I know it's been discussed before...

[CMChick04]

Hey everyone! My husband and I are taking our level 1 test in about a month. According to the million questions we've asked our instructors, our test is about 2 - 2.5 hrs long. He's told us to come in with a positive attitude and not to stop for anything. Any other wisdom you can share?

THANKS!

[CJs Dad]

Hydrate! Make sure you don’t have low blood sugar so bring snacks and a change of shirt for each hour is usually a good rule.

Most importantly is to bring a positive mental attitude and you‘ll do fine.

Good Luck!

[KravMaga-ism]

I thought lvl1 was 4 hours???

[CJs Dad]

lvl 1 at NTC was 5hrs of seminar and 1 hr test when I took it.

[mara_jade]

Yeah, mine was at least 4 hours that I remember

Carb up the night before - that's what our instructors told us since test day the last thing you need be worried about is eating too much. Also, DON'T STOP like was said before. Right or wrong, keep going.

Good luck!!!

[CMChick04]

Originally Posted by KravMaga-ism

I thought lvl1 was 4 hours???

As far as I know, we have no seminar. The 2 hrs is all test...

[BradM]

As I remember when I took my level-1 a few years ago, we did not have a seminar either. Our instructors began preparing us for the test about a week in advance. Our actual test was about 3-hours long - non-stop from start to finish. We did get a couple short breathers and a water break when we were changing pads, gloves, etc.

Our Krav test was in the morning and I had made the stupid mistake of agreeing to take my 2nd Degree Black Belt test in Taekwondo that same afternoon. I had about enough time to change out of my Krav clothes and put my TKD uniform on (about a 30 - 45 minute break). I passed my Krav test easily. But, I was so tired for my TKD test, I almost failed it. Near the end of the TKD test, I had to spar four other Blackbelts. I thought I was going to collapse I was so tired. When I got home, I just threw a pellow on the floor and crashed for a couple hours. The next day I was pretty sore all over.

[EVO8]

Even the seminar part of it is pretty harsh especially in level 1 where they really test your stamina and aggressiveness. At least that's what i remember when i took mine at the NTC.

[JohnL]

Our last level 1 test at the school was close to 3.5 hours.. about half of a workshop, the other half of pure hel... the test. :D Accelerade will be your friend, probably 1 and a half bottles of it. A few hours before the test, start sipping on water. You can suffer performance loss of up to 30% being dehydrated, so drink drink drink.

[KravMDjeff]

This came from John Whitman when i asked him for some advice on an instructor certificaiton-don't treat it like a test. Treat it like an especially hard training session...do the same things you would during a really difficult class, and you'll do fine. In other words, as hard as it is to do, try to ignore the fact that you're getting evaluated, and just train the way you normally do. Assuming you work hard in class and you know the material, you'll do fine!

[KravMaga-ism]

Originally Posted by JohnL

Our last level 1 test at the school was close to 3.5 hours.. about half of a workshop, the other half of pure hel... the test. :D Accelerade will be your friend, probably 1 and a half bottles of it. A few hours before the test, start sipping on water. You can suffer performance loss of up to 30% being dehydrated, so drink drink drink.

is gatorade the official drink of KM?

[mara_jade]

Originally Posted by KravMaga-ism

is gatorade the official drink of KM?

Dang, I hope not..read somewhere that stuff is worse than soda as far as your teeth goesOhMy

[Craig P]

Check out http://www.WellnessZoneNutrition.com

Among all the healthy supplements and nutrition bars are the sports drinks. There is one Sugar Free Orange, Zero Carbs Zero Sugar but lotsa Electroytes - Sodium and Potassium to help keep you properly hydrated, and a blend of B vitamins for energy production.

[vwr32]

Originally Posted by Craig P

Check out http://www.WellnessZoneNutrition.com

Among all the healthy supplements and nutrition bars are the sports drinks. There is one Sugar Free Orange, Zero Carbs Zero Sugar but lotsa Electroytes - Sodium and Potassium to help keep you properly hydrated, and a blend of B vitamins for energy production.

Arrrghhh. I can't help myself... another supplement discussion!


Had to check out the url and sports drink recommendation because I'm into that sort of stuff, always looking for new things. A couple of points... XS is made by Quixtar, which is also known as Amway. I've only tried it a couple times, it's on par with other sports/energy drinks as for the added B vitamins and fairly low potassium content. Decent flavor too.

