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Article
Just Before Dawn: Pre-Test Rituals and Preparation for Test Day
Theatre Faculty Research
  • T. Fulton Burns, Marshall University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Abstract

In Asian martial arts films there are usually beautiful moments that reveal the fighters in deep meditation before they are to meet on the field of battle. The process appears to center and calm the individual while preparing them for the final moments of their lives. The day of a skills proficiency test (SPT) can feel the same way. The day of the test can be frustrating for the testers as well as those around them. Nerves can run high during this stressful time. I can still recall the excitement and nerves of my first test day at the 2000 National Stage Combat Workshop in Las Vegas like it was yesterday. It was from this first experience that I created habits and rituals to help me succeed in my objectives regarding stage combat training and testing.

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Copyright © 2010 Society of American Fight Directors. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Citation Information
Burns, T. Fulton. “Just Before Dawn: Pre-Test Rituals and Preparation for Test Day.” The Cutting Edge, vol. 21, no. 1, 2010, pp. 6–8.