Universally

Preparing to take a passage de grade (grade promotion & proficiency examination) is very much like training for a fight in the ring or a combat tour. In all of these situations you must be (a) technically proficient, (b) tactically proficient, (c) in fighting man (or woman) physical condition, and (d) psychologically/emotionally fit. These four ducks you must have in a row if you are to succeed and expect to come out of your test challenged yet uninjured.

The first “duck” is technical proficiency. This means knowing your sets and haizes, their common application(s), and being ready to explain and demonstrate them with proper form. This is hard for many people. If you are like me, the names throw you, but they are meant to be “pneumonic” devices. The funny name of the move is the key to remembering it. Utilise a copy of the Encyclopedia of Danse de Rue Savate or the respective glove grade manual to study for the exam you are taking in order to know this material cold. If you have training partners or students whom you teach, better yet. As you teach, learn. If the move is not coming together and seems too hard or awkward, guess what? Chances are you are doing (or teaching) it wrong. Slow down, deconstruct the set(s), and work each motion separately in isolation. In Chicago, we have an exercise we call “moving at tai chi speed.” We take the move and slow it down to a crawl (a la Six Million Dollar Man/ Bionic Woman for those of you old enough to recall the example). At that speed you see crystal clear just where in the move your technique is sound and where you are making mistakes. Things are so much easier to notice and fix at tai-chi speed. Then take it up to normal speed when you have it polished.

Tactical is a level of proficiency that enables you to do two things. First is to choose the proper move(s) to solve a tactical (i.e. fighting) problem that your opponents present to you. The second level of tactical proficiency is the ability to pull off the (counter) measure and get away with it (vice being hit). This reminds me of Murphy's Law of the Navy #12: No battle plan ever survives first engagement with the enemy. It is easy to look good and pretty shadowboxing a set in the air or working a set in tandem with a cooperative training partner. It is another thing when you are being BOMBED by someone who wants to separate your head from your torso before the bell rings to end the round. This part can be a zero on the old fun-o-meter for some people. But Danse de Rue is a pugilistic (spelled f-i-g-h-t-i-n-g) savate. Within reason, you must experience truly uncooperative, unpredictable, and ballistic opposition to test the dependability of your savate and zipota under fire. Just as we never deploy with untested equipment, you never wait until exam time (or a street altercation) to find out if your game is up to the challenge. To this end, you MUST find sparring. I search for opponents who can give me a good few rounds - even if they are not savateurs or zipoteros. I work with boxers, kickboxers/thai boxers, karateka/tae kwon do-ists, wrestlers/ jiu-jitsu men, and Phillipine, Korean, and Chinese stylists who can wield weapons similar to ours. But, Patrick that's a hell of a lot of work to find these types of people!! You bet. But on test day, this is not where I want surprises. Find people with good game and step in the ring with them - as often as possible.

The third preparation phase is one that some people neglect: physical fitness. I am as guilty as anyone else, but you must find a way to make this a part of your life. Five (5) hours a week is the minimum. It should include the following elements: muscular strength & endurance, full body muscular flexibility, and aerobic/anaerobic stamina. Most of you should know what these mean from training with the Guild and USA SAVATE. If not, spend some coin, invest in yourself, hire a personal trainer, and tell him/her what your game is for which you need to prepare. Even if your technique, sparring, and set knowledge is sketchy, a well-conditioned fighter can prevail against those who are much more experienced and technically proficient but whose bodies are not in shape for a battle. Some excellent books and DVDs on conditioning specific to martial sports are available through www.turtlepress.com, www.ringside.com, www.humankinetics.com, and www.sportsworkout.com. Cannot afford to buy at full price? Check out www.amazon.com for used books and www.budovideo.com and www.goldstarvideo.com to rent DVDs. Run, bike, elliptical, swim, stretch, and lift weights. To win a fight, you must train like a fighter.

The last “duck” in your preparation row is the psychological portion. Stress, worries, anger, depression, or overcoming illness, injury, or physical limitations can bring you down and break your spirit before a test or a fight. The reality is this: NOBODY - even the best prepared- go into a battle 100% prepared and knowledgeable of what they will face. You do the best you have with what you have, where you are, in the condition you find yourself. You will NEVER face any opposition who will ever ask you if you feel like fighting today. The best advice I have ever seen for pre-event stress comes from Dale Carnegie, author of the sales/business classic: How to Win Friends and Influence People . Carnegie advised his clients to conquer their worries of failure but meditating on the absolute worst that could happen and accept it. Crazy huh? But then Carnegie would ask them, “Now that you know the worst that could happen, what practical things would you do if you had to deal with that eventuality in order to survive, deal with, and salvage the situation?” That technique worked much better than avoidance, denial, or trying to “think positive.” No tactical situation is completely hopeless while you are still alive and refuse to give up. Likewise no exam is either. The board of professors are watching how your character deals with stress, threat, fear, failure, anguish, pain, fatigue, and disappointment just as much as they are looking at the quality of your technique.

These elements are what makes a Danse de Rue Guild passage de grade is a challenge on many levels. In contemplating your preparation, set your goals down in writing - and how you are going to accomplish a small piece of them every single day. Some days that means simply thinking about the direction of your training and mentally setting priorities. This is NOT something you can do 1 week in front of the exam. That is why we only do this once a year. It can really take that long to prepare for this fight - and a fight it IS.

By Initiateur Jilguero

Chicago savate club Illinois savate association and federation of savate USA SAVATE