lozzielizzie

Cheers everyone, my first training lesson after grading was gr8, I really enjoy the lesson was ask about to help out a red belt with hein nidan and then learned kanku sho which was fun, managed to pick it pretty well. After gain it, it's really made me realise how much I enjoy karate and that I want to push on with becoming an instructor and going for my second dan.

I Passed yesterday which was really great, after all the effort I put in. Now to look towards the future continue training. It was a long day arrived at about 9.30am paid for the lessons and grading fee. At 11, 2 hour lesson started warm up, kihon work, than katas and finally onto kumite and sparring. After lesson which finsh at 1, half an hour break before the grading actual began. Everyone was called up bowed to the examier and everyone was told sit down against the wall. They then called up all the 1st kyu who were on there first attempt at 1st dan. As I had allready made two attempts I was sat down for over an hour while they did everything kihon, kata, kumite, sparing, others were called up to redo bits of the kumite or sparing. Then I was called up at the end to do one kata bassai dai again for the third time. Then everyone was sent away while two black belts, one grading for nidan and the other sandan were called up for there grading. When they were done everyone was called back up in a straight line. They called out names of the people who had passed so far to do heian katas I was one of those. I had to do heian nidan, yondan, shodan and kata kihon. The others that hadn't been called up had failed a part of there grading. We were than sent back in line and they called out the names of the people who had passed the shodan plus the two blackbelt had passed they nidan and sandan grades. All those that had passed were sent away to get money to pay for pass fee and belts if need. The ones that failed than got told what they failed on. Once that was done we paid our money, then were lined up and each names was called out to be given diploma and belt.

I was lucky today my grading was still on and I passed which is gr8.

Keep your head you didn't pass but at least you work hard and show them you deserve the belt. With my association you never really fail a kyu grade as your given tempoary grade and then regrade three months later on the bits you have failed if you pass those than your the full grade and have to wait another three months at least to grade for next belt. Keep working hard and you will get there. Am on my third attempt at my shotokan black, it's but it be worth the effort and years of training when I get it.

Hopefully this time I will pass, been working on my breathing as the last time they couldn't hear me breathing during the kata, trying to make sure am as sharp and detailed as possible and have kime as that what I lacked last time.

well my association does large gradings and has a pre grading lesson a couple of weeks before the grading, my association has mulitpe grading centres because of the location of the clubs. The main gradings are for 10th kyu to 2nd kyu, once at first kyu there a separate grading for black , four times a year at two at one location and two at another.

Yeah that how I see it, getting black was my target when started, once I get I know that my years of effort have been worth every minute. As am so close to the goal, am now looking beyond it and what I can do afterwards as I got this far am not giving up just because I got to black. I been speaking with the chief instructor of the association I belong about becoming an instructor and opening a club in my area, as there isn't many clubs around me. Hopefully will be meeting up with him after the grading, then hopefully getting instructor training and open a club in my area sometime in 2011. I want away I could move forward with my karate but also give back what I learned from karate. Hopefully I will become a good instructor, as my current job is a sports coach.

My first grading seems like ages ago, I took in march 2002. The actually grading process started two weeks before the actually grading. In my shotokan association we have to attend a pregrading lesson for two hours a couple of weeks before the grading day. So I attend the pregrading lesson and then turned up two weeks later for the actually grading day. My association always has a lesson in the morning before the grading starts in the afternoon. So I did the lesson than had a half an hour break before the gradding started white belts always go first. Depending on the number of people grading to how many groups they spilt each grade into. First up kihon followed by kata than kumite. Once done the group gets called up each person gets called up recive a certificate and belt no further comment unless you failed something and up given tempoaray grade. But I pass my white belt and got my orange, three months later passed for my red belt. I only had one temporary grade when I failed part of my 1st kyu grading and had to regrade 3 months later. Hopefully i will pass my 1st Dan grading on my third attempt on 19th december, Just got bassai dai and any heian katas the examier wants to pass.

Failed on my kata only bit I failed on which kind of sucks but oh well, I just try again in december and get as much training as possible

sure no problem my test is on sunday, my association has a website , as does my instructor. my association website is https://www.sska.co.uk My instructors website is http://www.traditionalshotokankarate.co.uk/index_members.html

cheers, Am just going to give it my all and do my best, if I pass i'll be overjoyed, if I fail I will be dispointed but it help to known where I need to improve and make me a better karateka. I always try and learn from all my experience in life, good and bad.

Am going for my second attempt at first Dan on sunday 17th october. Am hoping this time I will be pass. I said to myself after my last attempt I got to be postive, confident and show my determination. I know if I fail I'll just get up again and try again and I know I will get there in the end. Am kind of looking forward to and that the way I want to feel on the day because I don't want to let my nervousness to get me, as thats what happened last time and i didn't perform as well as I could.

Be confident you putting in the hard work, now just to crack it on the day. I know it's hard and when I went for my 1st Dan recently nerves got the better of me on the day and I didn't perform as well as I could. I didn't fail my exam completely just failed kihon and kata. I got my regrading in october and am not going to get myself work up about it this time. At the end of the day what the worse thats going to happen i'll fail again but I just get back up and try again. Just relax and enjoy it.

Yea it happens, I failed plenty of things in the past, i always managed to pass them in the end. I failed my 1st kyu on my first attempt, had to do four katas again. I got two months to practise my kihon and katas so that am ready for my regrading in much. Hopefully when the day comes i'll show them that got what it's takes to pass and gain my shodan.

The school I go to charges between 25 and 35 pounds for kyu gradings depending on age and grade, for Dan gradings there a grading fee of 55 pounds plus a pass fee of 40 pounds, on top of this is about 5 to 6 pounds for kyu grade belts and 15 pounds for black belts.