Surprise Kudo Test: 10 Fight MMA Gauntlet

​With basically no notice I was about to fight a 10 fight mixed martial arts gauntlet, even though I hadn't been to a dojo or fighting gym in 10 months and was way out of condition, coming off a serious injury, and at high altitude...


The week I was given the medical “all-clear” to resume my normal life after getting my jaw and teeth shattered, I received an email. It was a short notice invite from my buddy and Colorado Kudo branch chief JD Alexander to come to Colorado for the Kudo USA winter training camp. This would have been no problem except there was one more thing: JD was flying someone in to administer a test and he wanted to see if I would do it. The test would culminate in a Kudo-rules MMA 10 fight gauntlet. Due to my injury I hadn't been in a dojo or fighting gym in 10 months, and now I was asked if I could do 10 fights in a row in just a few weeks! I was getting out of breath just tying my shoes! Even though the founder of Kudo, Azuma Takashi, vetted me as a second degree and wanted me to open a Kudo dojo, I never had the money or inclination to officially join the group. By the time I was ready, COVID put everyone on lockdown and he died without ever signing anything for me. As far as the organization was concerned I was just some guy off the street and would need to follow due process which included testing and paperwork. This meant getting back to Japan, which still wasn't viable. Now JD was offering me a loophole. He was flying in someone to do the test instead of me flying there. This would be only the second ever Kudo black belt exam conducted in the United States. People failed at the first one; nothing was guaranteed. Broken and in the worst shape of my life, I couldn't pass up this chance.


I knew I was in bad shape. Even though I had been training technique as much as I could, I hadn't been able to jostle for months, so no running, flips, and the like. The moment I was cleared I took off to Chicago to help my buddy George run some Spartan races. While kicking around with him, I had at least 3 different people from completely different demographics tell me they "loved my retro style" and "look like a guy from 'Grease'", their favorite movie. What they don't know is that I just haven't changed my wardrobe in 25 years, so the "retro style" is just "Nash Style". I drove George around for 4 days and at the end he took me to my first “ninja” gym. The obstacle course workout was less than an hour, but I couldn't finish it! It was a struggle just to breath. However, It was my first time ever attempting the warped wall,and I got the highest one they had on my first try! I also tried a flying “lego grab” for the first time and got it after 3 or 4 tries. I was so out of shape that if it wasn't for the coaching of George and the head coach, I wouldn't have even known what to do at all. The head coach said they where opening one of their gyms near me in a couple of weeks, so I went to their grand opening. I at least finished the workout. Even though it was some progress, I was far from fighting shape. I was no where close to where I needed to be, but it was as good as I was going to get. I needed to use my mind to see me through the challenge. More than anything I couldn't afford to get hurt again. I couldn't afford it mentally, financially, or in time.


I left for the airport casually, and for the first time in many years I was not flagged for explosive residue. I boarded my planes, four flights and all middle seats but somehow tolerable. A young looking couple brought their new born baby on board. “Here we go.” I thought, but for the duration of the many-hour flight it didn't make a sound. Things were going too smoothly, it made me uncomfortable. Landing in Colorado Springs, JD's wife picked me up from the airport, just like the last time I was out that way. “How are you?” Worse shape of my life. “So, better than 99% of the plant.” I guess...


She took me back to JD's house where I would be based for the duration of the test. Last time I was in town I split my stay between sleeping in the freezing dojo and JD's house. Back then a buddy named Bryant did the same. Who should I see when I walked in to JD's but Bryant! He was there doing the same thing as me. It was like old times! The 3 of us stayed up chatting and catching up. It turns out Bryant had basically the same year I did: He had a scarring fighting with a pitbull and had an episode he thought may have been a stroke! That put a pause on his MMA career and as a result he too hadn't been able to train properly all year and was in terrible shape. He had just received the all-clear when he got the invite to come. His black belt test was also supposed to have been years ago, but things happened, as they do, and here we were. JD was doing well, but he just had a knee surgery so would be limited to teaching during the camp. The three of us chatted until about 3am.. which might not have been wise considering we needed to be up by 7am for a grueling weekend!


I got up at 7, showered, did my exercises, and Bryant and I arrived at camp at 8:30. There was a large turnout for the winter training camp. All age groups from young children to properly old, with a mix of Kudo practitioners, MMA fighters, and Kyokushin people as well. Even Kyokushin sensei Bernard Adeline was there to train. For 3 of us though it was more than training. We were introduced to “Americas” Branch Chief Carlos Trejo, from Mexico. Trejo sensei was the one flown in to administer our test. He informed us that from that point on we would be monitored for the weekend. Everything was part of our test, which would culminate in the 10 fight challenge, which we had to win to pass. Rumor had it Komatsu sensei was supposed to be the one performing our test, but political squabbles in the organization resulting from Azuma Jukucho's death prevented him from coming, so Trejo Shihan kindly accepted to do it. He certainly had the Kudo spirit!


