Exams

Forgot to report on the first grading session... We held a "surprise" shinsa 3 weeks ago, the first ever... Normally I would'lve liked to prepare them a bit better but I felt timing was right. So I told them to be ready for the exam held a week later.

It took everyone by surprise, but that's how I passed many of my exams: last minute notice. Normally a shinsa shouldn't the "big" thing it seems to be for most. Normally you should be ready to test any time your asked.

It consisted of:
- kirikaeshi
- kihon waza
- kakari geiko
- kata (1-3)
The reason for this sudden plan is that I ultimately wanted them to be ready for the tournament in Aruba where an 1-kyu shinsa will be held. Since the best way to get them ready is to actually do an exam they tested for various ranks depending on their respective levels. At first they were concerned about what/how they should do. I told them specifically what we were looking for and we spent a few hours reviewing basics, proper reigi and kata.

The result: everyone passed! That's no surprise of course... There was no plan to fail anyone and the worst that could happen would be a downgrade from one proposed kyu to another. No surprises either on their performance, except.... I knew very well what their weak points were and what needed to be worked on but the advantage of this exercise was that I could have a better, more objective view of the situation. Thankfully E was motodachi so they could focus on the job at hand. In reality though, I was very surprised to see they reacted with much difficulty to E's presence and style. My guess is that they were uncomfortable with his active role (as opposed to the "easier to handle" passive moto) with the consequence being that most of them lost the little self-confidence they had accumulated so far.

Beyond mechanical/technical considerations, what I identified as the biggest problems were:
1- lack of confidence in one's actions and ability to adjust to new or unusual motodachi
2- lack of pressure and aggressiveness in attacks

We filmed the exam and will review asap, so everyone can see themselves and so we can have a good laugh!

I made some fancy diplomas, one in English, one in Japanese (including their names in Katakana) for each of them. Spent a looong time making those, they better hang them proudly on their walls !! Have a look: http://kendo.ipmtt.net/images/Pic1.jpg http://kendo.ipmtt.net/images/Pic2.jpg

And the "award" ceremony was during our little event in the park:
http://kendo.ipmtt.net/images/ceremony.jpg