Hi Folks
My Sensei`s put me forward for my Green Belt Grading next month. Any advice or hints gratefully received!
I reckon I`ll do ok ( Altho I said that about the tournament.....)

Whiskeyonesix

Ok W16 some things to think about

1 Breath
2 Relax
3 Have FUN
4 Pace yourself - when doing slow, relax all the way through.
- when doing meduim, correct technique, with snap at the end.
- when doing hard & fast, full focus, relax & tense at the last momment.
- every time you are standing waiting for instuction, keep in stance, and breath slowly & deeply to regain your strength.
5 Drink lots of water - start several days before.
6 Posture, head and chin up, don't look down all the time, only glance down to check stances etc.
7 Keep going - if you make a mistake.
8 Respond quickly - when asked to do something snap to it, shows your switched ON.
9 Don't fidgit or look around - stay focused.
10 In all the classes leading up to the grading, train like they ARE a grading, ask to do your Kata in front of the class, get used to it.
12 Ask for help from your Sensei or any of the higher belts in your class.

13 Celebrate afterwards, you deserve it !

Attitude makes all the difference, you already are that belt, your just showing others that you are.

Warren :thumbwink:

Tee hee! I can't believe I'm writing this post when I made such a disaster out of my own grading.

Things I *forgot* to do:

- Chill out (relax!). You've done it all before. If you've been sent, you are ready - hopefully - so you have to have a little faith in your instructors.

- Breathe out - Don't just breathe in and hold your breathe. You feel a lot more relaxed when you have a good rhythm going. I'm not saying try to blow down the hall - just a steady pace for yourself is goood.

- Pace yourself - If it's warm, don't put 110% into your hard and fast punches, cos you'll be stuffed. Again, I'm not saying to not try your best... justy be mindful of the fact that you have to get through 2nd kata a bit later on.

- Do not look down at everything you do! Apparently it was noticable that I was looking down at all my stances.

Things I did:

- Don't worry about not getting through all the counts in h&f. Instructors would prefer to see good technique, as speed and strength comes a bit later.

- Try your best. Focus to the front, use snap. Etc etc.

More to come later.

CARBOHYDRATES!!

Ive spoken to a lot of people who've collapsed at gradings and most didnt eat anything that day, or just had toast etc in the morning.

Oh - GOOD LUCK too

You said you've entered tournies... I entered my first one a few weeks before my grading and to tell you the truth, despite the nervousness on the day, that experience helped me immensely at the grading. I didn't think anything of standing up to perform my kata at the grading... so like Warren said, get a few people to watch you do your kata before class and remember how you got through the tournament. In the next 2/3 weeks, ask them look at it and suggest ways in which you can improve. In the week before, try not to analyse it too much because you just work yourself into a tizz over nothing. Think of it as you've already done the hard work, there's nothing you can do that will majorly change it at that stage.

A major thing that I have come to believe in - if you stuff up, try to get over it quickly. Don't dwell on it. I remember at my orange belt grading I wasn't doing my best... I convinced myself that I had failed. I'd have a drink break and I'd just be saying "I failed! I failed!" I worked myself up sooooooooo bad that before kata I'd written of passing. Then I relaxed and did some reasonable kata. Weird how that works. Needless to say, I did pass. Haha. Then at my 6th kyu grading I did fairly okay in blocks and strikes... went a bit downhill in stances and kicks, but completely lost it in combinations. What I did was applied myself to what I was doing... I was doing it wrong, but it's better than just standing there looking around like a stunned mullet. I was annoyed at how I did, but I had the presence of mind not to let it affect my kata.

Oh I am sooooooo rambling.

That'll do.

Oh... yep... GOOD LUCK!

W16...

Before the class:
1. Blow your nose well.
2. Make sure you have no more need of the wc.
3. Ensure you are wearing clean underwear (in case of lost buses).
4. Brush your teeth.
5. Make sure your hair is neat and tidy.

During class:
1. Do karate.

After class:
1. Put on your new belt and be proud of your hard work since you started training.
2. Get on the computer, and tell us how good you feel.

Advice or Hints...hmmm

a ) if you've been sent chances are your instructor thinks you're ready so give that some credit.

b ) do what you do in class as that has obviously been the reason for why you have been sent.

c ) enjoy your grading - it's something to be experienced and remembered, not feared and scared of.

d ) when you do your kata and get told to take a seat afterwards...make sure you strut B)

Take it easy
C

Oooooh I so have to try that. Puff the chest out, wiggle the bum... yep... sounds good. :thumbwink: But isn't it only in tournaments when you have to put on the performance?

visualises Jessie puffing chest n wiggling the bum..hubba hubba hubba...lol...ouch ducks n blocks a barrage of kicks n punches....It is important to blow your nose ..as my young fella found out during his last grading..he's 5 and a nice lady sensei directed him to me during his yellow belt grading. (i was doing the proud dad thing and watching)An awesome sight he was too, great big green slimmy stuff....grooooosssse....wonders why gi's don't have pockets for tissues!
Best of luck with your grading...