Before the start of camp some of JD's students came up to me. “NASH! It's been years! Do you remember me?” I actually did! “Man, we still tell stories about you man, like twice a year you'll come up in conversation. One finger handstand push ups... remember when you cracked that helmet!? You're a legend!” I told him I felt more broken than legendary, but promised I'd return to form soon. Day one of camp had training chunk number one from 9am until noon. We worked basics and then moving combinations for what felt like an eternity. Every part of my body felt both weak and very heavy. I refused to look bad knowing I was being tested... I still think I looked bad! Both Bryant and I were wheezing and slow. Not only were we weak, out of practice, and coming off an injury, but now we were at high elevation with no preparation. Everything was working against us, but at least I had someone to suffer with and spur me on. I couldn't quit if he was still going, and I couldn't quite if he needed motivation to keep going. At noon we took an hour break for lunch. Bryant and I were already smoked, but we joined JD, Trejo sensei, the third candidate, and a few students. A tiny BLT was all I could stomach, which was a signal something was wrong with me since I'm normally ravenous. Bryant was so tired he left his card at the place, returning lat eat night just before they went on an extended weekend!


The second part of the day was from 1pm until 4pm, and consisted of throws, take-downs, and light sparring. I'm infamous for always looking like I just came in from mountain training, bloody and getting my sleeves ripped off and looking generally tattered all the time. Since I had trouble finding a good Kudo uniform in the States I figured I's use the next best thing. I thought I would wear my best uniform fitting for the occasion: An in-tact bleached white Judo uniform. I was finally upstanding and presentable... until Bryant ripped a big hole in the front of my uniform top... then cut his foot open... then cut my foot open … and before the end of the day I was blood covered in a tattered uniform. Oh well, suits me better anyway. Bryant and I each brought brand new shin guards for training as well, and both of ours broke immediately. Forget getting something that lasts, I can't even find something that will survive a single use! By the end of the first day Bryant and I were literally hobbling. Our joints had seemingly aged 100 years and we could barely move. Getting up was a whole ordeal. It was easier to take a beating that to get up off the ground. When we got back to JD's for the night, JD made us an ice bath. A Colorado-December-outdoors-nighttime ice bath! Bryant and I got in together facing each other and stayed in for six and a half minutes. I hadn't done one in a long time, and Bryant had never done one. I had a feeling his first would be his last. I did feel much better on getting out. After the feeling came back to our extremities we all went out to eat. We went to a fancy fun hipster shared place. Trejo sensei was telling stores and then surprised everyone by saying he was never taught English, he just learned it by watching TV! That's maybe more impressive than fighting ability. I ate Korean street food. I wasn't going to have any beer until the test was finished, but people bought me a couple, and I was told the other candidates were going to have some. But they didn't! I wound up having 2 beers. I figured I couldn't perform much worse than I already had. I was so tired, and the alcohol and sleep deprivation didn't help. Also, the air was super dry and causing my throat and nose to feel stripped. I just wanted to rest, and managed to get to bed at 11.


Waking up at 7, it was a painful struggle just to roll over and sit up. If I hadn't taken the ice bath the night before I may still have been stuck there in bed. Finally struggling up I got into the shower. Even just the water hurt. The skin had been rubbed off the back of my neck, elbows, and knees from the previous day and the water stung as it made contact. Also, showers are tough when you can't bend! I hobbled out to loosen up and get ready for part 3 of the training gauntlet.


The first part was again from 9am until noon and focused on ground submissions and unique Kudo techniques and combinations. Bryant and I again partnered up to try and mitigate our conditions. At one point while drilling shrimping variations up and down the mat the only ones left were the two of us. JD said “look at these two old men racing each other!” My condition was only temporary, but if that's what it feels like all the time to be 10 or 20 years older, you can count me out! When we broke for lunch I was too much of a mess to eat. I slowly had a tea and that was it. I was too messed up from the time change, altitude change, diet change, and being way out of condition for what I was doing. I just needed to focus on the finale: the fights.


