Do's and Dont's

[robbo78]

Hi all,

Just some feedback required from you all,
What simple do's and dont's do you have
When grading for Shodan?
Obviously a good one is don't forget your kata!
But i mean any good advice welcomed
Thanks.

[garage]

Not so simple as even within shotokan there is a variation on what is looked for, as for good advice harder still.

First looking at your photo the guy to your left is a blackbelt who, is not trying as hard as you are. So when you pass do not let this annoy you.

Some organisations look for spirit first, and will allow you some leeway with technique. So I hope by now your organisation as indicated what they are looking for.

I look for good posture and balance and not too much tension.

If you make sure your fitness is better then you need to do Karate it won't be an issue.
I guess you are looking for a lot more than this grading will give you.
Good advice? I have set the bar low so others will chime in with better things.

[malk103]

Train more, train hard, train often, train well...

Work a lot on your Kata, try to find somewhere with mirrors or ask a keen eye to offer advice, go over your Kumite and combinations as often as you can. The more you "don't" need to think too much about things on the day it will make it easier.

We vary the combinations from Brown belt so be prepared for differences, ask other seniors to throw combinations at you. You may find on the day that you will draw a blank when asked to do something new, don't panic, just ask again.

Generally be the first up, be smart and snappy, when called up - run! I hate it when you ask for the next belts and they slowly get up and slouch over as if you've just woken them up, it is THEIR grading and they are wasting time and not showing any spirit.

You may fight freestyle with a few others, some clubs do several, don't look as though you want to give up - so long as you can still stand up then put on a fight - not just defend - attack! A good Shodan will try to push on even when they are nearly exhausted. Obviously if you are knackered then ask for a brief pause.

In our Association you also get asked questions like the translations of Kata names, what it means to you to get Shodan, your plans, etc.

Best of all good luck!

[Bob Davis]

This is a hard one Rob as it varies so much from group to group in what they are looking for (it seems) and if you are going to be graded by people who know you is a totally different from being graded by some "big" instructor who only turns up for the day and doesn't know you from Adam.

A good Shodan will try to push on even when they are nearly exhausted.

Certainly with us this is a big part of it, there is a technical level to achieve BUT with our Shodan gradings a big part of it appears to be to push candidates to see how they react/respond when they are close to their limits. Everybody makes mistakes, it's how you deal with them that counts and most students are capable of more than they realise.

Although karate shouldn't be just a fitness test you will need to be fitter than is generally required for day to day training as it will drain you (having said that, for us, the fitter you are the harder we would push you so it's a double edged sword )

Obviously if you are knackered then ask for a brief pause.

Sorry Mal but I suspect if you did that with us you'd end the day as you started, a brown belt (like I say, different for everybody)

If you have been training regularly and are considered ready for Shodan testing then you should know your stuff (to the required level) already, the instructors who see you every session should be aware of what you are capable of so all you can do on the day is your best.

;)Train hard on the run up, get yourself into the mind set and be ready BUT take a day or two before the test to relax and chill, don't be trying to learn stuff on the last day (although everybody does  ) if you don't know it by then you are not going to learn it in a day and you'll only stress yourself.

An easy thing to say but a hard thing to do is just to relax and enjoy the day, if you get something wrong don't pull "the face" or make a fuss, just get over it and move on.

[nathanso]

Hopefully, you have previously seen BB exams given by your org so you know what to expect technique- and duration-wise. I agree with Bob- if you have to ask for a break, you shouldn't be testing. I'd rather see someone pass out then step out. Spirit is important; so is conditioning. People will differ in speed, flexibility, inate ability, etc. A key thing IMO is that they apply the basic principles (use of hips, posture, timing, etc.) irrespective of abilities or limitations.

Our exams from white belt through high dan grades are all posted. When I used to get ready for exams, in addition to regular trainings, I would get together weekly for an an extra session with the others testing for that rank where we'd go through the whole exam at least twice nonstop, practice kata and bunkai, and then do a final run-through of the kihon one final time.

[garage]

It depends on what you want to get from your Karate. If I go down the pub and start a fight I wouldn't expect to ask them to stop whilst I caught my breath. So I train accordingly.

At the moment I have cut back as life gets in the way, I only manage 10-14 hours per week, which I find frustrating but not as much as when you train with someone who can't last 2 minutes.

The other argument would be that you can't be 100% all the time so you should be able to cope when you are not well.

So there are "people that do karate, wimps, and the new part wimps that wear blackbelts" (with stomach hanging over)

[kensei]

when you are ready to grade for Shodan you should have mastered (Gotten real good) at the basics of your system...thats pretty much all! Go into the test and show the grading board/instructor that you know your stuff! Show a tone of spirit, good form and knoweldge of the basics and dont boggle up your Kata! Show control but speed andgood form on your Kumite and give your best to the testing. Thats about it.

what kind of Shodan you become, well thats another story!

[malk103]

Oct 8, 2013 23:24:57 GMT Bob Davis said:

Obviously if you are knackered then ask for a brief pause.

Sorry Mal but I suspect if you did that with us you'd end the day as you started, a brown belt (like I say, different for everybody)

Yeah, I see what you mean, we would have spent a lot of time with our Shodan candidates so will only put them through when ready, I think if we are talking about the average fit adult with no injuries or problems then stopping for a breather during a grade would be frowned upon and if it was more than once there would need to be a good reason. Of course we could have pushed them a bit too hard.
For others who don't fit that description then a bit of leeway may be given, so long as the technique and spirit are present!

I like what you said about giving the "face" if you make a mistake, I've made some during a grade and either corrected it or once asked to start a Kata again, correct attitude is also important.

[andyupton]

When I was going for my Shodan, I asked one of our club Sensei's what I should concentrate on. His reply = "Everything !"

[th0mas]

Don't turn up an hour and half early and exhaust yourself by getting in some extra-practice....(although I did pass it wasn't pleasant)

[tomobrien1]

Train hard, get a couple of days rest & get a good night's sleep the night before you test.  You will be fine.