It was the summer of 1983, one week before my red belt test in TKD, the last belt before black. Over the past 3 years, I had clocked in over 1500 hours of training. I had put myself on an aggressive 4 year plan, to get my black belt by the time I graduated from college. I was less than a year away from that goal. At 20 years old, I was in the best shape of my life. However fate was about to deal me a major setback in my martial arts training, that would not only have me missing my red belt test forever, but also effect me in other ways I'd never imagined.

Finding the time for training was easy back then, I was in college, and I made sure my academic schedule fit around the local martial arts schools class schedule. I cared more about karate than college, girls, or hanging out with the guys. Karate was my life back then, and little did I know that very soon all the training I had done, was about to contribute too, and probably help save it.

Since the dojo was just a few blocks from campus, I found I could easily make it to the 12 PM class. Most of the time I'd run to the dojo, with my gi strapped on me in a backpack, just so I could get a good warm-up and the blood flowing. It wasn't uncommon back then for me to do 3 hours of training per day, the 12PM open class, the 6PM intermediate, and the 7PM advanced, plus whatever I did on my own. On off days, in which there wasn't a noon class, I would drive about 45 minutes away to Heber Springs, and take class there with a couple of Mr. Brown's black belts. For some reason it seemed back then I never got tired, nor could I get enough training.

During one of the inbetween days, in which there wasn't a noon karate class, and the Heber Springs school wasn't having one either, I decided to get on my new motorcycle and go visit a college friend at his home, about 40 miles away in Jacksonville, AR. I was going down a 45 MPH busy road in Jacksonville, doing about 55, when all of a sudden a car pulled out immediately in front of me, halfway into the middle of the road. They did this less than 20 feet in front of me. It all happened within a second. At 55 MPH there was no time to stop, and nowhere to go. I saw that my bike was going to hit the drivers side door. For some reason my immediate thought was, "Don't go through the glass". But how was I going to prevent this? I was heading straight for the drivers side window. I had to think fast. My only thought was, "Clear the window and the car". For some unknown reason I thought, if I jump by pushing myself off the bike, using the foot pegs and the handle bars, at the instant of impact, going this speed I should clear the car. But then what?

I decided I would have to do something else, to make sure I didn't go over the car, head first onto the pavement. So for some unknown reason I decided to attempt a flip, in the air, at the instant of impact. I got ready for the impact, I was holding onto the handle bars, and raised up about a foot off the seat. At the moment of impact I pushed myself off the bike, and did a complete flip in the air, over the car. When I did the flip, and was clearing the car, my next thought was, "Oh God, how am I going to land". I remembered I had a wallet in my back pocket on my right side. So I told myself, make the flip, land on your right cheek, and maybe the wallet would cushion the impact. I got lucky, I landed on the road, on my right cheek, and skidded for what seemed like an eternity until I could "flinstone it"; and get my feet to bring me to a stop. Somehow I made the landing, I can still remember the weird feeling of the heat build up on my right cheek caused by the friction of me skidding on the pavement. Unbelievably my plan had worked. Personally I think God was watching out for me. There's no way in a million years I could ever pull-that-off again, even if I tried. Maybe the past 3 years of training hadn't been in vain.

Someone at the scene told me I had skidded about 20 feet on the pavement, this didn't include the 20 feet or so they say I went through the air while doing my flip. I still remember someone who stopped for the accident coming up to me and saying, "That was one heck of flip you did son. You some kind of stuntman?"

Anyway that $10 wallet literally saved my butt. I later pulled it out at the hospital, when I was looking for my ID, only to find it had disintegrated into a jillion pieces. It looked like someone had dropped a bomb in my back pocket.

