Random #52: Picton Grading 2010

Today was a nice and cool day to start with, but the afternoon warmed up quite nicely by the time Grading was over.  The drive down was fairly eventless except for the massive stretch of roadworks where nothing was being done because it was the weekend.  That slowed the trip down somewhat since it was a 110km/h zone reduced to a 80km/h for the roadworks, with cops parked there watching at some points of the highway.

Speeches, and warmup aside, there was a long Red and White battle, where our team, Red, lost by 4 people.  I scored one ippon to beat my first opponent, and then had a dou cut scored on me by the next (they were ippon shoubu matches).

After the battle, it was grading seminar.  I chose to partake in the kata section taken by Master Choi, as Paul Rixon Sensei told me that what they would cover in the Dan section was the same as we covered the Saturday before when he had visited during Womens Training.

Master Choi loves kata, and is good at teaching it, but he is a little bit wordy and his English makes it difficult to get across the points easily sometimes.  That said, he still teaches it with a passion and I am grateful for him doing so, because in the hour, I picked up a few things that I think helped me when I came to do kata for the actual grading.

Lunch break and Grading registration.  I was 1D5, with a total of 7 in the Shodan group.

Then the grading itself.

Watching the Ikkyu group go through their kirikaeshi and jigeiko, I was pretty nervous about it.  Once I got onto the floor, I was really jittery and was bouncing on my toes, find it really hard to stand still.  When my turn came along, I had plenty of energy there.

Kiai.  Don't do it straight away mind you.  Stand from Hajime.  Strong step forward, establish yourself, your posture, your center, your Ki.  THEN kiai.  Bang. I actually saw my opponent flinch when I did it.  It had to have been the most satisfying thing that I had done all day.  Thank you Paul Rixon Sensei.

Two minutes is how long you get for each jigeiko.  Which makes it four minutes of swordsmanship that you have to show the panel of Sensei's watching that you have got what it takes to be a Dan.  What did I show them?  I wonder.  What did I do, that I can say.

Kamae and center.  I was commented on my many people afterwards at how strong my kamae and center was.  I held it well enough that both my opponents (1D4 and 1D6) tsuki'd themselves on my shinai multiple times during their two minutes each against me.  At one point in the first jigeiko, after the second time it happened in about five seconds, I though I had actually broken my shinai.  It felt really loose in my hands, and very flexible.  I kept going though since it seemed to still be together and you simply don't stop a grading unless you know for sure.

In any case, someone told me that I didn't seem to attack enough.  I disagree on that.  I attacked.  But I didn't attack blindly, I took my time, tried to pick or create my openings instead of blindly rushing in.  One of the things Rixon Sensei said was to not turn jigeiko into kakarigeiko when it comes to grading.  If they want kakarigeiko, they ask for kakarigeiko.  Show them your normal playing style but with good Kendo.  My playing style is much more reserved, so thats what I showed.

After that, my throat was really aching, so I know I definitely was using kiai.  We sat and waited for the Nidan candidates and the Sandan candidate to complete their jigeiko component.  The assistant for the grading then told us we had all passed the jigeiko component, and to prepare ourselfs for Kata.

My palms were so sweaty.... I thought I'd drop or fling the bokken upon making the cuts, thankfully it didn't happen.  My partner, 1D6, was a little stiff I thought, and his eye contact was a little off, he kept looking at my chest, not my eyes, but I believe was so he could keep my bokken in his field of view.  This was because I was the Uchidachi, and had to initiate the movements first.  Our distance was slightly off in one of them (Yonbonme) but I was taught by someone earlier how to correct for that as the Uchidachi, so I did, and it turned out fine.  ~Phew~.

We ended sitting for about ten minutes after handing in our exam question answers, before we got told to relax and wait for the results to be collated.  Probably about 15 minutes later, we got called to gether for the results.

Putting it in perspective, last year at Burwood, 50% of all Dan candidates (Shodan and Nidan) failed their jigeiko component.  All of those called to do Kata passed, so that was good at least.  This year, the standard was much better, and everyone who graded on the Ikkyu and higher, passed.  100% pass rate is pretty good.  The Kyu must not have fared so well as Itakura Sensei said, those who didn't get their grade, come see him about it.

Well, so the end result is that I am a brand new Shodan.  Once again, the little fish in a big big pond.  It is a little daunting to think about that now I will be in direct competition at competitions with people who are world championships material and so forth.  But, on the other hand, as a Dan, there is some sense of achievement in the four plus years of work gone into my Kendo, what I have been able to put in.  In addition, tsuki and Jodan.... hehehe.

Well, my hands ache from tenouchi.  My body is sore.  But, it was good result today.