Grading outside home country

[IRJ]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to kendo and haven't graded yet. Problem is, I might be going to Australia for university before my first grading, for ikkyu. They have the 6-kyu to 1-kyu grading system whereas Canada has only 1-kyu and above.

Can I just apply to test for 1-kyu in Australia as my first grading, since I'm a CKF member?

[aru-ma]

I'm sorry but as far as I know I don't think you can do that, you can only do 1kyu grading when you have proof that you're a 2kyu and plus 1kyu gradings here are quite challenging (well at least in Victoria it is) and 1kyu here is considered a somewhat high grade. but by the time you finish your University here you might get your 1kyu then.

On that note which university are you planning to go to?

[AlexM]

When did you start IRJ?

If it was yesterday you're screwed. However, if you've got about 3 to 5 months of kendo in you then maybe you should consider pleading (in a delicate fashion) with whoever is in charge of your club to grade you and at least get you to 4th or 3rd kyu before leaving for Australia. In Canada everything below ikkyu is dojo responsibility, so you can make nikyu (nikkyu?) after your first internal grading (thus the reason for delicate prodding).

My understanding of the Australian system is that you have to wait the minimum 6 months (for the grading) between each kyu level, which makes getting to shodan (and thus out of the "beginner" category in most Canadian tournaments) a lengthy process.

However, no dojo in Canada I know off actually gives a certificate at any kyu level. So they may not recognize your dojo's "grading".

Is this underhanded? Yes it is. Of course, maybe you want to do it the hard way, which is admirable (I, on the other hand, am notoriously lazy and will no doubt be flammed mercilessly for the fraud I am advocating).

[IRJ]

Aruma, I'm going to either UNSW or Sydney Uni, haven't decided yet. Btw, any opinion on which is better? I'm doing my Masters in Commerce.

AlexM, I started in March and apparently the first internal grading is coming this June, where all of the beginners are supposed to be tested. So after that, I have no idea what kyu rank I would be, I guess I'll ask at practice tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I probably won't be here in January of 2004, which would be the earliest opportunity to test for ikkyu officially before I go to university that March.

[aru-ma]

just to confirm AlexM, yeah 6 months in between grading but that's in victoria, dont know about NSW though, you could ask your club to have a written conformation on what kyu you're at in Canada and later show it here before th grading, but I dont think that'll work though.

as for between UNSW or sydney uni, not quite sure, they're both seem pretty good (academicaly) I've trained in UNSW kendo club about 2 years ago and it was pretty good. I'm actually living in melbourne, Victoria so I dont notice things from up north.

[KhawMengLee]

Yo! Aruma, do you know Mr Julius Hartono from Indonesia?

[IRJ]

I'm thinking now that I might just fly to Hong Kong and test there in January for first dan and see what happens, because I really don't want to start at 6kyu in Australia.

I would probably only be able to get to about 3kyu or 2kyu within the two years I'll be there. And then when I go back to Canada, most of the people I started with would probably be shodan or nidan already.

[KhawMengLee]

Its your kendo not the grade that counts. Don't worry, train hard and you will be this killer sankyu destroying shodan's and nidan's;)

[qpuppy]

yep.. we have one in my club... he is only a 4kyu but can beat the crap out of many shodan and even some nidan kendo kas... one thing i find in Australia grading system is ... it's not the grade that is important... it's the way you achieve you goals in kendo.

Aruma... the grading system is all the same throughout Australia... it's part of the AKR rules.... so it's not just in Australia.. but not sure about kumdo though... (well thats another story) :)

[aru-ma]

Meng-julius hartono? nope never heard who's he?

qpuppy, do they do it on the same months as w edo?

[KhawMengLee]

One of the Indonesian Kendo fed's board member. Had the pleasure of doing keiko with him last year.

[qpuppy]

no i dont think so... get.. NSW.. we have grading in Sept.. they have it during Oct or Nov...
i think it was that time.. i know it's not during the same months though..

[JSchmidt]

I'm not too convinced about that whole kyu-system. I did my nidan in Belgium and before us was the shodan gradings, with people from all over Europe. Many countries in Europe do the whole 6-1st kyu-6 months inbetween thing and yet, it was hard to see who had spent 2+ years getting there and who had spent 9 months.
I reckon that by using the kyu system, you are setting the target too low and hinder peoples progress as they're always aiming for that next (easy) grading, rather than aiming for a target with some more merit.
Then again, I got my nidan in 2.5 years, so I would be biased :p

Jakob