Back to the accident though. Immediately after I stopped skidding, my first reaction was to get up and beat senselessly the negligent person who had just done this to my new motorcycle. I'll admit it, I was young and stupid, and believed in an eye-for-an-eye. The anger and rage over my crumbled bike in the middle of the road, that I had worked hard, saved up for, and paid cash to get, along with this persons failure to yield, overtook me. I started thinking in my mind what all I was about to do to this person who had just done this. Forcing myself up off the concrete, before the skidding even stopped, I started towards their car. On the first step, a concerned motorist who had stopped, was running over and said, "Your leg, you better sit down". I didn't feel anything hurting, nor did I look down, I said "It's fine", my rage had me on a mission to continue towards this car. About the 3rd or 4th step one of my legs tried to give out on me. I looked down and noticed a gaping 12" gash on my shin, and I could see white bone, I looked down further and noticed a gaping 6" gash on my ankle, in which I could also see white bone. Funny thing though, hardly no blood was pouring out from either place. My first reaction was, "Why doesn't that hurt?", but I didn't feel any pain, only more anger and hate for what this person had just done to me, my bike, and next weeks red belt test. I got to the car, and found a poor little old lady in it, she was crying and afraid of what I might do to her. My feelings and thoughts immediately changed. This was a little old lady, just like my grandma, she'd made an honest mistake. How could I be mad? The anger left, and the second it did, the pain began. Traffic had stopped, I went and sat on the curb, someone called an ambulance, and next thing I remember is being in the emergency room with doctors all around me. My first question was, "Can't we just put a band-aid on this and send me on my way." The doctor said, "What?", I said, "I've got to do a karate test next week". His response, "Your ankle was nearly severed. You have some significant damage here. There's a good chance you may never do karate again. Be glad you're alive, because most people don't hit a car at 55 MPH and get to talk about it afterwards."

The injuries, including some to my lower back, were like the doctor said, rather significant, and years later, still prove he was right. But the next few weeks and months were going to be the toughest. At one point there were some complications. A few days after the accident, I woke up in the middle of the night because my ankle and foot felt like they were on fire. I turned on the light, looked down, and it was red, swollen, and felt very hot to the touch. The doctors said infection had set-in, and "If it doesn't get better soon, we may have to amputate."

Needless to say I missed my red belt test, but I was able to avoid amputation. I went through a lot of rehabilitation, and moved back to Dallas. My next goal was to get myself to the point where I could prove the doctors wrong, find a school, step on the mat, take karate again, and at least earn my red belt. After several years, I started getting more feeling and control back in that leg, and felt I was ready to continue pursuing my martial arts dreams. I had noticed for some time a close-and-convenient TKD school, enrolled, but quickly found out they were a commercial dojo, that didn't offer the quality instruction I'd received from Mr.Brown.

I decided quality was more important than convenience, and remembered from years earlier that Allen Steen had been the most highly respected TKD instructor in the Dallas area. Problem was that by this time he had retired. I would never be able to have the privelege of taking classes from this American legend. However I was able to locate some of his black belts.

Mr. Steen, for those who don't know him, was Jhoon Rhee's first American black belt. Jhoon Rhee being "the father of TKD". Mr. Steen had opened the very first TKD school in Dallas in 1962. He had a remarkable tournament career in the 60's, and sparred in the days when tournament sparring was more like full-contact. In a 1966 tournament, he beat Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris in the same day, thus establishing himself, as a force to be reckoned with. Mr. Steen created many black belts, who went on to win lots of national tournaments themselves, during the tougher, full-contact type tournament days. Realizing the high quality students and standards Mr. Steen had, and that of the black belts he created, I set out to find a couple of them, and began training intensely.

One of the first things I'd heard about Mr. Steen was that due to his grueling training regime, tortourous rank tests, and his consistent ability to create national sparring champions, "A 3rd Brown of Allen Steen's was as good as a 3rd Black anywhere else".

Of course I was somewhat skeptical of this grand statement when I first heard it, until I personally witnessed blue and brown belt students, fighting in, and winning, black belt division point-sparring, and full-contact matches, in numerous local, regional and state events.

