So, trained for first time after festive flu last night, was awfully good to be back on the Tatami. Was also pleasing to hear that the young, fit, supple youngsters that got their black belts in December are struggling with the jump in our Kata – Chung Mu, makes me feel slightly better about my dreadful attempts at it.
So whats been happening I dont hear you ask? I shall tell you anyway. Been 2 grading days since I last posted anything of note, a general Karate and Kick boxing grading for which I was on the judging panel , and the Dan grading for which I performed role of spectator only. Did a bit if sparring at the end as well as we had odd numbers.
The general grading was a busy day with an excellent standard all round. My princess Izzy got talked into going for her purple belt at last minute, the only belt she has ever failed previously. I wasn’t able to mark her paper for obvious reasons, but did keep half a worried eye on her performance. There were 3 blue belts hoping to move up a grade that day and none of them shone, making mistakes. Much debate ensued between the instructors on whether they warranted a pass, all of which I struggled to listen to and couldn’t really contribute, conflict of interest and all that, so I made a dash to the toilet until deliberations were all over.
So when every one lined up to see if they had a nice certificate, a new belt and a hand shake from the great man himself Sensei Sean Doyland, I was as much in the dark about the result as my Princess was. She was convinced she had failed again, I had my suspicions, so you can imagine the relief and joy for us both when her name was called out as a new 4th Kyu with a pass. We will take a pass all day long. Only 3 more belts for my Princess before black, very exciting.
Its a double edged kind of day, grading when you are on the grading panel and just another example of ‘you only really starting to learn about martial arts’ once you have proved you know the basics to get your Black Belt.
You want everyone to do well and get the result they deserve but are powerless to influence their performance and have to mark what you see. Nerves play a massive part in proceedings and usually sound reliable students can go to pieces if they mess up. Thankfully the final say is with Sensei Sean Doyland who seems to have this ability to see and notice everything that’s going on, quite a talent. But having agonised over the marking and decisions and feeling the pain of students who know they have messed a move up , the pleasure of watching the students march up to get their certificate at the end does make it all worth while.
2 weeks later was Dan grading with 3 juniors, one senior attempting 1st Dan, and Sensei Nigel Hutchinson going for his 3rd Dan. Being grade of 1st Dan I am unable to sit on the panel but have earned the right to watch from the side lines, this I did with about 8 other black belts who had come in special for the grading. I did spar when it came to that bit as there were odd numbers, which was oddly difficult, me fresh from sitting down with a nice cup of coffee, not warmed not stretched to spar with a bunch of people totally pumped up from 2 hours of drills and Katas.
Another nervous and seemingly long wait while the judging panel, Sean, Joe Anderson and Pickles, made their decisions. It could have gone either way for all of them, it wasn’t a perfect grading with mistakes made, but then I don’t remember mine being perfect either. But it did look hard, slightly harder than I remember, but did reinforce my wish of attempting 2nd Dan next December, injury and wear and tear permitting.
But focus before that is helping The Whizz through her brown belts.