#33: When you Fail Grading...?

There was a post on Yahoo! Answers that I saw today in regards to how someone felt because they failed their Shodan Grading.

I failed my Shodan[1 Dan] Kendo examination.? I am so deppressed. I feel like i should drop Kendo. My sensei used to work me a lot. But after failing my exam he started teaching and working with other students. I dont know why i failed. And i am the second best in my club. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

This is what I replied (one out of fourteen responses)

First of all, you should find out why you failed. You have the right to ask the examination panel why you failed your Shodan exam. Was it because you failed Kata? Was it because you failed during Jigeiko? Was it that your written/oral answering of the Kendo question did not sufficiently display your knowledge and experience of Kendo? You are supposed to know why you failed, so you can improve on it next time, instead of just wandering around in the dark. Once you know why they chose not to award you your Shodan, you can work on it. If you failed Kata, work hard on Kata, get the right zanshin, proper timing, tenouchi on your cuts, everything. If you failed Jigeiko, think back to what you were doing. Were you just blocking only? Did you not give your motodachi any opportunity to also display their learning? Were you focussed only on making hits and not good cuts? All of these points need to be considered. If you failed the written/oral question, does this mean your idea of what that concept means is needing improvement? Have you had enough experience? Just because your sensei has stopped working giving you as much attention as you want, it doesn't mean that he has abandoned you. Achieving a Dan grade is a important milestone, and perhaps he has decided to give you space because you need it for self reflection and development. Perhaps he feels that after giving you all this attention, it is time, and important to also work with the other students to bring them up to their appropriate levels. As for being the second best in your club, that's the wrong attitude to have. Humility and being humble is a very important part of Kendo. Displaying such ego is bad for you. Perhaps this may also be part of why your Shodan results were as such. Don't quit. Better yourself and continue to work hard until the next grading. I was told, for Shodan, you need to show that you can make a successful kihon men cut on your opponent with ki-ken-tai-ichi from the correct maai, holding and presenting a good solid and strong seme. And then correctly doing Kata. Did you do all of that? If you did, then you'll have to reflect deeper and harder about it.

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One of our senior club members has failed a Grading. What did they think? What did they feel? What did they learn about it?... I don't know. I'll let them answer those questions if they feel like it

For the other seniors who have graded, what do you think? From the last two gradings I have been to, Picton '08 and Founders '08, there has been at least one person failed at each.... If we are that one person who fails at a grading, then how do we overcome that despair that this person on Yahoo! is feeling? How do we work upon it better?