I just graded to 3rd Kyu Brown Belt in GKR. Yay! Anyway to the point, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. I ran out of steam during the sparring with the Sensei's. I could hardly lift my arms or even stand. I could block alot of their moves (which I found kinda impressive), but I could have done so much more if I had the steam!

I do 30min sessions on a cross trainer, twice a day and do 4 karate classes per week. My fitness level is quite high in comparison to alot of people in the normal classes. I can even out do some black belts!

Now that I have blurted out what I do, I was wondering what other people do to prepare themselves for gradings. Both physically and mentally.

Thanks.

For my BB grading I actually consulted a dietician. I knew it would primarily be an endurance test so set out to plan for it. Lots of rest, carb loading the day before, eating correctly on the day of the event... it was worth it. I cruised through it while the 20 yo next to me had troubles.

Didnt make me any better - just got me through it!

That sounds way cool. I didnt realise the food side of things was so important.

What about physical? What else did you do to prepare yourself physically? Even phycologically? Longs walks along the beach kinda thing?? :-)

well done on the grading!! I don't really do much to prepare just jump about a bit as it gets closer, I to will be going for my 3rd kyu in GKR this sunday coming

Hey, how did your grading go??

Hey went good thanks:D feels different being a brown belt now.. reached my first goal!

Good on ya! :-)

I certainly feel proud of the achievement too. Everybody seems to notice that you have a brown belt now! And now the real training will begin. I also find too that the higher grade kata's are not as hard, as you are more familiar with the moves (most anyway). Empi is interesting though! :-)

Anyway, congrats and I am interesting to know how the grading experience was for you, only if you care to comment.

Cheers

Straight after the grading we had the christmas training..we went through seiunchin which I have always done quite well (won world cup with it) an it seemed way easier an sharper as though I have never really done it properly..

cheers. experience was...sweaty.. haha didnt get correct to much other being in the wrong stance after one sensei was talking to me so I missed the command but really enjoyed it, was a bit sleepy at the start but was really awake and going for it by saifa and kumite was kinda fun! thats the one thing I want to improve at the moment.. your on the GKR karate forums aren't you...?

I graded to 6th kyu Sunday gone. I was meant to grade yonks ago but I didn't feel ready back then.
I am not at all interested in the formality of grading, to me it is a pointless endeavour. I know others have their reasons to think otherwise. But I finally did it. With two driving goals. One, so I could move to my favourite kata, Pinan Yodan. And two, to get off that ghastly orange belt. I'm sure it was giving off negative vibes...

Nice work on the grading!!!

I guess to many, grading is a form of accomplishment. It makes us feel like we have achieved something.

How was it anyway? Did you go up against the black belts in kumite?

Yeah, I can see where people feel some achievement through grading. But my sense of accomplishment, and this is purely me, is in how confident I feel. I am perfecly atuned to my body and know full well that I'm good at something to the point of being able to use that. And when I'm crap at other things.
If my sensei was to say we are to all wear white belts untill we are good enough to be a black belt, I'd be perfectly happy with that. But again, thats just me.

There were only ten of us grading, so unlike GKR. We grade in our dojo. Only two adults. We sparred each other. But that was after all the partner techniques!
I can't remember much cause I was fazing it all out

congrats on the grading well done!!!
when i graded to 3rd kyu i lined up with the white belts and started from scratch again, just to perfect every move and even too perfect every kata from 1st to seinchin

Graded today.... Blue belt. Higher than I got in GKR. But by hell I'm aching now.

Well done Si. I bet even the aching feels good in it's own way

Congrats Si. I assume blue belt is 5th kyu? I ask because some clubs I know don't use blue (or red) in their belt rankings as blue and red are typically tournament colours.


Mick

Nice one Si!

Excellent work Si.
That is something to be proud of for sure.

It's efforts like that that make me want to go back!!!!

soon. i promise....

Congrats!