Second degree brown belt

Driving home, drenched in sweat, exhausted and grinning. I got my second degree brown belt today from Tracy's Karate today.

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One of my resolutions for 2014 was to get this belt. Second brown is the 6th of eight belts (black is the 8th), and the first one requiring sixty self defense techniques (thirty new ones and thirty from third degree brown), plus all twelve kata I've learned so far. It's a lot to memorise. There are three brown belts, third degree, second, then first, counting down towards first degree black.

Tests are done in full uniform, which is heavy canvas pants plus a gi top. Mine is from the same weight canvas as the pants and feels like a winter-weight bulletproof vest. It's stiff and thick, hot and heavy.

Now I'm on to learning the 1st degree brown belt material. Thirty more techniques, but no new kata.