Long time no post for me. To must work, travel, training and teaching so to stay online all the time and chat. I spent about 11 - 15 hours per week in the dojo so the evenings are not that much of a free time and at work for some silly reason I have to do my job hmph. But I got my 2. dan a week ago and wanted to check in here. I see it's lots of life here still. For some reason grading seems easyer each time around. My first few gradings where hard but then with practice you get to know what you know and if you can do it. 1. kyu grading was not that hard 1. dan grading ok. 2. dan was easy. Does someone else think it's easer as you go along? Best regards Kerling
if your grading is easy there is no point in doing it - you should always be tested to your limit, no matter how good you (think) you are, how else will you know where your limits are, and how you fight when you are beyond them?
I think that my grading have gotten easier to a degree, but I think part of that is I know what to expect now and how to prepare for it. My first grading which was my shortest only 2 hours or so was brutal! I remember thinking that about 1/2 way through it would have been real nice to just stop as I was so fatigued. My blue belt grading 2 1/2 years later was about 4 hours and yeah I had to push myself to keep working hard and doing techniques right and all that but at the end even though I was throughly tired and worn out I still felt like I could do more if I was asked. I'm going to a grading tomorrow just for the workout, it'll make the 3rd time i've done this I think, where I just go and test my body with the only reward at the end being satisfaction I guess I'll let you know if this one seems easier or not lol
Ahh One thing I forgot It's mainly the mental part of grading that gets easer. The physical part is that I'm in much better shape and more relaxed so I don't waste as much energy. The grading is technically demanding and gets harder in that aspect. I think since you have better knowledge of your karate and the things you can do and how to do them it's should be easier mentally. Best regards Kerling
I found the grading I took part in today a bit easier than that last time, though I did my duty and made it hard for myself by pulling a hamstring a little bit in the first hour. Not that it was lots easier or anything... perhaps part of why I find gradings easier each time in the last while is because I'm dropping weight inbetween, or because I'm more determined each time to show what i can do and show the lower belts and the kids what they can do if they apply maximum 110% effort into what they do.
The few gradings that I have had so far have gotten progressively harder. The techniques do not feel harder since we practice them all the time but the speed that they make us move at and the way they judge the details has been much harder with each grade.
