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ocatford
16th January 2005, 22:34
Gassho all,

I've applied to take my Shodan grading this coming Saturday 5th February and am trying to find out who my co-graders are going to be. I don't have a grading partner myself (haven't since white-belt, maybe there's a reason for that...) so would be very grateful to know about any other spare applicants.

Obviously any chance of meeting other graders in advance could help enormously on the day (always found it a good idea to set ground rules eg. who attacks first etc to avoid those double KO moments, and have a go at a few techniques).

Many thanks,

Olly Catford

zoefewell
17th January 2005, 09:07
Hi Olly,

I'm in the same situation - I'll send you a PM.

Zoe

Ewok
18th January 2005, 10:43
Trick I learnt, have a chat with the other person and decide that one of you always takes a 'defensive' stance, ie. Ichi-ji gamae. That way you easily know who will do what :)

ocatford
18th January 2005, 23:54
Wahey, wasn't expecting a response so soon (in fact was told of response by 3 different kenshi before actually got back to reading it which just goes to show...).

Zoe, have pm'd you back and you should hopefully have an email waiting for you (probably in your junk box - please don't delete, it takes me forever to type!).

Ewok, thanks for the tip and I know what you mean though I had to amend that to "one person always makes the obvious offer" as in preparation for my last grading I learnt the hard way that sometimes the attacker should be in ichiji gamae as well as the defender - it may seem pantomimed at times but I'd prefer to be obvious in a grading than unsure.

It's also useful to set up those hints for the inevitable "no you were meant to grab/punch/kick with the other hand/foot and/or start with the other foot forward" moments sorted out in advance. As well as establish such peramiters as whether kinteki geri has been trained for/expected (had one where the partner didn't wear a box - schoolboy error) - and learn exactly the pain/flexibility threshold of wrists and whether the partner respects and reacts appropriately to pre-juho atemi-waza ("erm, I just hit you then, relax a little...no? OK so I will hit you just to take your mind off it").

Erm, Zoe, please disregard the above, I'm a kitten really.

Hopefully get to train soon.

Olly

judepeel
19th January 2005, 13:12
In a grading we've always desigated a lead.

That person always goes into stance as attacker and the other matches it. Same person always attacks first as there are a number of techniques where both people are in the same stance and I remember one notiable time when my partner and I attacked simultaneously and punched each others fists.

Couldn't have repeated it if we tried!

Tripitaka of AA
19th January 2005, 14:16
Ai-uchi!

Dem
2nd February 2005, 15:00
I know this is a bit late, but I have only just got the right to post replies!
I will be grading for my 1st Kyu on the 5th Feb and I do not have a grading partner. Does anyone know of somebody else who is in the same position?
I already know of at least 2 other blue belts grading then, but would like to know if there is another loner like me.

Dianne
2nd February 2005, 17:58
Hello

Me! I'm grading on saturday to brown and I don't have a partner.

Ewok
3rd February 2005, 13:52
Have fun and good luck tomorrow ;)

Post up some photos too!

Joerg
8th February 2005, 12:18
Hi folks,

so whats was the outcome, some new Blackbelts and Brownbelts to welcome?

Let us hear how great you were!:D

Cheers
Joerg

Juan
8th February 2005, 21:52
Hi Joerg,

Olly Catford got his black belt. Apparently he was scary (not surprises here).

After getting some white belts as dummies to practice his syllabus (they survived), he now has to return the favour to them. We have 19(!) white belts to take their grading in the coming UTS, so Olly will get a lot of action.

Congratulations to all who passed their grading.

Juan

ocatford
14th February 2005, 23:52
I resent that! I wasn't just picking on white-belts!

Seriously, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who gave their support in the run up to the grading - firstly to the various senior grades who donated themselves as chew-toys for a session over the past month, to the surprising number of junior grades who allowed me a variety of wrists and body types to practice on in the week prior the grading (took most of the week off work), to Zoe (who also passed) for tolerating the two only too brief and somewhat panicked sessions we trained before the big day, and to everybody who wished me luck - as I say, the support and interest was flattering in itself.

As to the evalution as "scary", the red meat and vodka diet apparently paid off.

Had my first session as shodan yesterday - lots of interesting techniques coming up it seems, though I can't help but look forward to an opportunty to polish my 1st kyu techniques without the pressure of grading now - I tend to find I can "make the techniques work" by the time I get to a grading, but it's only 6 months or more after the grading that I actually understand how and why they work and that edge of "making them work" becomes less urgent.

Anyway, once again, thanks to all who helped and supported,

Kesshu,

Olly

David Dunn
15th February 2005, 14:50
Originally posted by ocatford
I tend to find I can "make the techniques work" by the time I get to a grading, but it's only 6 months or more after the grading that I actually understand how and why they work

You're miles ahead of me on learning curves olly :cool: