Training during exams & busy study periods

With proper planning, your exams can be a whole lot less stressful

You should consider exercise as a vital part of your revision schedule.

During exam time, my junior students often take time off their training. Some say that they have course work to finish, whilst others simply say that they need an early night before important exams. In actual fact, karate, or some other physical exercise should be a part of your revision plans.

Performance anxiety about exams is one of the major causes of depression, and even suicide amongst school age youths. I'm not trying to be alarmist or melodramatic, it's a sad fact. We live in a society where qualifications are touted as being an essential key to a happy and successful future (so what did people do before qualifications?). Whether or not you agree with that position (and personally I do not), it’s clear that proper preparation is the key to ensuring your best performance during exams.

Why do people get stressed and anxious? Because they are afraid of failure, and what that will mean to their future prospects. Perhaps they are afraid to let down parents or teachers, or because they will be moaned at or even punished. They are all valid fears, but not necessarily sensible ones. Your parents and teachers don’t have to live your life; you do! So long as you have honestly done the best that you are capable of, then that is the important thing. If you do fail exams that are important to you, you can take them again in six months or less, and that’s not long to wait in terms of your life.

Even if the worst happens, and despite your hard work and proper preparation, you are never able to pass some subjects, it doesn’t make you a failure. It means that you don’t have an aptitude for that particular subject, but it certainly doesn’t mean that you cannot live a very happy life. It may mean that you have to pursue your career goals via other routes, but if you are determined and focussed, you'll be amazed what you can achieve - just look at Kancho's life story!

One of the major causes of anxiety, is the fear that you are insufficiently prepared. Waiting until the night before an important exam, then revising like a lunatic is not smart preparation. If that’s your study plan, then you deserve to be anxious, and frankly, you'll probably get the resuilts that you deserve. When students tell me that they missed a class because they had to do coursework for an exam the next day, I know that they are not planning their time intelligently.

A key factor in feeling confident about exams, is how relaxed and rested you feel, and how well you know your subject matter. Desperately studying till 2am the night before your exam is insane. You’ll be tired on the day of your exam, and you can only concentrate and retain information in short blocks of time anyway.

If you genuinely care about your exams, revise small and often, over a period of weeks before the big event. Statistically, revision on the night before an exam does not dramatically increase performance, and can increase your feeling of stress, rather than making you feel prepared.

On the night before the exam, do some exercise – not a demented workout that will leave you tired for days, but a regular karate class, or a five mile jog, or half an hour at the gym or at the pool. Why? Because it makes you feel good, and it releases chemicals into your blood that makes you more alert. Also, a while after exercise, you’ll feel more relaxed, and you can sleep more easily. Furthermore, whilst you’re exercising, you’re not thinking about exams, so if you are a stressy person, it will provide you with much needed relief when you most need it. If you go to class the night before an exam, be sure to tell your sensei when you arrive, and mention that you won’t be going mad that night because you need to be fresh the day after.

When you get home, check through your exam supplies – pencils, instrument, tools, whatever, and make sure that they are laid out by your bag ready to go the next day. I make a list the day before of what I’ll need, just so that I’m not trusting to my memory on the day of the event.

Personally I never go to bed earlier than usual, because I simply lay there trying to force myself to sleep, and that is counter-productive.

On the day of an important event, I like to get up an hour early so that I can start with a relaxing bath, and more importantly so that I can check through my exam (or tournament) kit one last time. I also like to have a carb-rich breakfast, such as oats, or toast, which will release energy gradually throughout the day.

Then, safe in the knowledge that I have everything I’ll need, I can leave the house at an unrushed pace, completely stress-free.

Good luck with your exams, and remember the five Ps – Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!