Just a question... what do you think?

[nalogg]

This is not a question about grading itself but.....

We have a grading coming up on sunday morning.

Now there's 2 brothers from my dojo that i'm sorta friends with. They've been practicing for longer than I have. they're about 18 or 19 years old.

I know them on a first name basis, i practice with them and joke around, but i dont have their email or phone numbers or anything...

In september the older brother went to university. since he drives himself (obviously) and the younger brother to kendo, in the past few months their attendance has been sporadic, basically they just come when they can.

The last time they were here, we didn't have a firm date for the grading. So I'm preeeeetty sure that they don't know the grading is this sunday.

They're both really strong kendoka, and pretty skilled from what I can tell.
They've been practicing unranked for longer than me, and the older brother just bought his bogu, while the other one practices using a club do, tare, and kote.

Now my question is should i go and ask my sensei to let them know?
will that look bad on me? too nosy?
I'm just worried about them coming back to find out a grading has taken place, and it might discourage them from coming back....

this is the email i was planning on sending my sensei:


Hi Cruise Sensei,

I was thinking about the upcoming grading, and a couple of fellow non-ranked players who may need to be informed about the grading.
They're the brothers named XXXX and ZZZZZ.

Since XXXXX is now at university, and he usually drives ZZZZZ, they haven't been to a practice in about a month or so, and the last time they came, we didn't have a firm date for the grading. I don't think they know that it is this upcoming Sunday. I believe they would be interested in testing.

Forgive me if it's too presumptuous, and I would've informed them myself if I knew their email or phone numbers.
If it's not too much trouble, when you get a free moment do you think you could email or phone them and leave a message perhaps?
(I'm sorry that I don't know their last names, but perhaps you have it on file.)

I do realize that it's their choice to come to practice, and it's probably their fault if they miss the grading, but I know that they still practice outside the dojo, and XXXX has just recently bought his bogu. I'd just like to help them out if I can.

It might be sad to see them return soon to find out that a grading took place in their absence, seeing as they've been practicing unranked for a while now.

In any case, I'm really looking forward to the grading!

Thanks for your time Sensei, and take care.

-Norman Galloway
what do you think? what would you do?
It's kinda not my business, but it kinda is because they're sorta my friends.
is my sensei going to think i'm a nosy-ass moron?
BAH what should i do?

[not-I]

i think you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

There's nothing nosy about wanting to help out your fellow kendoka. On the contrary, it would probably reflect well, rather than ill, on you.

Only thing is, grading without having practiced consistently for a month or two prior is probably unwise, as is grading after just getting into bogu. Your buddies would probably be better served by testing next time, especially if they are able to attend practice regularly again.

Other thing: i wouldn't ask your sensei to notify them. Just ask for their contact info so that you can inform them yourself.

In any case, this kind of situation can be avoided if your dojo has an occassional mass e-mail going out with news and coming events -- something you could humbly suggest or even volunteer to help out with.

[nalogg]

i think you're making a mountain out of a molehill.I know I am, but if i were in the same position i'd want somebody to tell me i guess :)

Only thing is, grading without having practiced consistently for a month or two prior is probably unwise, as is grading after just getting into bogu. Your buddies would probably be better served by testing next time, especially if they are able to attend practice regularly again.
this is our first grading, they know the techniques pretty well....
the last practice, they went through the "mock testing" with us all.. and from what i hear this test is impossible to fail unless you choose not to bow/sonkyu/don't kiai

Other thing: i wouldn't ask your sensei to notify them. Just ask for their contact info so that you can inform them yourself.hmm another good idea, but then I was thinking that they'd think, "why is this dude asking sensei for our phone numbers....? what a weirdo!" whereas if sensei did it it would just seem like, a friendly notification from the sensei which (for all they know) he could be giving to all the unranked players.

In any case, this kind of situation can be avoided if your dojo has an occassional mass e-mail going out with news and coming events -- something you could humbly suggest or even volunteer to help out with.that's a good idea, i'll mention that to him when i see him again. with no offense to our dojo's webmaster, the etobicoke kendo site gets updated very rarely.

