A question about grading

Discussion in 'Karate' started by uptowngirl, Apr 3, 2016.

  1. rabid_wombat

    rabid_wombat Valued Member

    If you're goal is to become proficient in the art, the ranks will come, the amount of time is irrelevant. As long as you work hard, and try to be better than you were, you will achieve the goal.
     
  2. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Gradings are a legitimate tool for professional instructors to make enough to live on. The also provide a target that some people find a helpful motivator.

    The only thing that I don't like is that some clubs will not let you progress in the slyabus unless you grade. As a teacher I don't like this approach. For me if a student engaging, learning and practicing, I will allways teach them something new each session.
     
  3. Moosey

    Moosey invariably, a moose Supporter

    I would ask your instructor "Do you think I'll be able to grade at the next grading?". At least that way you get some feedback and can ask for some details to work on. I have no problem with people failing gradings (I failed my brown belt and black belt the first time) or not being put forward for gradings until they're ready, but unless they tell you why you failed and what you need to improve in order to be ready, it's not helpful to your progress.

    If I were you, I'd approach it from that perspective. Find out what you need to work on in order to grade and pass the next time.
     
  4. raaeoh

    raaeoh never tell me the odds

    I would also like to point out most gradings are just a technicality. Odds are if you are recommended to test you already passed.

    Testing can be stressful. I remember my very first test. I was really worried I would fail for forgetting the kata or something. I messed up on the h form kata. But I kept going like I ment to do it. Turns out my test was the day before. I wasn't even aware of it. My last test was never even discussed. I was just awarded my belt at the end of class.
     
  5. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    Indee.
    Every teacher I spoke to (about gradings in general; not a certain one) emphasizes, that they'll never allow do get graded, if they don't think they're absolutely ready.

    Sure, you can still screw up in case you get a blackout, but it's really unlikely, that you actually do fail.

    On my first grading I got so nervous (plus test anxiety) that I was a wreck.
    My teacher grabbed me by the Gi, dragged me onto the mat and was like: "Do it! now!"
    I was so nervous, my hand kept twitching, I couldn't breath properly - but except one technique (I had a short blackout there, but it came back immediately) I passed with a result in the upper thirds.

    I was told that from the beginning.
    Or more precisely: I was told to when I don't get to do the one technique, that was planned - do anything else!
    Doesn't need to look good or be fancy, but *do* something, keep going, not matter what.

    Now that we're training for another grading, my Tori told me: "When one of us makes a mistake, we just keep going. Whatever we do is exactly right and what we wanted to do from the beginning!"
    He also told me to expect him doing other techniques, then we trained, because it just can happen.
    The one thing I'm not allowed to do, or he breaks my bones: "If I do a different technique, just play along. When you stand up, yelling: 'That's *not* what we trained!" - I kill you!" ;)

    My Judo-grading was similar.

    My teacher knows how nervous I get (he was part of my other grading), so at one point he told me, he would take a look at the techniques, to see if I could get graded in a week or so.
    So all now and then he came to me during training, saying: "Show me O-Goshi. Now Uki-Goshi." and go away.
    Then some of the combinations.
    Close to the end he stood in front of me: "You owe me 15€."
    Whereas I didn't understood why, my Uke grinned like an idiot, during the explanation, that I just passed my grading :bang:
     

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