Valkyrie Testing

Thursday Sept 17th 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Why test?

Humans do not always self-assess well. We either judge ourselves overly harshly (| suck at this), or tend to think we are doing better than perhaps we are (I’ve trained for two months, I’ve got this down). What's more though, in our current culture and society, we have very few, if any, opportunities to truly test our resilience and to set a high bar we can actually work to attain with no social barriers.

What we mean by social barriers is this: at work, school and in our social networks there is always an outside standard based on something you may not have chosen to be measured against. Testing yourself is just that. 

You get to measure you against…you. Each new skill, new threshold should be celebrated. 

A physical skills test pits you against only yourself. Your mindset, your training, your efforts are the only things used to measure your success against a rank test.

Our physical skills ranking system at Kore mirrors the standards set by the traditions of our Krav Maga heritage established by Imi’s first string of instructors; including Eyal Yanilov. Where tradition holds value, we honor tradition. 

When tradition stands in conflict with current reality though, we are unwilling to be a slave to “we’ve always done it that way” mindsets. Violence evolves. Therefore, so too must our self-defense training and that’s how we got here, with you. 

Now let’s talk about how testing works…

Periodically throughout the year there will be testing events announced. Whether you pass or fail the physical testing experience, the process is extremely valuable. Obviously, most people would prefer to pass.

During your regular training classes keep track of the skills you are focusing on for your next rank/level. Use this curriculum guide to keep track. It is YOUR responsibility. You can see in the Level One curriculum that we highlighted (in red text) what you will be asked to demonstrate in testing. In the remaining levels, you will learn how to intuit what will be expected in subsequent assessments. AND, of course, you can always ask!!!

The testing process looks like this:

• Level One (You are here!): this is a formal skills assessment. There will be a date established for the assessment and on that day, you will work with the same partner throughout the test. You will be asked to execute specific physical skills which have been indicated in the Level One curriculum. The grading will be based on accuracy of the skill – within reason. No one expects perfection. We are looking for – will this work? Did you make a good decision? Are the body mechanics sound? 
• Level Two: is observational. This means, after your level one test instructors will note your progression in class. We are watching for improvement on level one skills and competency with the majority of the level two skills. When this is observed, you will be awarded the Valkyrie Two rank during a class. Yes, it will be a surprise. No, you will not earn level two if you don’t attend classes. 
• Level Three: as with level one, this will be a formal assessment. You will be asked to demonstrate the majority of the level three skills with a partner and evaluated on accuracy and adaptability. You will also be asked to demonstrate a percent of Level Two and Level One skills. You will not know in advance which One & Two skills will be asked for so…work on all of them.
• Level Four: Observational – the same expectations as Level two.
• Level Five: This is your final Valkyrie assessment. It will be a physical skills assessment as with Levels One and Three. There will also be an ‘open book’ written test given to you prior to the physical skills testing date. It must be turned in on the day of the physical assessment. 

Something to think about in the future.. Why take the V5 test?

• You will earn a Krav Maga rank from the general curriculum (between P3 and P5 depending on your testing results). 

• If you are developing as a Valkyrie Coach, this is mandatory to become credentialed as a coach and added to the teaching roster.

• You will have done something very few women you know will have accomplished. There is nothing more life changing than doing something you weren’t sure you could.