1st Grading - Key points and tips?

[Aijin'sNeko]

Not sure when I will go for my first grading, I'm pretty confident with kata, but we dont practice the new style kata unless theres a grading coming up so I forget alot of that ;P and my Kiri Kaiesh has its good and bad days

I was jsut wondering what are teh key things you need to do well in your first grading, so I can practice on them alot more than just last minet preperation

Any advice at all would be really helpfull

Thank you

[goh]

big movements
ki ken tai
also pay attention to your appearance(hakama nice and tidy,gi dont get slacked on the back,bogu himo dosent get crossed and twissted and the knots are even)if your appearance isnt good then your kendo wont be good(atleast thats what they say)and for your rei correct(back and head straight,gaze correct and shinai at the right place)
thats not nearly the begining of it,but im dead tired so youll have to excuse me.

[Valhalla_Knight]

Well...
No need to hurry in Kirikaeshi.
Do it fast but make zanshin.
Also on kirikaeshi the first Men and last men are the most important.
Do´em nice and with good kiai.

Keiko.
You must hit at least a men and a kote.
Don´t worry about do or tsuki
Don´t worry about waza
And do it straight-forward

Kendo Kata
You said it was ok, so I won´t mention it

[Pan-Chan]

What are you testing for?

Different ranks require you to preform different skills. I'm not sure how long you been practicing kendo, but if it is your first grading I am thinking you won't go any higher than ikkyu, since you need to be ikkyu before going on to shodan from what I've heard. Also, unless you are going for shodan or above, kata won't be required. My dojo asked the students to preform kata for the judges anyway, however; we weren't graded based on them though.

[Aijin'sNeko]

What are you testing for?

Different ranks require you to preform different skills. I'm not sure how long you been practicing kendo, but if it is your first grading I am thinking you won't go any higher than ikkyu, since you need to be ikkyu before going on to shodan from what I've heard. Also, unless you are going for shodan or above, kata won't be required. My dojo asked the students to preform kata for the judges anyway, however; we weren't graded based on them though.

i dont pay attention to the names since it wasnt me going for gradings last time sensie was talking to those taking part, but yes it would be my first, i am surprised though that kata isnt required, is that the same here in the UK? since its almost the first thing you learned i would have thought it essential

[goh]

pan-chan,diffrent dojo's and federations have diffrent requirments,so if in your dojo katas arent required to pass a test it dosent mean that it will be like that in the next dojo.
for any dan(on the recent seminar in italia 50% of the time went on katas) and kyu(in my tests kata were very important)in all of the gradings i saw kata's were required,just for your knowledge

[joekc6nlx]

I believe the AUSKF requires the first 3 kata for ikkyu.

Our federation (ECUSKF) requires 2 kirikaeshi, 2 jigeiko, and the 3 kata for ikkyu. The requirements for nikyu and below are the same, without the kata. Grade is determined by the panel of judges based on the quality of the performance of the testee.

It is not unheard of for a testee to go from mukyu (no grade) to ikkyu in one test session. If the testee is proficient in the kata, shows good zanshin, and performs kirikaeshi with spirit and drive, then it's usually a wash. In the case I saw, the testee has been studying kendo for over a year before testing, so it was a good idea for him to try for ikkyu. He did very well and the panel had no difficulty in awarding him ikkyu.

Your federation may not have the same requirements for 2-kyu and below, but 1-kyu is governed by the AUSKF.

[Aijin'sNeko]

aah so enquire about the requirments first, thanks for this, i thought they would all be the same

[misterkurukuru]

dont suck

[Taisaburo]

How long have you been praticing?

[Kendoka]

Not sure when I will go for my first grading, I'm pretty confident with kata, but we dont practice the new style kata unless theres a grading coming up so I forget alot of that ;P and my Kiri Kaiesh has its good and bad days

I was jsut wondering what are teh key things you need to do well in your first grading, so I can practice on them alot more than just last minet preperation

Any advice at all would be really helpfull

Thank you

There is no new style kata, you may be thinking of basic cutting practice with boku-toh, that many think of as kata. That wont be examined.

[Aijin'sNeko]

There is no new style kata, you may be thinking of basic cutting practice with boku-toh, that many think of as kata. That wont be examined.

i think it was Nihon Kata i was thinking of then

How long have you been praticing?

um maybe 5 months or so now, starting at another dojo where the girlfriend goes soon aswell now, so ill be going twice a week

[Taisaburo]

Well, for five month's, i would say: Good fighting spirit, a willingness to hit, and be hit. And also, nice big ol' men's... maybe one Kote. Although, even one is frowned upon. Remeber everyone does testing different (I'm from the U.S.A). So, take my advice with a grain of salt.

You should actually be asking your Sensei this...

[Aijin'sNeko]

Well, for five month's, i would say: Good fighting spirit, a willingness to hit, and be hit. And also, nice big ol' men's... maybe one Kote. Although, even one is frowned upon. Remeber everyone does testing different (I'm from the U.S.A). So, take my advice with a grain of salt.

You should actually be asking your Sensei this...

Yeah lately i dont care who i fight, grown alot more confident after this seminar i went to, even if the person kicks my ass, ill still learn stuff.

I will ask him next lesson i think, but thank you all the same!