great leap!

[steelkendo]

Hello,

Last week I've met a guy from California. We were discussing grading and he said that he got 3rd kyu after his beginners course and subsequently got an ikkyu within 8 months. I thought he was pretty impressive! Has that really happened over there? What were your grades after your beginners course so far?

[Anime12478]

Grades 6th kyu - nikyu are not officialy recognized by the AUSKF. These can still be given out by each individual dojo if they feel like doing that to have some internal or external kind of progress. Some dojos don't bother with this process and go straight to ikkyu when they take the first official exam.

[yoda-waza]

Grades 6th kyu - nikyu are not officialy recognized by the AUSKF. These can still be given out by each individual dojo if they feel like doing that to have some internal or external kind of progress. Some dojos don't bother with this process and go straight to ikkyu when they take the first official exam.

That explains why I witness sucky kendo ability among some newcomers. Don't be impressed with kyu grades "earned" in a short period. If you don't have your basic skills down pat, the lack will show in subsequent shinsa and in tournament competitions. Kendo does not have a short-course.

[Genya]

I´m really amazed about how quickly some people get kyu grades. Maybe they just have good teachers...

It took me 1 year to get gokyu and another year for yonkyu.

[Pan-Chan]

I've been in training for about 4.5 years now and just got ikkyu. Granted there were some factors like having to stop practice for a few monthes at a time, but I don't think it made much of a difference.

[ahmed61086]

It took me 1 year and 5 months to get 2nd Keup, which I think is equivalent to 2nd Kyu. I never realy took too long of a break, but I went about 8 months without doing Shinsa. All in all, its for the better, because I wouldnt want to be a Half-ass shodan.

[steelkendo]

But how about after a beginners course of say 3 ,4 or 6 months? depending on dojo format. How far can a total beginner achieve?

[Genya]

But how about after a beginners course of say 3 ,4 or 6 months? depending on dojo format. How far can a total beginner achieve?

Normally after beginners course you grade 6th kyu. It should take about 3-4 months. Some get it faster, some slower.

We don´t have a sensei at our dojo, not many finnish dojos have. Those who have a chance to train with higher dans at every practice become good very fast.

[mark]

In Canada, ikyu is the first level given by our national federation (CKF). The exam is given by a panel of 5 judges, 5th dan and above and frequently has nanadan and hachidan judges (always?). They judge whether candidates are ikyu level. It is not unusual to have candidates who have been practicing for less that two years pass their ikyu.

In Japan, I believe that adults frequently pass their shodan exam within a year or two of starting kendo.

I find that it is important not to confuse calendar time, with capability.

If your federation believes it will take you 1, 2, 5 or even 10 years for someone to be ready for ikyu, so be it - that is the time it takes.

That is their job, mine is to train as hard as I can.

[rainmaker]

ummm.. You are telling me California Kendo sucks ??

That explains why I witness sucky kendo ability among some newcomers. Don't be impressed with kyu grades "earned" in a short period. If you don't have your basic skills down pat, the lack will show in subsequent shinsa and in tournament competitions. Kendo does not have a short-course.

[mark]

ummm.. You are telling me California Kendo sucks ??

I was also surprised by yoda-waza's comments. California has a reputation of producing great kendoka including several members of your national team. They must be doing something right

Yoda, are you watching ikyu and comparing them with shodan, or are you comparing them to yourself as an ikyu way back, when you say they suck Perhaps the same way that a sandan could look at a shodan.... or a hanchi hachidan at a nanadan....

I guess it is all a matter of perspective

[h2o]

It took me 1 year to get gokyu and another year for yonkyu.

But are those standard times in Finland, or were you just not grading?

Here we grade beginners to yonkyu after their first beginners' course (~4 months of training) and those who train regularly usually pass sankyu after another 4 months (a semester).

[mark]

But are those standard times in Finland, or were you just not grading?

Here we grade beginners to yonkyu after their first beginners' course (~4 months of training) and those who train regularly usually pass sankyu after another 4 months (a semester).

That sounds a lot closer to the way I've seen adults progress in Canada. However, with children I've seen it stretched out quite a bit (several years) by adding the intermediate grades in order to give them time to mature.

[h2o]

That sounds a lot closer to the way I've seen adults progress in Canada. However, with children I've seen it stretched out quite a bit (several years) by adding the intermediate grades in order to give them time to mature.

We don't have practice for children in our club, but I think the clubs in Sweden that do let them start grading at 6 kyu. Not sure how they progress over time though. If we are lucky someone from the larger swedish clubs might enlighten us.

[Genya]

But are those standard times in Finland, or were you just not grading?

Here we grade beginners to yonkyu after their first beginners' course (~4 months of training) and those who train regularly usually pass sankyu after another 4 months (a semester).

I guess that standard here is one grade every 6 months, could be less. During my first year I was really lazy about going to the camps.
After my teacher stopped doing kendo, I had to go to every possible camp to learn new stuff that I could pass on to new beginners.