See? Told ya.

I would like to know why so many of us doubt our own abilities when it comes time to go for a grading. Maybe half the test is to see how much belief we have in ourselves? I know that, in theory, if I am sent for a grading, I will pass (barring catastrophes) because our sensei will never send anyone who has not got the ability required. It is different when I actually get there though. I have thought my instructors mad more than once!

Went to a kata/kumite seminar yesterday. Told the RM "I can't" do something the way he suggested (may never grade again ). His answer? You've heard it before. "If you say you can't, you won't. Tell yourself you can." Worst bit? I really could do it after a few tries!!!

Karate teaches us a lot of things - but how long will it take to teach us to believe in ourselves?

You'll be good. Otherwise we will set the Waters' kids on you. And any previous instructors you might have lurking around here. :thumbgrin:

Thanks for the advice folks, I`ve got a couple of weeks to brush up on things anyway.
Just got back from class tonight. Basics - ok, Kumite - good, Kata - pretty good, combinations - ok, kicks.........need a little work!
I think it`s my tendancy to lose my balance when doing roundhouse kicks, practice, practice, practice..............!

Roundhouse kicks -

Make sure your short fighting stance is wide enough. You'll be unbalanced right form the start of the kick otherwise. Remember to pivot on the post foot. DON'T try to kick too high. Don't try to kick too fast. Remember good technique is more important than being able to do all hte counts at our level. Remember the four stages.

Up - try to get your foot up close to your bum and knee and ankle at same height.
Out - Don't extend too far beyond your body. When it is out, don't leave it out there. Use the *thingy*... the... you know... um... I can't think of the word... but jut try to snap it right back. Remember to pull your toes back.
Back - Same as the "up"
Down

Your guard is important. If your guard is all over the place, you'll be unbalanced. Try to keep it relatively close to the body.

I'll bet you know all that already.

Just a thought. If your basics are okay and your kata is pretty good... but your kumite is good... Doesn't good kumite stem from good basics?

I thought of the word! But I can't edit the post!

MOMENTUM. :thumbgrin:

IIRC you tend to over rotate in the kick. Try not to bring the kicking knee round so far, so you "aim" at the target with the knee when preparing, then turn the hip in when you extend the leg. That way you won't kick past the line of your body and you won't have the urge to spin right around.

That and keep your guard to the front when doing the kick. No "drunken tight rope walker" impressions!

Hope that helps.

Well, I had a whinge about it a few month back when I did my 5th kyu.
I am a mature 40 something and consider myself "OK" on the fitness scale but found myself huffing and puffing half way through the grading . I drank my gallon of water, had my carbos and increased my training a few weeks out.
Unfortunately our RM had a bad day as the previous grading lacked responses and so did the majority of our class. So the routine had a few sets of push ups added to it.

Next time it will be summer, so I will have to push this old body even further.
More water, more training etc,etc.

Good Luck whiskeyonesix, with all the advise you received in here you will be fine :thumbwink:

Cheers
C.C

I still think push ups in a grading situation is a bit harsh.
Especially when push ups aren't even meant to be in the curriculum for GKR.

If students aren't responding in a grading, even after being reminded, maybe they need another attempt at that grade level.
Whether or not they agree on responding for every instruction, they know it is an expectation of grading. They should just do it.
Everyone else seems to have learnt to accept it or go elsewhere.

I don't see the point in pushing people so hard at the gradings. Push up? Sumo stances? Squat kicks? Why? If someones lazy then they will do the punishment half heartedly anyway.
Most people will turn up with a set amount of energy and will expend all of that energy durring the course of the grading. If your forced to waste lots of energy early on then it just means that the kata and sparring will be powerless and focussless no matter how good the student is.. Just makes it harder to asses how good people are in my opinion..

Though I'm terrible at giving responses I aggree with Susan. If they are deemed to be an essential part of the grading and the assesment of how good a students karate is then if they are not up to strach then that student should fail. No reason to make the other students waste their energy on pointless 'punishments'.

That said I prefer doing pressups to many of the proper moves..

Ye Gods he's hit on the fundamental problem of 'group punishment'....
Where were you in my boot camp??

However, shouldnt we be grading on ability and technique anyway?