Black Sash Grading
As someone, who until three years ago, did not have any knowledge of martial arts or any interest in it, it is hard to understand the gruelling 6 hours that it takes to prove that you are worthy of receiving your black sash. Before meeting Andy the idea that you ‘push yourself to your limits and beyond’ all for what an ignorant person would see as a piece of material was incomprehensible. This concept however, could not be more wrong. The determination, dedication and discipline that is required to work up to such a standard is more than commendable.
What’s the point in doing your black sash grading?
‘It’s an achievement, a representation of hard work and something to be proud of. It’s recognised by those who you train with and even those who have little understanding of Kung Fu. They still acknowledge how far you must have progressed to achieve your black sash’.
Andy has already spent the week researching and writing an essay on the Ten Tigers of Canton in order to prove his understanding of their origins. ‘I did struggle when I was writing the essay. I am not at all confident when it comes to written work although I knew that the grammar, punctuation and spelling didn’t particularly matter as it was the content that was being looked at. Some of the tigers were also not as well written about so it was hard to research them but I am happy with the final draft. I will do better at the physical elements though’.
The grading begins with an endurance run which took 2½ hours. On returning Andy already looked worn out. ‘The run was harder than I thought it was going to be. The hardest part was not knowing when the end was going to come but I soon realised that what I had originally thought of as my physical and mental limits were not even close to what I was capable of achieving when it really mattered. I’ve learnt that I’ve always got more to give no matter how drained I’m feeling. I feel more focused and composed now that I have done the run. I’m feeling confident about my forms, just slightly worried about the sparring as I will be tired. I know it will be hard but it will be worth it’.
Having such a positive attitude after completing just one component of the grading is surprising and impressive as there are still hours of hard work ahead. Andy’s response to this was simply, ‘it’s a challenge and it proves to myself what I can do. I can go beyond my limits if I have to which is what it’s all about today’.
Next was the grappling which consisted of 15 different types of sub-missions and 5 minutes of wrestling. ‘That was exhausting but in a different way. I felt like I was using all of my muscles all of the time. I did have to stop and think a few times about what I could do but I managed them in the end. I think I was still getting over the run’.
Going through the kicks, stances, strikes and blocks which make up the syllabus was next. This consists of approximately 200 individual moves that are used in forms. Andy seemed to be confident in going through these but some moves had to be repeated more than once. Afterwards Andy knew that ‘there were a few things that were noted down which were not up to scratch but I knew as soon as I did them that I could have done some things better than I did’.
The self defence aspect of Kung Fu is more of a practical application which is more likely to be used. ‘This was my main worry of the whole grading as they are fairly new and it was heard to learn them all in such a short space of time. I think that I managed them well so I am very pleased. They are not my favourite part of Kung Fu as some moves are more useful than others’. Not only do these have to be remembered but then there are the forms.
The forms, a sequence of defensive and attacking manoeuvres to simulate attacks and they put the syllabus into a useable format. ‘If someone ever asks to see some Kung Fu I always show them a form as they show off Kung Fu well but you wouldn’t use them as a whole in a fight because they are set moves and a fight is not like that’. Being used to seeing Andy practise his forms I knew that he would do them well, however, he is such a perfectionist he is never satisfied. ‘I find forms easy to learn so I pick them up quite well but I was nervous about doing the higher grade forms, partly because of my levels of tiredness but also because of their length. I practice my forms so they are smooth and flow well which means that I rarely forget what comes next but I knew that doing them for my grading would be different to doing them normally’.
Before beginning the sparring Andy is not looking like he has much energy left. By the time it gets to the 5 on 1 fight, Andy is clearly shattered as he is bent over double and cannot even hold his guard up. His sparring partners had to pull him up off the ground half of the time after Andy failed to take down anyone except himself. It feels unnatural to see someone in such a state and no one giving him a break but that was what it was all about. Andy would be annoyed if he knew that anyone was going easy on him. He wanted to feel like he deserved his black sash which from a spectators point of view it definitely looked like he did.
Sparring is as close to using Kung Fu in a real fight situation as you get. Having people striking at you in an unpredictable fashion replicates what a fight could be like. Seeing Kung Fu being used like this provides a ‘proper’ visual application where you can see it in action. Although forms are to do with defending and striking it is not the same as seeing 2 people or more using Kung Fu, simulating a fight situation.
Andy finally manages to take everyone down and collapses on the floor. He looks pleased that he has finished but he is completely shattered. ‘I ache all over. I’m so worn out but happy that I managed to complete everything that has been asked of me’.
Martial arts in general are not a mainstream discipline which is readily heard about in the media. From watching Andy and others training, Kung Fu seems a lot of hard work but are there any benefits to learning it and is there anything that would encourage others to take it up?
‘It changes your life. It doesn’t just cover one aspect it covers lots of areas of skill including fitness, flexibility, knowledge and a good sense of discipline. It ends up being a way of life rather than being just a part of your life. You learn to respect others and you make friends with the people you train with. This in itself develops your communication skills which are needed when you’re helping to teach others. Kung Fu is good for anyone who has any sort of insecurities. It provides you with the confidence to defend yourself and overall a great sense of achievement when you see how far you have come’.
Putting as much time in to Kung Fu as he can, alongside his studies at Swansea University doing Aerospace Engineering, Andy has progressed quickly in the last four years resulting in achieving his black sash. ‘Everything up to my black sash has just been a building block. I don’t see it as an end, it’s only the beginning. My training will continue at the same rate and I would like to continue gaining more experience and look into different styles of Chinese martial arts’.