If I may add my $.02... There is an extremely important variable that you have not relayed in this thread... Who determines "The test date"? Did Sensei tell you that you were testing on this date... or is this a less structured atmosphere and you choose the date or dates as they are announced? Last summer, two of my 1st kyu brown belts (twins) were given the invitation to test. They also both indicated that they felt they were not ready for Shodan... I simply smiled agreed with them... It's been 16 months since their last test. I guarantee that was the last time they will sell themselves short (or disagree with Sensei regarding testing). Understand this, Shodan (1st degree black) is truly a beginning rank. At Shodan... you are now ready to learn. Consider all the previous ranks as "pre-requisite" classes necessary to enroll in the upper level course study for a desired university degree. Unfortunately, so many see Shodan as the pinnacle of their training rather then the beginning of a life long journey... Remember don't put more weight on this rank than it deserves...it is just another test… know your material, continue to train hard and trust in your training. If Sensei invited you to test... Test!
we have gradings every three months you don't grade then you have to wait. i'spose your right i have to probaly just trust my training.
one of the best piece of advise i got for my black belt testing, was to just keep going and don't freak if you mess up. i had a few instances i messed up but finished whatever i was doing and did't freak out and i think that helped. you'll be picking apart what you did and they may not see what you did as a mistake.
three years. the syllabus of this style of karate is different than that of most other karate styles because it's a mixture of a few styles of karate (goju ryu, wado ryu, ****o ryu, shotokan etc) it's quite new our style so it's not that well herd of.
Dan grading I am also due to go for my Black belt in the next 2 months, and am the same as you, thinking what if i fail, but like a few people on this forum have said, you must talk yourself into believing you can do it, at the end of the day you can only do your best and if your instructor is anything like mine they wouldn't put you up for it unless they felt confident in you. :woo:
It's definitely true you can fail or do really badly just on a bad day. I was just lucky with my last test I guess. A bad day that luckily (probably) made people feel sorry for me.
Dan grading The style i train in, they get all the dan grades of the association together to do Dan gradings, but although some of them may not see you training regular, those that do, take into account how you train on a regular basis because obviously you could have a bad day especially with nerves getting the better of you. Luckily our style does not have katas that you need to learn, but you show techniques which you have learnt and what would work for you in a real life situation. You demonstrate about 15 to 20 of these to show how to deal with various attacks - kicks or punches coming in, grabs from front and behind, strangles, knife attacks and recently started using ground fighting techniques in case it goes wrong in a real fight and you end up on your butt! We also do some gun disarming techniques which have only been on the syllabus the last 2 or 3 years. After doing these demonstrations we then go on to 2 or 3 men attacks which shows the use of footwork as well as takedowns techniques but obviously under a bit more pressure. :woo:
your style sounds pretty effective then. it would be really good to get some good disarming moves in.
Dan grading We try to cover all angles and try to think up all sorts of attacks and then how to counter them, things like being pinned up against a wall, being grabbed while sat in a chair, being taken to ground with a rugby tackle, we are open to any suggestions on something new to try - you never know what might happen on the street but the more counters you have learnt the more chance of survival.
disarming techniques JHUGHES - where are you based? As well as the weekly classes we have a 3 hour session about once a month - its open to anybody so if you are near enough you could always pop in and try us out. These sessions are normally held on a Sunday in the afternoon either at Risca or Cwmbran.
That is funny, sort of! You've been training for how long? You started off as a beginner and have now reached the stage where it is suggested that you are ready for black. How do you compare yourself against the lower grades? And against the higher grades? Do you know your moves? Are you as fit as you've ever been? Do you want to be the perpetual bridesmaid and never go for black? Do you want the grade? When I stood up for my first fight in my grading, I had a big grin on my face, because I knew that I could tick all the above boxes in the right place and had earned the right to be there. I wasn't over-confident, just certain that I had done my bit; I remembered the deep respect I had felt for the people I had seen do it whilst I was moving up the grades, and now it was my turn. (Actually, the grin didn't last very long, but it served its purpose in psyching me up!) I firmly believe that everybody there wanted me (and the others) to pass, and as such I viewed the grading as an opportunity for me to prove that I was good enough, and not as a chance for everybody else to prove I wasn't. It is also worth noting that a black belt does not immediately convert you into a superman; it is simply marks the end of one phase and signals the opening of a door to even more training and improvement. But, the bottom line is DO YOU WANT IT OR NOT?
the answer is yes. and right i could sit around here and moan about it all day long and still wouldn't make that much difference because it's down to me. but i would just say this your right i should know my stuff and i do and yes i do still have a little nerves kicking but to be honest i hope i never get rid of a little nerves of anxiety and excitement because i still love what i do in martial arts.
as long as you are enjoying it don't worry - be happy, as i said i am due to go for black belt, i was originally going for it in March but had an accident at work which put me out of action for a few months, but i am glad to be back training more than anything else, i feel confident in myself and although the black belt would be a great achievement its not the end of the world (pretty close though) if i don't get it this time. I could do with more time to be honest to lose all the weight i put on while out of action (picture jabba the hutt with short legs).
The nerves are good for you - enjoy them. FYI, my eldest and middle boys have been informed that they passed their gradings for Shodan - they made it through hard work, resolve, and a healthy chunk of bravery for good measure. And my youngest got his 2nd Kyu, so he's on a 2-year plan for BB too. (Unfortunately, all I picked up is what looks like a torn cartilage, so I'm crocked for the forseeable.)
thats gutting news about the cartilage, i injured my left knee, after a forklift truck smashed in to the table i was standing behind in work, wasn't happy as i was due to do grading a month later, still suffering with it now even though i am back in training. Sounds like your boys are doing well, i have 2 daughters who are still quite young, the eldest is 7 and she has got to a yellow belt, but shes at that stage where she sometimes wants to train and sometimes there to mess about. My youngest is 4 and although not old enough to join the club she trains in the house and absolutely loves it.
Thanks - I'm hopeful I can get it fixed. I firmly believe that anybody can do it provided they are prepared to apply themselves and have the right tuition and guidance.