Upon thinking about this over lunch i've decided that i won't send the email....
better to not say anything than to look like a kendo brown-nose

[don quixote]

Dude, why not? Are you not on speaking terms with your sensei? :confused2

Anyhow, if you don't want to bother sensei about it, is there noone else who could get hold of them? Surely sensei is not the only one in your dojo who knows these people... I'd have thought most dojos had one or two people with a special responsibility for keeping track of the beginners and keeping them informed. Should have, anyway...

[kuzu70]

I think it is alright to tell your brothers. It is up to your sensei if he/she will allow your brothers to test though.

[Mikeyprime]

Cruise sensei. That is pretty sweet that Tom Cruise is your sensei. He has really come a long way since last samurai. Im teasing, i could not resist.

[Pan-Chan]

After you obtain the contact information, just give them a call, or send an email informing them to the testing date.

I seriously doubt they would be weirded out by that, especially if you had been practicing with them often.

[Martino]

If your chasing your friends up, after asking your sensei for their contact details. all well and good.
If you want your sensei to chase the up. Not such a good idea.

(I am assuming they will still need to aproach your sensei for permission to grade (either through you or directly))

[Banza Joe]

Good on you for thinking of them.
I think you are worrying more than you need to though. Your freinds may not expect to grade due to their sporadic training efforts, nonetheless it would be courteous and helpful to let them know the date.
I don't see anything wrong with emailing your sensei, but as mentioned ask him for their contact details so you can do it yourself.

Your efforts show a great willingness to cooperate and help your fellow kendoka, this in itself shows good spirit.

Be proud, not embarrassed.

[nalogg]

I think it is alright to tell your brothers. It is up to your sensei if he/she will allow your brothers to test though.
oh, just to clarify, they're not my brothers... they're eachother's brothers (i don't even know their last name)

i guess they're my "brothers in kendo" but that would be pretty sad if i didn't have my brothers' contact information and i needed my sensei to give them a message HAHA

[nalogg]

Cruise sensei. That is pretty sweet that Tom Cruise is your sensei. He has really come a long way since last samurai. Im teasing, i could not resist.
HAHAHAHA oh MAN, he'd rapid-fire tsuki your crotch so fast that you'd evaporate, if he heard that!

don't worry i won't tell him (for fear of him taking it out on the messenger)

[nalogg]

If your chasing your friends up, after asking your sensei for their contact details. all well and good.
If you want your sensei to chase them up. Not such a good idea.

(I am assuming they will still need to aproach your sensei for permission to grade (either through you or directly))I hear ya... but it's a matter of 3 choices really
1) ask sensei to contact them, possibly pissing off sensei and me possibly looking like a nosy dork
2) ask sensei to give me their info... something he may not be allowed to do, and which may look weird on ME to both the sensei, and these 2 friends of mine who i've never called before
3) wait til grading and see if they show up

I don't think we need permission to grade.. for the past week they've been asking us "who is going to get tested?" rather than allowing us.
Luckily we don't have any uber-ambitious kendoka who would choose to test without being ready... and if they decide to, and do poorly, they'll still just be ranked like 8th or 7th kyu i think. Like I said, someone was telling me that this test is impossible to "fail" unless you drop your shinai/fail to bow etc... it's more of a "what rank should you be" kinda test.


Good on you for thinking of them.
I think you are worrying more than you need to though. Your freinds may not expect to grade due to their sporadic training efforts.good point, but since they have decided to train in bogu (which the instructors were okay with because they let the younger one use borrowed bogu) and partake in keiko with the big boys i'm guessing they would indeed consider themselves ready to grade.

Your efforts show a great willingness to cooperate and help your fellow kendoka, this in itself shows good spirit.
Be proud, not embarrassed.

i suppose it does, but it's really just because these two guys are my friends, whereas i'm indifferent when it comes to some of the other beginners
haha i'm horrible!

[nalogg]

thanks to everybody for your replies, but i don't think i'll persue this

I figure if they miss this grading these guys will be able to test at a later time at the JCCC or UTM dojos.. after all they pay their CKF membership fees. and nobody is mean enough to exclude these guys from keiko just because they miss it.

I'm just making a mountain of a mole-hill
word!

[nalogg]

As it turns out almost everybody showed up to the grading, i think sensei was already aware of who he had to notify... either that, or they took it upon themselves to find out when the grading was.

The younger brother got 3rd kyu with me and "koma" and the older brother did an awesome job, and got 2nd kyu

word