If you like it, great! It's not a debate, i'm not trying to change anyone's mind. At one point someone turned me on to something different, I'm just passing on the info for anyone open to trying something new.

The sodium should be present in a sports drink, but it's so prevalent in other sources I'm really not too concerned having a lot in my sports drink. Potassium on the other hand, comes from some of the more healthy foods which most people probably don't get enough of to begin with. So that's where I look.

XS Clearly Sugar Free Orange has 110 mg of sodium. That's not excessive. But it only has 35mg of potassium. I like the selenium in there, but the low potassium content leaves a lot to be desired imo.

I like the O.N.E. all natural coconut water as a "supplement" to my hydration. Regular bottled water handles the bulk of the hydration, but I keep a container of ONE as a mid-exercise or post exercise refueler. Yes, it has 60 calories, but u need them and it's a natural source (not added sugar). It has 35mg of sodium, and 670 mg of potassium. (Low sodium V8 has more potassium than that, but I couldn't see chugging that down during an exercise routine.) Also has 3 other electrolytes (Calcium 40mg, Phosphorus 17mg, and Magnesium 25mg) and one gram of protein.

I find it in the local supermarket in the health/organic section. About $1.80 per 11oz container. I've also seen other brands, the important part is that it is "all natural" coconut water. I guess u can get them online if you can't find them locally.
http://www.onenaturalexperience.com/whatisone/index.php


They list some of the health benefits of coconut water too:

O.N.E.ô is excellent for replacing lost electrolytes from exercise and illness.
O.N.E.ô is a natural isotonic beverage ñ contains a similar level of electrolytes found in human blood.
O.N.E.ô has 15 times the amount of potassium as most sports and energy drinks. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and heart function.
O.N.E.ô regulates the functioning of the intestine which can help to promote digestive health.
O.N.E.ô can help promote smoother, more hydrated skin.
O.N.E.ô can help reduce problems for infants suffering from intestinal disturbances.
O.N.E.ô is an effective oral rehydration medium and keeps the body cool.
O.N.E.ô is an all natural sports drink, energy drink and hangover cure.
Coconut Water is non-allergenic
O.N.E.ô is cholesterol free and coconut water has shown to help prevent the formation of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

For all the "supplements" I take, this one is my favorite. I wish gyms would stock this alongside the RedBulls and Accelerade options.

[nosborne]

Wow, mine was 6 hrs long.

I find that serious hydration for 2-3 days before, and carbing the night before works best for me. Eat a good breakfast that morning, but stay away from grease. I also brought carby/protien snacks and bananas for the 5 min brake that we had about half way thru.

Have fun and don't stop.

[CMChick04]

T minus 1 week until test time! I'm nervous and excited! :D

[mara_jade]

Originally Posted by CMChick04

T minus 1 week until test time! I'm nervous and excited! :D

Good luck!!

[leam]

Is this Level 1 yellow belt, or L-1 instructor? Either way I probably need to go check out some of those sports drinks...

Leam

[Guerriere]

Elbows have numbers.

Outside defenses have numbers.

Know the numbers!

Oh, and even though you're going to want to die by the end, treat each thing you're asked to do as if it's a fresh situation and you want to live.

(easy to say, I know)

[Giant Killer]

They always tell us the numbers aren't important.

_________________
Giantkiller

[Craig P]

The elbows are numbered for training purposes. On the test you will be asked to do elbow #1, #2 and so on, so you do need to know the numbers on the test.

Other than for learning and test taking the number of each elbow does not much matter. You never wanna stop and think... hmmm should I use elbow 4 or 5 on this guy, just throw an ELBOW and destroy him!

Your instructors will be looking for you to perform like this on everthing you do. Just don't give them this . When its all over you will feel like this and then you can go get a . Lol, sorry went crazy with the smilies...

[downforlife76]

I like it, Craig... If I could figure out how to do all those things, that's how all my posts would be!

J-

[Giant Killer]

Just go to "advanced" post, write your piece and click on any smiley you want. There's a selection to the right, then you can click "more" and increase the fun. But you have to have that advanced interface, you can go to your profile and turn it on somewhere (to adjust your preferences). Just look through it, you'll find it. Smileys rock!!

