Next Time

Well Lauren and I did not make Nidan, however we did pick up some excellent points for the next promotion. After the keiko part of the exam the judges pulled everyone over (everyone testing on that court, shodan and up) and explained what they felt they saw and what they felt they didn’t see.

Starting “kind of” at nidan and going up from there, the judges said they want to see more then just men strikes. They want to see strikes with technique, this means strikes with such waza as harai waza, suriage waza, and nuki waza. They also want to see a lot of aggression. Furthermore, if they feel they see complete misses (that is the shinai makes absolutely no contact with the opponent) they mark down for that.

All in all I think the Annapolis Kendo and Iaido Club is in good shape, as we have a somewhat clear idea on what we need to do in-between now and the next test. Everyone is back in Maryland now and ready to work hard for the next promotion.