Now there was only one part of the test left: The 10 fight challenge. Kudo uses a rule set similar to other full contact mixed martial arts and utilizes punches, kicks, elbows, knees, throws, take-downs, chokes, submissions, and even headbutts. Since there is such a variety, some people favor a small subset of techniques, but in order to test for proficiency in all techniques different fights in the test modify the rules forcing you to use all techniques. The first 4 fights are stand-up only: punches, kicks, knees, elbows, headbutts, and throws. The next 3 fights are close range “head wrestling” only: elbows, knees, (no punches or kicks), headbutts, throws, and take-downs to dominate. The final 3 are ground only: chokes, submissions, and punches to head and body to gain position. Winning a fight gets you “1 point” and tying gets you “half point”. Losing gets you zero points. In order to pass the test you must get something like 5.5 points out of 10. Right before I was to fight I was informed that I was now passed an age threshold and “only” had to do 8 fights. 8 or 80, I knew I was about to look awful...


That test was absolutely the worst performance of my life. Bryant and I fought each other for our respective first fights, and tried to go serious but not hurt each other … Trejo sensei wasn't having it though and ordered us to fight harder. Since we were both crippled it didn't amount to much. After we went on to fight other people it was all down hill for me. I did a LOT of hands-on-the-knees struggle breathing. Standing up from a failed take down attempt was as grueling as getting beat up. The fights dissolved into a blur of thuds and wheezing. When it was over Bryant and I talked on the side while guy 3 had his fights. “How'd you do?” Bad. Real bad. There's no way I pass. Worst performance of my life. You? “Same. Now I'm in the zone though. I want to fight again. Even if it doesn't count for anything, I just want to prove that wasn't the real me out there.” Yeah. I know what you mean. I'm still skittish because this is the first time I've tested my new bones. Talk about going all or nothing... just then JD came up to us “ ...guys. Trejo sensei says you guys are right on the line. You're going to have one more fight as a tie breaker. You win, you pass. You lose, you fail. Deal?” Bryant and I looked at each other surprised it wasn't a complete failure. Here was the chance to fight again that he wanted. Deal! “One more thing, you'll get to choose which rule category your final fight is in.” Bryant chose stand up, his strongest as well as mine. However, I chose ground. I figured I had the least chance of re-injuring my new bones that way.


We went off and were assigned our respective opponents. The second the match started I blitzed through my opponent's guard, took mount, cross locked his body, and then got a kimura key lock tapping my opponent and securing my win in less than half a minute! I was relieved. I won. I looked up at JD, who was serving as center referee, who also looked relieved … until Trejo said “Again. Another fight.” Even though I won, the test is only over when the highest rank says so. We went again, and even though I didn't submit him this time, I was dominant enough to win. With my 2 extra matches I wound up with 10 fights after all! I passed. Bryant beat his man, and he passed too. The 3rd guy also passed. The second ever Kudo black belt test held in the United States, all 3 candidates passed, which was a way better percentage that the first USA test. Bryant and I looked at each other with a mix of exhaustion and relief. Not only had we passed, but we had no injuries! We were hurt, bad, but not injured.


After the formal ceremony we all spent awhile taking silly pictures, and I challenged everyone to do my favorite traditional arm-bashing forearm conditioning drill with me... I'm still undefeated! Finally we cleaned up the event space and spent several hours hauling tatami mats back to JD's dojo and reinstalling them. On the way back he said “Hey Nash, how long have you been wearing those aviator sunglasses?” Huh? “I've known you at least a decade and I've never seen you without them.” Change is for people who didn't get it right the first time! We finished rebuilding his dojo, took showers, and went out to eat at a different hipster share place that used to be a school. It was great. One of JD's students said “Nash, dude, how do you get such huge forearms?” To which JD replied “Sanchin”. He's right, I said. Old traditional training is how I do all my conditioning. You should see me in shape! We spent the rest of dinner swapping stories and JD said “Hey Nash, when you get to Denali try not to almost die this time.” His student said “Woah, you almost died before!?” Everyone at the table that knew me looked at this guy like he was silly. “Before!? It's all the time with this guy!” We then ran through a quick list of some of the more interesting times I almost died and thoroughly blew this man's mind. Everyone at the table, especially Trejo sensei, had some hilarious stories of their own to contribute to dinner, including his own no-notice test from Azuma Jukucho in India. Classic.


JD, Bryant, and I all went back to JD's and relaxed. JD said “You guys will get your certificate and belt in the mail as soon as headquarters finishes the paperwork.” So … years? “You know Japan...” We all chatted until about 1 in the morning when Bryant dropped me off at the airport. We said our “see ya later”s took a final picture and parted ways. Napping on the floor at the airport, I reflected on my long grueling busy weekend. Of course, none of this would have happened if I had paid my money and got my papers signed all those years ago... but it didn't seem to matter now. JD and everyone were really gung-ho about me opening a dojo under the Kudo organization, and now I could finally do it.


I figured I should finally do it... but first I needed to get to and from Denali! Boarding my plane I found the thing crammed with screaming babies. Everything was back to normal...


OSU!
-NASH