phase training must an instructor have before being qualified to teach Level-3. I believe our instructor has been through Phase-1 and Phase-2.

I hope John or someone else can clear this up for me. Thanks.

[djinsd]

If an instructor has finished Phase A he/she can promote students to level 2. If he/she has finished Phase B then students can be promoted to level 3. If an instructor has completed Phase C then his/her students can be promoted to level 4 (green belt). If your instructor has not completed enough phases, then perhaps you can find one in your area that is holding an exam in the near future.


Hope this helps,

DJ
chief Instructor
Dynamic Martial Arts, Inc.
Pacific Beach and El Cajon

[Leftie79]

Isn't green belt is level 3??

[djinsd]

Beginner = level 1
Yellow Belt= level 2
Orange belt= level 3
Green belt= level 4
blue and brown= level 5

This is my understanding, I could be wrong but I've been teaching Krav for 3 1/2 years. However, the levels had changed a bit but this is what I believe it is currently.

DJ

[johnwhitman]

I think we're getting a big confused over whether you mean \"belt level you are at\" or \"material you are learning.\"

In Level 1 you are a beginner learning the \"yellow belt\" material. Then you test on that material.

In level 2 you are a \"yellow belt\" learning \"orange belt\" material.

In level 3 you are an \"orange belt\" learning \"green belt\" material.

So when you get to Level 4 you are already a green belt learning the next level.

BTW, I put the belt colors in quotes because, of course, we don't actually wear belts. It's just an organizational method.

[dv8njoe]

At my school we waited 6 months until we tested for level 2. Alans a great teacher. But I think there are some people who take a little longer to get tested, so they get it right, but I don't think it should be over 1 year.

[BradM]

djinsd,
Thanks for the reply. It gave me a better understanding. My instructor has completed Phase A and Phase B. I understand he can promote me to Level-3, but can he teach Level-3. From your reply, I interrupt it to mean he can not teach Level-3 unless he has completed Phase C training himself. Is that true. If so, that would explain why he hasn't tested us to Level-3 yet. Why promote to Level-3 if he can't teach it yet.

Thanks,

[djinsd]

In Krav Maga, you can promote a student up to the level that you have attained. However, many instructors would not feel comfortable teaching their students material that they themselves have not been certified to test on. For example, I am scheduled to take my Expert Series II training in June (I was supposed to do it in February but a broken foot held me up). After the completion of that exam, providing I pass, I will be a brown belt. I can currently test my students up to Blue belt (which is my current level of rank). My understanding of the certification process, which I hope John can confirm or deny, is that you can teach what you've been taught by the NTC but you cannot test your students until you've been certified on that material. If I were to test my current green belts for blue (allowed by my current level) I would have the weird position of having 3 of my students at the same rank as my self (although 2 of my green belts are currently Krav instructors themselves).

Krav Maga certification is not only very physically demanding and \"uncomfortable\" :-) but very expensive. There is the cost of the training itself (which is quite reasonable for the quality of instruction), hotel stay, food, supplies and not to mention the cost of NOT being in your school to keep things rolling.

My advice is to talk to your instructor about his/her plans to promote up. If the only thing keeping you guys from promting is your instructor's feeling that it might be strange to promote the students to the same rank, then I don't feel that should be enough to keep a student at grade for a year or more for level 2. That is just my opinion. But I think communication between your instructor and you is the best bet.

Hope this helps,

DJ

[joewags]

Thank You all for your replys & information!

That clarifies for me that I am now a Level 3 student learning \"green belt\" material. So.....should I expect to get tested in 4 months for level 4? Elbow me if I'm being redundant. :roll:

Is there a \"time frame\" with which you feel a student that could be \"instructor material\" should begin that quest? In that event, what is the process involved, should the student have that desire?

Thanks again!
Joe

[djinsd]

The recommended time in grade get longer as a student advances. 4 months might be appropriate for a beginner but probably not for a student going from \"orange belt\" to \"green belt\" but ultimately, it's up to the instructor and the student to figure that out. Whether or not a student is ready to be an instructor would be a similar discussion. When I did my Phase A training, most of my peers had over 5 years experience in martial arts or martial arts related training. The ones that had less were specifically trained in Krav Maga.

Hope this helps,

DJ

[JT]

joewags, just looking at the dates on my diplomas, it was about 9 months after I got my orange belt until I got my green belt. The test for blue belt was about 1+ year after that. So, all told, about 2 1/2 years to blue belt if you are consistently training and advancing. I've heard that it takes the average student about 5-6 years for black belt.... of course, \"average\" people aren't black belts!!!

As for instructor training, there were two green belts at my school who went through successfully. That is a conversation you should have with your instructor to see if they would recommend you.

[joewags]

djinsd & JT, Thank you for your insights! I believe that I have a better understanding of the process. It is clear that I need to focus on becoming proficient at the elements I am being taught and not so focused on the \"time element\" itself. Thanks again!
Joe