Dazz Nidan Grading 10/7/2005

Nidan Kyokushin Karate Grading 10/7/2005.

I was finally going for 2nd Dan Black Belt.
I had been shodan for over 4 years, so it was time.
Also going for nidan was Barbara Wendlandt, who ran 2 dojos, she had been shodan for 2.5 years.
Also going for shodan were Chrishni Karunkaran and Maria Ramirez.
Grading to brown belt were Katrina Waghorne, Janene Scott, Victor Borghuts, and Dr Nigel Keenan.
The grading took over 7 hours and Barbara & I were tested on everything, including the mysterious
'kuzushi' techniques, of which I have to be retested on at the next grading!

Me taking the blocks. This was a test of knowing every block plus being able to command the class.

Me forward rolling over Katrina. Rolls and breakfalls were something I had to relearn after
not using them for 4 years. Being able to fall correctly is something very useful in the
martial arts, but something you just won't practice unless required to do so, especially in karate.

Takedown after a kuzushi technique. These advanced techniques, specific to the nidan grading, involve
lots of sweeping, blocking, circular movements, with the end result being control and effectiveness.

Self Defence against 4 opponents, who try various techniques and you must retaliate with
effective counters and control them. 30 seconds duration?

Sanbon kumite, counters from middle (10x) & upper punch (6x), and front kick (2x).

This is the true test of kata, in my mind, Sanchin kata, the kata which seems the easiest but can
become the hardest very quickly. This kata is performed with no top, so the tension of the body
can be observed. Also, I am getting hit and my blocks are being held back, my stance is tested
by leg kicks and my breathing interrupted by stomach punches. My gut looks huge in this pic
but was in fact the most reliable muscle on my body that day.
We had to do 20 katas on the day, at least twice, a lot with one pass in Ura (spinning), 2 with no
gi top, and only 2 were new katas since the shodan grading. This took well over an hour!

Me & Con Nikolozakis, one of the first rounds of sparring, kickboxing rules. (5 rounds of this)
Thanks to Con & Russell for making this grading unforgettable!

Me & Russell Fraser sparring, karate rules. In the black belt grading, no black belts or those
going for black belt wear protective gear. Shodans only do 10 rounds of sparring, while
1st kyu going for shodan do the full 40, which takes about an hour. It is a long time to be hitting
and being hit, with no protective gear, so you need stamina and a good game plan. Of course,
your opponents are fresh black belts after about round 15 who wait in line...

At the conclusion of the grading. L-R, Barbara, Maria, Shihan George, Chrissie, Dazz.

I think I did okay in this grading, it seemed to involve a lot more techniques than the shodan
grading, but less fighting at the end. I didn't do too well in 2 areas, so they have to be retested.
I broke everything but the chop, so I am amazed at that because it is usually the easiest, maybe
I was complacent because I had been breaking roof tiles. I suffered in the stamina section prior
to the fighting, the usual cramps and dehydration. I advise anyone considering doing it to learn
off others, don't train alone, cover all areas, and get super fit for endurance.

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