March Grading Results

Grading March 2014 - After the Morning Session.

The last 18 months of quarterly gradings have followed a trend of ever increasing numbers as our group continues to grow and more people are ready to challenge their next rank.  At the grading on  Sunday 9th March, the numbers were once again high and this time a larger venue was used.  The main comment from Sensei Chris Denwood was that even though improvements always need to be made, the overall standard is steadily improving month after month.

The grading was split into a morning and afternoon sessions with those grading up to 8th Kyu (yellow belts) taking up the earlier session.  There were plenty of first time graders challenging provisional or full 9th Kyu red belts.  Josh Hernden was one of those as his mum, Dorothy,  watched for the first time:  I asked her for her thoughts:

I wasn't sure what to expect when I took my son to his first grading. As a typical 15  year old, Josh is very non committal and 'chilled' about most things although I did observe some serious practice in the days before.

I was surprised upon arriving as to how many students there were at the morning session, mainly young but covering the whole age range. It's clearly not just something for the youngsters. I was also surprised to hear my son declare that he was nervous.  It just shows how seriously he was taking the grading and this was very evident in all of the students.

They all focused in their prep-lesson, seeming to take on board the improvements suggested. There was silence and focus throughout the grading, both from the students and the parents there to support, showing respect to all.

Finally it was great to see so many members pass!  Although they had all been put forward as ready to grade they had all wanted to do their best yet still doubted themselves, so it was a relief that there were many smiling faces  afterwards.

The afternoon session for those grading to 7th Kyu (orange belt) and above once again brought with it a tense atmosphere, expected as the challenge becomes more demanding with increasing rank.  These gradings tend to be dominated by the performances of kata and the partner work (blocks, bunkai, pad-work and sparring).  From my own experience I know how demanding the 
partner work is and there is always an increased air of energy and expectation when this part of the grading begins.

Unlike the solo work such as kihon and kata, which can be trained at home, practice time for partner work is much more at a premium!  It also requires each pair to work well with each other and a key skill in karate is being able to 'read' your partner and adjusting your movements accordingly. This is even more difficult if a partner is allocated to you on the grading day, or a senior grade (Sempai) is asked to step in to assist.

Helping out at a grading can be a huge responsibility for the sempai and from my own experience on Sunday, it can be every bit as adrenaline inducing!  It's a good reminder to sempai how important it is to maintain all aspects of karate to the standard expected of their rank and not to just focus on the relatively small number of new techniques, combinations or kata required for their own level.

In this respect, I think that fellow 5th Kyu Kelvin McDonald deserves a mention for stepping in to help out at very short notice to partner some kohai during the morning session, in addition to those he'd already planned to help in the afternoon session.  I'd recommend that all sempai should help out at a grading now and then - It really does focus the mind and help to further embed earlier training.

Congratulations to all who graded on Sunday and especially to Luke Watson, who came away with a first class pass, an award reserved only for exceptional performances!

Dave F

---

To provisional 9th Kyu (Red Stripe):

• Ewan Hawkrigg
• Adam James
• Blayne Moorhouse

To provisional 8th Kyu (Yellow Stripe):

• Thomas Burns
• Joshua Crowe
• Kyle Dunstan
• Alicia Graham
• Kieran McDowell
• Toby Patton
• Conner Pearson
• William Scott
• Callum Wilson

To 8th Kyu (Yellow Belt):

• Keenan Carrick
• Finlay Evans
• Owen Hughes
• Harvey Hurst
• Oliver Jarvis
• Natasha McDonald
• Kieran Scott
• Luke Watson (First Class Pass)
• David Southward

To 6th Kyu (Green Belt):

• Daniel Laurie
• Rowan Morgan
• Garet Mair
• Dean Cruden

To 4th Kyu (Purple Belt):

• Sophie Cullen

To 9th Kyu (Red Belt):

• Polly Bragg
• Jasmine Bragg
• Kyra Adams
• Cameron Bain
• Emilia Gemska
• Owain Graham
• Zoe Hawkrigg
• Rhys Lamb
• Matthew Lister
• Ethan Musgrave
• Ben Pierce
• Jack Southward
• Oliver Whillock
• Josh Hernden
• Emma Nicholls
• Matthew Scott

To Provisional 7th Kyu (Orange Stripe):

• Charlie Ashford
• Jamie Coid

To 7th Kyu (Orange Belt):

• Millie Ashford
• Teigan Johnstone
• Bradley Denwood
• David Jones

To 5th Kyu (Blue Belt):

• Sarah Hobbs
• Dominic Mills
• Rhiana Myerscough