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How many people start KM and never do the level 1?
What does the level 1 involve in terms of:
Time?
Drills?
Scoring/passing?Some of you who have done the level one test recently, please give me a quick summary of your thoughts?
Our school is coming up on the level 1 test. I plan to test (although I may have to miss the test because it is scheduled the day after my wife is due with our first child).
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
I’m sure folks will jump in but scoring and such isn’t something that I’ve heard mentioned. The important thing is to give it your all, and DON”T STOP, even if you think you screw up a move. Your endurance will definitely be tested. They wanna see you’re gonna keep fighting and not give up, no matter how tired you feel.
I can’t remember other’s tests offhand but mine was about 5 hours and that included the warmup/cardio, workshop and test. Others have mentioned less time.
You really need to study what’s on the curriculum that you should be able to get from your school. They should be the ones to be able to give you what to expect. If there’s even a doubt about a technique, get with your instuctor to go over it.
Good luck thumbsup
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
I’m getting ready to take my level 1 also…..unfortunate timing for you….congratulations on your baby. Perhaps you can politely ask your wife to wait for an extra day or so in order to assure you can test!!
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
I just took the level one test about a month ago.. it was about 3 hours, no workshop or instruction at all. There were water breaks allowed only when the instructor allowed it and we were in the fighting stance the entire time except when doing exercises. I’ll kind of outline it..
Cardio/Strength- 30-45 mins
Movement- strikes with an advance etc, hammer fist all directions — 20 mins
Combatives- 30 seconds as hard and fast as you can etc — 20 mins
Choke/360/Inside Defenses- 1 hour
Groundwork- 30 mins
Cardio Strength- 15 minsMy times obviously don’t add up perfectly but I was concentrating elsewere. Uh as far as passing goes…. everyone passed.. I’m not going to comment on if I thought that was really a good decision, but it seemed like overall there was a decent amount of effort put forth.
Drills were alot of mountain climbers, pushups, boxer kicks (hold your partners ankles on your back and kick your legs up).. didn’t do many attack drills other than choke defense, we didn’t do alot of aggression drills either, it was just concentrated on perfect technique when your exhausted. As I understand level 2 at my school is where we start to actually “fight” during our tests.
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
I’m kind of a “master” at the level 1 test. hahah. taken it 5 times (1 for my level up, 3 times for “fun” and 1 with Mr. Whitman for Phase) so here is what to expect.
Workshop.. you go over every technique you will see on the test. Do not go balls out here or the test will be hell. Time depends on how everyone looks.. Most of the time 2 hours will do.
The test.. Not sure with your school but we start with shadow boxing.. a very LONG round. 5-7 mins of all out, followed by all of your KM techniques. If 1 person out of the group isn’t going hard enough, then we shadow box more, or burpees, or pushups, etc, etc. Even have restarted a test since the overall attitude wasn’t high enough.
Again, depending on how many people are testing and how well they are performing will determine the length of the test. Most of the time, 1 and a half hours seems the norm. We end our level 1 test with some sparring but by that time, it’s pretty ugly for the new guys that have never went through it before.
Our tests start usually around 6pm on fridays, but we ask the students to get there around 5:15-5:30 to get warmed up; finishing around 9:30.
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
I’ve ran many, many level 1 tests. I really believe that 1 1/2 hours work shop and 1 1/2 hours test is about perfect. I have heard horror stories about 3 and 4 hour level one tests. Don’t get me wrong, I put higher belts through that kind of hell, but for a first test – why? Is it for the instructor to prove how tough they are? Is it to show how serious your gym is? The passing criteria is “would it work in real life?” How in the world, at the end of three hours, is anyone passing any of the techniques? Level one is a hard test. I see no reason to make it an impossible task for students who have only been in Krav for three or so months. Just my opinion.
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
Why arent all KMWW schools exactly the same? Should be standardized, no?
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
quote KMMAN:Why arent all KMWW schools exactly the same? Should be standardized, no?it would make complete sense, though
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
quote KMMAN:Why arent all KMWW schools exactly the same? Should be standardized, no?I go to the Buffalo, NY school and our tests are nowhere near this long or this demanding. Our school is structured more like a traditional martial arts school where we have 12 or so belts and our belt tests are usually 45 minutes to an hour.
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
we hold our test right after class, so you could say we have 2 hour tests. we use class time to go over whatever the student feels they need work on, but it is still fast paced like a normal class…i don’t allow for lolly-gagging around :). for the test, level 1 is about an hour starting with shadow boxing, then we go straight down the line from the curriculum book. we have the testers switch techniques when we feel we’ve seen enough to grade them properly.
with the posed question of standardization, i think that grading is pretty standardized. the instructors are looking for technique, but also aggressiveness and the sense that what the students are doing is “real”.
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
first thing i would say is that…as a student, you should only take the level 1 test WHEN you have learned, practiced, AND able to perform all the techniques correctly. I have way toooo many students that come to the test than claim that they have never seen a particular technique that they are about to get tested on..or “i only saw that 1 time in class”. HUH?!? It is up to YOU to make sure you have learned everything that is required for you to learn before a test. Too many students are just waiting to hit that required number of classes to take the test and not thinking about if they have actually learned ALL that is in that level.
now about the test it self. To me, i don’t make my workshop/test hard and strenuous because i just feel like i want to make you tired. Its because in real life when you have to use these techniques, your not going to be 100% calm, relaxed, full of energy, etc. When you have to defend your self, your going to be mentally and physically under great deal of stress, beat up, adrenaline dump, etc….
Point being…it doesn’t really matter if you can do the technique when everything is good..and you should not train and be tested that way.Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
Don’t make the mistake I made.I spent 4 hours at home practicing the moves & took the test that evening.
Practice BEFORE test day.Go in rested.Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
I’ve never seen a workshop/test that didn’t go a total of 4 hours for Level 1. The fast ones went 4 hours…and the longest I’ve ever seen went 5. The whole point of the combination (in my humble opinion) is to ensure as best we can, that the folks testing have a grasp of the techniques ahead of the test.
The second part of this, to respond to those who wonder about the technique being ‘passable’ after that much of a workout….in the real world, you could be coming off a long shift doing something or other and be exhausted as an attack comes. No attacker will give you the benefit of the doubt (or walk away) because you’re tired.
It is an excellent way to see if the technique is cemented in muscle memory. In other words, can you perform this under stress and serious exhaustion?
I have black belts in other styles and have taken tests in a similar method to what was eluded to above in this specific thread. But I found (in my level tests & Phase training) that I feel better about the techniques because I had to perform them under the most difficult circumstances of fatigue.
I certainly cannot speak to the differences in the schools across the country. Each of us is working hard to spread an excellent defense system in Krav Maga. For that, I’m grateful.
Would I like to see everyone go through the same tests to move from one level to another that I took? Sure! But I’m not important enough to chide anyone for knowing their students well enough to see when they’ve demonstrated mastery, if that mastery comes ahead of the 4 hour mark. 🙂
El Guapo
Peaceful until an asswhoopin is required.
Re: Old Topic One More Time: Level 1 Test
As for quotes being put on a T-shirt….I still want this one that I saw on another thread a couple of weeks ago. The quote was in reference to a lot of the instructors commenting on the challenges/injuries in Phase training:
This [is] Krav…..not scrapbooking.
Peace, everyone!
El Guapo
Peaceful until an asswhoopin is required.
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