Testing Week Nerves

The week of testing is always one of the most stressful weeks of the training cycle, for parents, students, and instructors. Students are stressed because they want to make sure that they do their best. They want to succeed and get their new belt. They want to see all of the work that they have put in through the training cycle come to fruition. Parents are stressed because they see how hard their children have worked. They also want their children to succeed, which sometimes results in them pushing their children harder than they mean to. The instructors are stressed for a combination of those. We've seen how hard you worked and want you to do well. We've also seen what you have struggled with and want or need you to overcome those in order to be successful. As instructors we also know that we have to be responsible for judging you on that day. We have to be the ones to determine whether what you did was enough to pass or not, and sometimes those decisions are heartbreaking. Knowing how stressful that this week will be, make sure to set a time to do something fun. Take a break from practicing for a little bit, and distract yourself from your feelings. You've got this!