Last week I took part in the Waikato Kendo grading, and it was a very important experience for me. First time grading ever, I was nervous before it even started because I did not know if I could show everything that I’ve been practicing and training. When I put on my bogu and stepped into the grading area, I was of course nervous and tense but also tried to keep it calm because at the same time I felt excited to finally test myself.
During the grading I tried to remember all the things that Sam Sensei, Marleen Sensei, and all other senpai had taught me, such as correct movement, right techniques, or effective footwork, but turns out remembering is totally different from actually doing it. Because grading carries almost the same amount of pressure as a competitive Shiai. I think with the differences being the outcome, for Shiai it’s about who lost and who won, however for grading, you only get one chance to show everyone what you’re capable of doing and that’s it. Which means I can’t just bring up the flawless men that I did the other day and do it exactly as it is during the grading, but that is the whole point of kendo, you train more and more to achieve perfect techniques consistently.
Overall thoughts on my performance during the grading, in my opinion, I think it was pretty disappointing, not really the outcome that I’d wanted. For good news, I did pass and obtained a new grade. Many senpai complimented my improvements. But speaking solely about my performance, I noticed that there are many areas that I need to further improve on such as:
- Maintaining a good maai, timing and distancing, specifically issoku itto no maai.
- Better Men cut in one fluid motion with no wasted movement.
- Make a more stable and solid kamae.
- There are still more problems with footwork that I will need to work on.
- Make more use of the shoulder.
Even though I wasn’t perfect during the grading, I am proud that I did my best. I also learned that grading isn’t always about passing or failing, but rather it’s about seeing where my weak points are, what needs to be improved and figuring out how to fix problems. It showed me what I need to focus on in future training, striving to be better.
In conclusion, I’m thankful for the opportunity to do this grading. It was a good challenge and a valuable experience. I feel more motivated to keep training, and I will use what I learned to become better in both my Kendo and my spirit. Pursuing Kendo has improved me in many aspects, I gained better controls and coordinations of my own body, I grew stronger, and I connected with a small but friendly and awesome community of people who are in the Waikato Kendo Club.
Thank you all.
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