I just trained and had a match with a 7 dan!

[neanderthal]

I just trained and had a match with a 7 dan!

Oh my god he was good.

his teaching was excellent and very clear and the match he was soooo on form.

I really got my ass kicked, but it was a real honor to be smashed about by a 7 dan sensei.

He even gave me a tenugi to remember the experience. It says on it never lose. ( kinda impossible against him )

Is 7 dan a common level for teachers or is it really rare to come across one?

:ditsy:

[taganahan]

when you're outside of japan, it is quite hard to come across those 7th dans. here in canada and the US, i guess we're pretty fortunate to have some.

~taganahan

[MrChow]

Is 7 dan a common level for teachers or is it really rare to come across one?

I've never met or played against a 7th dan, here in Australia (especially in South Australia) we don't have heaps going around.

[subygal]

I have met a 7th dan - hes our sensei!

Yesterday he asked me if I was ok when I sat out for a bit - then said I just need more training - while delivering a men cut and just stopping short of the target with a smile on his face :eek:

[neanderthal]

the 7 dan sensei certainly had class.

excellent in everyway and when faced with him in a match i could see in his eyes that whatever i did wasnt going to be fast enough or skillful enough.

through that i learnt i need to practice practice practice. it may take 30 or 40 years if i can stay the distance but he was cetainly a man to admire for the skill he has.:eek:

[kendokamax]

That must have been a great experience for you.

To answer your question.......there is plently of 7th dan in Japan. Some are very good, some are a bit less good.

Even thought some people have an high grade, you should not be blinded just by their grade,and be a judge for yourself.

[xvikingx]

In Japan (I assume by your flag that is where you are located) there are plenty of 7 dan to train with, but that doesn't mean getting your 7 dan is cake. You will train with a lot of different people over time and some will impress you in different ways regardless of rank. It's nice when you can train with someone that makes you think "this is how I want to do kendo".

[neanderthal]

i wasnt aware of his level until after the training session, we had a mixed training session with teams from the local area.

at the end he presented me with a tenugi and said thanks for today, well after all the bowing etc and me thanking everyone first. anyway when i asked why he was giving a tenugi in a polite way, he said that he was a 7 dan and it had been an honor to have a match with me.

Believe me i am sooooo low on the scale that im insignificant at 3 kyu.

but i know of quite a few 6 dan but have never come across a 7 dan and now i realise that it was such an honor.

anyway yesterday was a great day, as are all days i have kendo practice.

If kendo was a drug id be injecting it everyday.:ko:

[Kenshi]

There are thousands of 7dans in Japan.

As viking says, dan isnt really important as the impression made and/or the desire if gives you to better yourself.

I dont know how old you are, but its also worth looking around at people of your own age as well to find out what you are expected to be doing (im assuming you are in Japan).


If kendo was a drug id be injecting it everyday.:ko:

After a while you need more and more just to keep any sort of high going....

[gir]

Back when I first got my 6th Kyu (2001/2) I got to train with Haga Sensei and 8 Hachidan's who visited. Imagine how it felt to be me and have that. I almost had a heart attack. Not something I'll soon forget

[neanderthal]

Back when I first got my 6th Kyu (2001/2) I got to train with Haga Sensei and 8 Hachidan's who visited. Imagine how it felt to be me and have that. I almost had a heart attack. Not something I'll soon forget


:smiley:

oh i know that feeling!

i often train with much younger kids and even they out skill me by 1000%.

but its a humble learning experience.

im there to exercise and sweat and sweat some more. somewhere inbetween sweating and getting knocked around i retain some of what they have tried to teach me.

some people get their kicks in a strange way. :eek:

but being at such a high level such as 7 dan and 8 dan, what motivates the senseis to teach bumbling idiots like myself time and time again.

thats really a true test of character, no matter how high up they get they are always happily there to teach and demonstrate and motivate. rinse and repeat several hundred times.

So what is it that keeps them going as i know it isnt the money as there isnt any there?

[JoDuncan]

I got a chance as a total newb to "fight" a 7th and 8th dan. It was funny because the only thing i heard the 8th dan say was "Hurry up" as he smacked me on the head as i okuri ashi-d so very slowly..
It was the only english i heard him speak. lol

7th dan was Ozawa Sensei
8th dan was Yamanaka Sensei

And they are very very very very good. Amazing in fact.

I was quite apprehensive at first partly because i though it would be a waste for them to "spar" with me when there were more experienced kendoka who would have benefitted from it... but here i am still doing kendo and i don't doubt that the experience was one of the things that has kept me going. Was an eye opener at just how much I can improve.

[LarsCW]

The highest I have practised against is 6th dan which is my sensei, van Hattum sensei he has this certain smoothness of moving that always intregued me eventhough he has a bad knee, he's an excelent teacher.

The first hachidan I have ever seen was Ijima sensei who has been visiting about yearly ever since our dojo was founded what my sensei told me.

The way he is he automaticly gets respect by his way of being. Don't ask me why or how he does it.

That was some amazing kendo I saw.

[Newbie]

I've never met or played against a 7th dan, here in Australia (especially in South Australia) we don't have heaps going around.

We had two visit early last year. Two women, one nanadan, one godan, from Cross Sensei's old dojo in Japan :)

[Kingofmyrrh]

We had two visit early last year. Two women, one nanadan, one godan, from Cross Sensei's old dojo in Japan :)

That must have been Yamaguchi sensei and..... Kodama san?

[Newbie]

To be honest i can't for the life of me remember their names but they were so nice! The older one, the nanadan made rings out of beads. They were beautiful and she gave one to all the girls. I was devastated when I lost mine in Perth last year.

[kurisu]

My dojo had a nice treat last night, we had the pleasure of hosting some visiting sensei from Japan and ended up getting to watch 6 nanadans jigeiko.