Help Urgently Needed - Heat Exhaustion!!!

[Tort-Speed]

That's a lotta ¥! Let us know how you make out.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Bail out at the first sign of trouble, don't be foolish. At this point your kendo is what it is, not a lot you can do to change it in a short time so don't risk your health. I'm sure you will be fine for the exam so long as you stay healthy.

[b8amack]

I'm with Neil. If you're having heat exhaustion, you should be toning it down. People die from heat exhaustion, and most of those aren't wearing the personal saunas we call bogu. Even aside from the huge neon warning sign you just described, doing a kendo training marathon before a dan grading is a good way to pick up a minor or major injury that could force you to wait another six months to take the test again.

Work on your kata.

[Lloromannic]

As others have mentioned. Your shinsa is going to be one of the least physically exhausting and in fact, going at it like it is kendo bootcamp is what the panel is not looking for. Stay safe and chilled (literally!).

[neanderthal]

thanks everyone for your support - tonight is my last team practice and im opting out of the warm up exercises and just going in for kirikaishi and shiai geiko and kata practice at the end. missing out on the stuff which will eat up my energy. from tomorrow its boot camp for 3 days then the actual shinsa. every teacher has advised just go to kata and miss the keiko. i want to do it all. but what i will do on the first day is show the main teachers that i know it all 99%. then if they feel comfortable to let me lurk then it should be ok. the 6000 yen is nothing - a box of sports drinks, new taping, bentos and all sorts of other crap for every eventuality. im the type of person who needs all his bases covered for any eventuality.
anyway its going to be an experience as i dont remember my shodan being so hot. also my diabetes dr. said that one of the meds may trigger heat exhaustion.
ive got an idea of whats ahead and expecting the worst - so whatever comes im prepared. im just going to enjoy it pass or fail. although if i fail i will be gutted but it will be justified.
im going to be sneaky and lurk!!! thats my plan. the actual shinsa will take up a total of 10 minutes max for all 4 parts. so im saving myself for then. i need to be clear headed for then!!!

[neanderthal]

Bail out at the first sign of trouble, don't be foolish. At this point your kendo is what it is, not a lot you can do to change it in a short time so don't risk your health. I'm sure you will be fine for the exam so long as you stay healthy.

im feeling along the same lines. if my very experienced teachers are saying that everthing is already ok there is no need to play with fire. but i feel that if i dont show the judges in advance that everything is in order they may take a view of who is this guy come shinsa judging time. so just a little of everything as an example also to get a balanced feeling with my kata partner ( so that end goes smoothly ) and all is good in my opinion.

[Neil Gendzwill]

You are way over-thinking this one. They will evaluate you on the day. If your sensei say that you are ready, trust them. The best thing you can do is take care of your health and try to be well-rested and relaxed on exam day. All the development work should have already been done by now. Spend more time tuning up your kata if you must do something to prepare.

[neanderthal]

You are way over-thinking this one. They will evaluate you on the day. If your sensei say that you are ready, trust them. The best thing you can do is take care of your health and try to be well-rested and relaxed on exam day. All the development work should have already been done by now. Spend more time tuning up your kata if you must do something to prepare.

you are right!!! its just my persoality type. ive been told its "majimei sugi" - i literally take things way too seriousy. its 2 dan!!! from what ive seen its pay and you pass. but ive been aiming at a level high to have real confidence.

in my shodan i got singled out infront of everyone - must have been 2000 eyes on me - for my kata. i hadnt taken it seriously and thought on the day i could choose which side i was. my gambled failed and i half arsed my way through it. so this time 5 years on as i have personally felt i wasnt up to par, i have worked hard on every aspect. but still know a judge or any kendo player can pick out any single mistake which we all make and fail me on that.

i know 2 dan wont change anything - i will still love my practices - but afer 5 years of physical and mental obstacles its a goal ive aimed for and now im primed for it too.

i appreciated your on going support and advice. its all taken on board. i just have to mentally slow it down!!!