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Posted
::edit::

It takes sacrifice to be the best.


There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.

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Posted

Kendo shodan was my last grading (we don't have belts in kendo) was fairly easy physically, compared to the previous two gradings I did (Shotokan nidan and jujitsu shodan). I had to spar with eight kendoka: another guy testing for shodan, six guys of various dan grades and this japanese hachidan dude. I beat two of them, the others kicked my butt. I had to do a load of kata with the japanese guy who was a total perfectionist, and criticised me for having my grip half a centimetre to high on the bokken tsuka!

 

The other guy testing for shodan got grilled pretty badly on fitness, but I'm fitter than most people at my dojo so I was fine physically. It was just the severe pickiness of the hachidan dude grading me that I found annoying.

shotokan karate nidan

jujitsu shodan

kendo shodan

Posted

For karate we test in groups of up to 6 for kyu grades and individually for dan grades. Testing in aikido is done in pairs, each person being tori and uke (one who does the technique and the one who recieves it). Lowe grades keep the same partner through the whole test (someone of the same grade as you) but the higher kyu grades and the yudansha swop partners.

 

My last karate test wasn't too bad (apart from forgetting the name of my free-choice kata -D'oh!!). The test before was brutal, though. It was for my 1st kyu and it was definately an ordeal. I wasn't feeling well (sickness & diahorrea and karate gradings don't mix well!), plus I'd been up since 4am, driving almost 400miles back home from south Wales. I drove from Wales without a break and went straight to the testing place, did 2 hours of training then did the test for my 1st kyu. At the end of it I was so exhausted that I just wanted to collapse in a heap ; I didn't even care about knowing if I'd passed or not (thankfully, I did!)

"Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My Cologne


Sheffield Steelers!

Posted

I know of a guy who was going for his 4 dan so his instructor really didn't want to see him do forms or spar because he has seen him do it before. So they took him to a trail and said to start jogging down the trail and what ever happens you have to deal with. Guys were jumping out of the bushes and attacking him things for a mile.

 

On a side note, how many tests have you seen where there are people testing who shouldn't even be there (especially black belt)? That they have no intensity or worst of all couldn't even punch their way out of a paper bag.

Posted
My last test was for my first dan...not breaking a sweat would be kinda the OPPOSITE of what happened. ;)

Wolverine

1st Dan - Kalkinodo

"Shut up brain, or I'll stab you with a q-tip"

"There is no spoon."

Posted
Our kyu testing criteria is fairly light. Show your kata(s), sparring combinations and self defense routines, answer some questions and show a lot of spirit. The Black Belt tests are more along the lines of the above, mentally and physically exhausting.
Posted
I know of a guy who was going for his 4 dan so his instructor really didn't want to see him do forms or spar because he has seen him do it before. So they took him to a trail and said to start jogging down the trail and what ever happens you have to deal with. Guys were jumping out of the bushes and attacking him things for a mile.

 

On a side note, how many tests have you seen where there are people testing who shouldn't even be there (especially black belt)? That they have no intensity or worst of all couldn't even punch their way out of a paper bag.

 

That guy's 4th dan test sounds cool! If your instructor has seen you doing kata or sparring a zillion times before, then seeing a student do something different and watching how they respond to a certain situation would be interesting. Did the guy pass his 4th dan, BTW?

 

Yeah, I've seen people at testings who shouldn't have been there. It wasn't particularly that their martial arts skills were bad, it was more to do with the fact they looked bored and were putting zero effort into it. I'm sure instructors would rather grade and teach students who can't do something but are putting maximum effort into it, rather than have people who can do it but look as if they can't be bothered.

"Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My Cologne


Sheffield Steelers!

Posted
My 3rd Dan test was very similar.. I basically stood in the middle of the dojo with my eyes closed. Then on comand I would open them and have to fend off what ever came at me. This was after a long and grueling test which was outside on a hill slide which was pretty steep and full of brush. Basically did grappling and basics on a 45 degree slant. The day was literally a blur and I was glad just to make it back to my bed in one piece...
Posted
My orange belt test in Yoseikan Budo took about three hours. I had to demonstrate all kihon, ukemi, te hodoki, suwari waza, and te waza up to my belt level. Each lock or throw had to be followed by a pin and had to be delivered from grabs, punches, shuto strikes, etc. Then came shotokan kihon, shite randori and ju randori. Then just for fun I was beset by multiple attackers to deal with as I pleased. It was tiring but it gave me a real sense of accomplishment. I felt like the rank meant something. And like the earlier post, I was covered in bruises and gi burns. But no broken fingers. :( We are a bunch of disturbed individuals. :D
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