Break out the Tiger Balm! It's time to get serious about training.

Weight: 208
Body Fat: 38.3 - 38.5 %

It's crunch time, folks! Jennie and I went and watched the end of this year's black belt test last Saturday, and it was a real wakeup call to what I'm going to have to accomplish by next October. Yes, the weight loss is important... important for my knees, important for my stamina. But food control alone is not going to get me where I need to go. So this is where I kick it up a notch.

To give those of you who aren't martial artists an idea of what I'm facing, this is a summary of what I need to know and perform (and survive) during my black belt test:

Fitness:

• Hundreds of pushups
• Lengthy striking sessions to the air and on a bag
• Many many situps and crunches
• Getting thrown on the ground repeatedly and being able to get back up and go again
• The ability to keep going even when my body feels like it can't
• The ability to ignore pain and push through fatigue

Material:

• Aprox. 11 long forms and at least one weapons form
• Multiple club and knife defenses (left handed and right handed)
• Approx. 40 punch defense techniques (left handed and right handed)
• 20 or so defenses against grabs 
• 3 sparate blocking systems with counter strikes
• Partial-contact sparring
• ... and countless punches, strikes, kicks and locks. 

Mental:

Not only do I need to know the above material and be in shape enough to not die during the test, I need to mentally prepare. I am going to be faced with not only overcoming the hurdles of pain and fatigue, but also confusion, loss of confidence when I make mistakes, being asked to do things backwards or make up techniques on the spot, being instructed to do combinations of different strikes at random... The mental part scares me about as much as the endurance part does. When you're tired and you hurt, and your brain feels like it's going to shut down and then you're asked to do something you've never done before or given a quick list of strikes you need to whip out in a certain order, it's hard not to freeze up and feel like "I'm a giant failure, I can't do this, I suck." I need to be prepared to feel confused, to feel panicked, and know that I can get over that. 

In order to be in shape and prepared for what will be the most challenging physical and mental test I have ever had to face, I need to get serious about training. I need to think, breathe, sleep, and live martial arts for the next year, which means training at home, getting in the dojo as often as possible, and maybe even doing pushups on my break at work. 

I am currently reading a book called "Fighter's Fact Book" by Loren W. Christensen, which is not only a fun read for anyone who studies martial arts, but also has some really interesting and creative ideas for training. I find that solo training is my kryptonite. I get bored, I get distracted. The author provides some ideas for solo work that keep things from getting boring. It's just what I need... a little something to keep me motivated. 

If any martial artists out there are reading this, what do you do to keep yourself interested when training alone? What do you find works best?