- I feel I have a good handle on the kata. There isn't an issue with knowing what to do. But I could use a little more practice with nanahonme. My main fear is falling over myself if I am stuck with the shidachi position as evidenced with practice a few weeks ago. The floor was very slippery, but you never know. Better safe than sorry.
- I need to put more thought into my fighting. During general practice, it's pretty simple to achieve as the stress levels are much lower and different compared to a shiai or shinsa. So I really need to get to the point of being able to look for openings and respond to attacks to the point where I am constantly in control of myself and the fight. Various people have told me this, so I know this is probably something they will really be looking for when it's my turn to go.
- While I need to work on being more calm, I also feel I should have a better handle of balancing that with aggressiveness. I can't just stand there and wait for the person to attack me, I need to actively try to make them attack and even launch one or two of my own attacks once I see something. I also need to be able to move forward to make sure I get the hit, but make it difficult for the other person to hit as well. Of course, I can't really be too aggressive to the point where I'm just attacking and hoping that I can hit something. I've been dinged for that many times before so I should know all too well about that.
Showing posts with label shinsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shinsa. Show all posts
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Countdown to Nidan Exam
I have sent in my shinsa application, so now everything is set for me to take the nidan exam in a few weeks. I had been thinking about this moment for the past year since I got my shodan, and doing what I could to make sure I was ready for it once the day finally arrived. If I were taking this test tomorrow, I'm honestly not too sure how well I'd do. On one hand, I feel like I've got a handle on the copious amounts of advice I have been given for the past year. But, on the other hand, putting them into practice is a different thing while under various amounts and types of stress. In the end, I think that, as long as I can keep my mind calm, I would be able to give my best performance to show that I am ready for the next rank. But, as with anything in life, my best could always be better. The following is a short rundown of the major things I feel I need to work on.