I trained hard, and along the way my lingering ailments/injuries kept providing periodic setbacks, however I kept moving forward as my body would allow. After some time, and rather unexpectedly one day, my instructor came up to me and said, "I think you're ready to test for your brown belt...get ready, it'll be next month." Personally I was shocked, because I had seen this test before, and it wasn't going to be easy. I had 30 days to get ready for it. At the time I was thinking, "I wish I had 300 days". But the unspoken and well known rule here was, you never say "no", or, "I don't think I'm ready", others had done so before, and were never invited to test again. You do the test.

Actually going through and passing these guys grueling 2 hour brown belt test, which was 10 times tougher than a lot of other schools/styles black belt tests, was a major task. Believe me, I've been too and seen a lot of brown and black belt tests with friends and acquaintances over the years. Some schools black belt tests are a "walk in the park" compared to even an Allen Steen type brown belt test! See my other article called "Black Belt Test or Black Belt Hoax?"

The sparring sessions alone, during a Steen type brown belt test, were known to have some students stop, walk out, and never return. It was a tortourous ordeal in which they really hoped you'd call it quits halfway through it. Unlike some "commercial schools" that want to create as many brown and black belts as they can, each black belt you had to spar with, during this process, was allowed to use this as his own personal opportunity to "weed you out" of the higher ranks if he could. If you quit during the test, they wouldn't try to stop you, or talk you out of it, and you weren't allowed to ever return to the school. Some had been known to get seriously hurt by the black belts they had to spar with during these testings, and there were actual instances of some having to go to the hospital. With many of todays "commercial karate schools" focusing on contracts, and getting everyone they can to black belt, I don't know too many schools that can say they really wanted to try and flunk a person, or force them to quit, during their brown or black belt test. There was almost a sadistic celebration for those who quit. They only wanted the strongest willed individuals to make it to the higher ranks. Those with extremely strong wills also seemed to be the ones who put in the extra effort and time, to look and perform the best!

Steen-type classroom training I often heard was a grueling-and-tortourous experience, but one of his standards that assisted in his creating many champions. So was the minimum-time-to-rank that his black belts adopted (4 yrs vs some schools 1 yr), when classes went from being 3 hrs long to the more common 1 hr length. But I believe the Steen way of testing many adopted and continue enforcing, was an additional and major part of his quality standards that assisted greatly in his subsequent generations of champions. As a student, the pressure was on you to look-your-best and rise-too each ranks standards. I believe the Steen-type-test assisted in that. As a student, even if you weren't yourself testing, you were invited and somewhat expected to attend the testing of other students, often to assist in sparring. In witnessing advanced rank tests, you saw each student literally go through "hell"! I believe their tests were intentionally designed so any student became physically exhausted within 5 minutes of starting their test.

It seemed as if a Steen-type-test was intentionally designed to physically exhaust a person, no matter what kind of cardivascular shape they were in! I think that rushing a person to exhaustion was achieved in several ways. First, Steen-type Testing Boards were notoriously known for failing students! Few non-Steen schools really flunk anyone during their test! I think part of that is due to "money" being more important than quality in their schools, their owners knowing if they flunk people nowdays, they'll likely quit, and there goes their revenue! Second, combine knowing that as a Steen-type student they might flunk you, with the Board constantly yelling at you within the first minute of your test "you're not showing enough power and speed", and what's a student to do who has any pride in himself? Didn't matter if you were showing every bit of speed and power you had, that was often yelled at students testing, and you better dig deeper and find some more. So any student testing would find himself going from 110%, to way beyond that, forcing themself with every punch, kick and block they did, way beyond any kind of self-imposed pacing of oneself, to doing everything as fast and hard as they can, without any delays, bordering on a near exhausting lack of control. Best way I can describe this, imagine trying to sprint through the Boston Marathon versus pacing oneself! Exhaustion came quickly for any-and-all! I think students knew once they had to face such a test, along with the Boards reputation for flunking people, they spent every night at home before a test, doing hundreds more punches and kicks on their own than they normally would, for hours, hoping in some almost feeble attempt, it would additionally prepare them so they looked as good as they possibly could. At least that's what I did.