_________________
Giantkiller

[unstpabl1]

Originally Posted by Giant Killer

Just go to "advanced" post, write your piece and click on any smiley you want. There's a selection to the right, then you can click "more" and increase the fun. But you have to have that advanced interface, you can go to your profile and turn it on somewhere (to adjust your preferences). Just look through it, you'll find it. Smileys rock!!

_________________
Giantkiller

I love the smiley's, but I'm lazy and old...er I mean old fashioned :)

[downforlife76]

I asked about that earlier and whoever ansered never explained that I needed to change options in my profile! On second thought,
maybe I just didn't fully understand. I'm dense like that sometimes.
Either way, Thanks GK for showing me.... I'll have a lot more fun now!

J-

[KMKY]

unstpabl1 - it's not called old it is called "classic" or "vintage" ;)

[mara_jade]

Originally Posted by Craig P

The elbows are numbered for training purposes. On the test you will be asked to do elbow #1, #2 and so on, so you do need to know the numbers on the test.

Other than for learning and test taking the number of each elbow does not much matter. You never wanna stop and think... hmmm should I use elbow 4 or 5 on this guy, just throw an ELBOW and destroy him!

Your instructors will be looking for you to perform like this on everthing you do. Just don't give them this . When its all over you will feel like this and then you can go get a . Lol, sorry went crazy with the smilies...

I love your explanation. Hey, according to some I"m the one who started going crazy on smileys

[unstpabl1]

Originally Posted by KMKY

unstpabl1 - it's not called old it is called "classic" or "vintage" ;)

Yeah much better. It sounds classier to say I'm a Vintage old fart or I'm a Classic ass. Thanks, better than saying I'm too stupid to figure out how to use the smilies :)

[mara_jade]

Originally Posted by unstpabl1

Yeah much better. It sounds classier to say I'm a Vintage old fart or I'm a Classic ass. Thanks, better than saying I'm too stupid to figure out how to use the smilies :)

Arghh- DON'T SAY that! I hate when people call themselves stupid. Look, try this:

Go to the top of the board and find User CP - click on it.
When you get in, now on the left hand side, look for Edit Options and click that
Head ALL THE WAY to the bottom. You'll find Misc Options. In the dropdown, choose 'Enhanced - Full WYSIWYG Editing'. Now click Save Changes

Ok, now when you reply to anyone, you should lots of pretty smileys on the right hand side of the editor with a little More link

[unstpabl1]

Originally Posted by mara_jade

Arghh- DON'T SAY that! I hate when people call themselves stupid. Look, try this:

Go to the top of the board and find User CP - click on it.
When you get in, now on the left hand side, look for Edit Options and click that
Head ALL THE WAY to the bottom. You'll find Misc Options. In the dropdown, choose 'Enhanced - Full WYSIWYG Editing'. Now click Save Changes

Ok, now when you reply to anyone, you should lots of pretty smileys on the right hand side of the editor with a little More link

Figured it out. Right after I posted. Just posted a reply and took a smiley spin. I got nauses (SP) after reading it back. So I'm cured. Thanks

I kinow I'm not stupid. I'm just seem smarter on the net

[wyatt9696]

at our KM location, we will be having an L1 test this saturday. like the others we've had, it will be an all day(6 hours) affair. usually there will be an intensive, and fatiguing, workshop for a good 1.5-2.0 hours, then the test(around 3+ to 4 hrs) the candidates will be fatigued before the test starts. you will need to hydrate days in advance and i would recommend carbo loading the week of. i personally can't eat hours before the test, but that's just me. you'll need to ratchet up your sleep as well. give 100+% the whole time, and never stop. if you mess up something just keep on going and don't quit. **your worst enemy will be your mind**, not the test. don't look at a clock, as it will not move. try to get through minutes, not hours. as john whitman has stated, treat it as a hard training session, without emphasizing it is a test. if all goes well you will pass, and you'll realize that you and that beat up body of yours can endure much more than you can imagine. it will be one of the most fullfilling experiences that you'll ever go through. you need to go into a zone, and not get out of it until it's done. if you need to puke, do it, and go back to work. as crazy as it sounds, it will be worth it. good luck to you, and your fellow testers.

[Giant Killer]

Glad y'all having fun with the smileys.....

_________________
Giantkiller

[CMChick04]

We finished the test and we didn't stop! What an experience! We'll get our evaluations in a couple days. I'm curious to see how I did.
Thanks for all the tips!

[mara_jade]

Awesome! I bet you kicked a$$