I believe the Steen-type test had additional "character building components", that some students likely didn't realize coming up through the ranks, that made a person reach for and achieve a higher standard than other schools. The exhaustion part of their test was meant for a student to show the Board, along with himself, other students, and spectators, his will-to-survive and overcome unsurmountable odds. A student was forced to experience an almost unbearable level of physical exhaustion he'd likely never reached before, when wave-after-non-stop-wave of fresh and higher-skilled-than-yourself brown and black belts were sent in to spar you, who were literally trying to take-your-head-off if you slowed down, showed weakness, or made the wrong move! It's as if the following message was clearly delivered to the world during a Steen-type advanced student test, as it was proven to you and everyone else watching:

"You can take and endure more than you could've ever imagined possible, and today we're showing you that, and that a Steen advanced student NEVER quits or goes down in a fight, no matter how tired you get, if you get hit, how many opponents, or if you feel someone is more skilled than you! Furthermore, we sent in our best, those much higher ranked and higher skilled than you, one after another non-stop, and they were fresh while you were tired. They were trying to hurt you, and allowed too if they could, and you didn't let them!" "So here stands a Steen brown belt, someone who has demonstrated a much higher level of skill and endurance, than any other schools TKD students of similar or higher rank"

This is what I gathered as being the "essence" of becoming a Steen-type Brown Belt, and likely one of the many reasons his standards led him to creating more national champions than any other TKD instructor has, or likely ever will!

The 3 minute sparring sessions a person had to endure during their test, would many times go on non-stop for an hour or more, per brown or black belt candidate. You literally had to go on-and-on, and make it through sometimes 20, 30, or more, 3 minute sparring partners/matches, with no more than a 5 second break inbetween each match. Each new opponent called out literally ran to the center, to start sparring you instantly, so you purposely didn't even get an extra second, of sucking in some fresh air! And during these matches the board would constantly yell things like, "Pick it up" and "You better get busier than that if you want to pass". Their remarks were serious, and meant to make a person "sprint" through their entire test. There was no pacing oneself. They could tell when someone was doing this. You either went at the pace of a madman for your hour or more sparring, or you were seriously told, "You're not doing good enough", and knew they really might flunk you. Their comments were serious, and designed to make a person force themself well beyond their point of exhaustion, and then maintain that pace, non-stop, for quite some time thereafter. I was told the purpose was to build character and make the person mentally stronger, thus showing them that with sheer will power, they could do anything. I remember waves of fresh black belts, one after another, agressively sparring me, with the intent of taking my head off if I showed any weakness. Their job was to make you fight, all out, and if you let up, try to take your head off, until you picked up the pace or quit. It was as much their job to try and hurt me, or force me to quit, so as to maintain their high standards and weed out the weak, as it was my job to try and fight each one with everything I had. There was a three-fold effort to make you go all out, 1). the breakneck pace of the test itself, 2). the board proding you to keep giving more, 3). the upper ranks you had to spar waiting to take your head off if you slowed down. It was like going through a human gauntlet, seriously hell bent on trying to hurt you, and make you quit. And even if you made it thought it, you still never knew if the Board might flunk you.

When it was my turn I got up. I was first asked to perform, one-by-one, every punch and kick I'd been taught, along with some obscure ones that weren't commonly practiced. I had to do about 30 repetitions, on each side of each one, as hard and as fast as I could. All the while the board yelling, "Faster" and "Show more power". This they did to everyone, with the intent of tiring them out as quickly as they could. Immediately afterwards came stances and blocks, I had to go through several minutes of doing these as hard and as fast as I could. Again with the board yelling "More power, more speed". You literally had to keep digging deep and finding more, or risk being flunked. Next came self defense. I did about 15 or 20 common self defense counters. Next was one-steps, I had to do 12 freestyle one-steps, and I repeated them all 3 times. After this came the forms. I did all 6 required forms, and was immediately afterwards without a break, asked to repeat 2 of them. These also had to be done as hard and as fast as you could, with one almost bordering a lack of control/technique, all the while the board kept shouting and demanding, "More power, more speed". Everything was required that it be performed to that degree of intesity. After all this I was "spent". Not only was I gasping for air and dripping in sweat, but I had put so much into it I felt as if I would puke, but I dare not stop, or tell them. This test was intentionally designed to have ANYONE completely wore out well before the reached this point, no matter how good a shape they were in, and I was wore out, even though I was probably in the best cardiovascular shape of my life. I wasn't even a third of the way through the test.

Next came the sparring, making everything else pale in comparison. Now I was about to enter the part that some people didn't walk away from, some before me, had literally been carried off unconscious, or rushed to the hospital. I sparred and sparred for what seemed like an eternity, all the while thinking, "Please don't send in another one", but they did, one after another endlessly of higher ranked brown and black belts. However I wasn't going to quit. If I had to keep fighting all day, I was going too. I didn't want to go through their grueling "3rd Brown Test" again. I had been told by some black belts it was even harder than the black belt test. It was their way of initiating a person into becoming an "advanced student". One black belt told me beforehand, "By the time you get to the black belt test (3 tests later), it'll incrementally get more difficult, but you'll be use to it. This is the most shocking and drastic of all the tests." Finally, after who knows how many opponents, or how long, I heard, "Break...Mr. Mann please be seated". I knew I'd poured everything I had, and then some into this. I was happy to be walking away and not carried away. But the question in my mind kept repeating itself, "Had I done good enough, or was I about to be another flunking casualty?" You never knew.

Finally the testing was done, the judges went to a room to convene, about 20 minutes later they came out, everyone lined up, and one-by-one they started letting each person know how they'd done, starting with the low ranks this time. Going down the line, each was asked to step forward, and presented their belt. Almost everyone did well this time. Finally they got to me. I had seen how this was done before. 95% of the time, they call you up, you either passed or failed, no explanation was given and they just handed you your belt, or you were told "I think you'll do better next time, please be seated". They called my name, I stepped forward, and they started saying "I think....", my heart sank, the "I think..." I'd heard several times before, immediately I started thinking I hadn't been good enough. After all this time and effort, "Had my injuries won and got the better of me, or maybe it just wasn't meant to be". I was exhaused, my mind was racing, the instructor was talking, and I missed whatever it was he was saying. Was I about to get my belt, or be told to sit down? My instructor just kept looking at me, the momentary awkward silence and long pause made time stand still. Maybe he knew my mind was racing instead of listening. He kept looking at me, he scratched himself inside his gi top, and while doing so, pulled out a brown belt. Was he about to do like I'd heard he had before, and show it to me as a goal and say, "I think next time you'll do better"? Next thing I heard was, "Good job Mr. Mann" and he handed me my belt.

10 years and exactly 1 month after the motorcycle accident that delayed my martial arts goals, I had finally obtained that last belt before black. It wasn't red, but Brown is a Pretty Nice Color!

Having made it though the test, and passed, was a defining moment in my martial arts training. I had passed an Allen Steen type brown belt test. Many times tougher than some schools black belt tests, and could now be part of that elite group that was "As good as a 3rd Black anywhere else". Again see my article, "Black Belt Test or Black Belt Hoax?"

Several days later, after the soreness from the test wore off, I began to reflect. What was it I valued most about this experience and what should I remember? After a few seconds it came to me, the most important thing was "the journey" I'd taken over the past 10 years. I'd overcome incredible odds, including my own ongoing personal physical challenges. I had invested the time and effort and it had paid off, in more ways than I can ever really explain.

EM

some quotes that I like...
and if you're a Steen black belt email me, I'd like to hear your thoughts