Grading to 4th Kyu?! (and how it went)

 It's raining.

And well, so is the pressure of being on time for grading. We are currently racing through the Johnsonville Shopping Centre, scouring the area for a quick bite to eat before the senseis yell our heads off. 

"WHAT ABOUT THE SUSHI STORE?" I yell in capitals.

"LET'S GO THEN!" Mum yells back and we sprint off to it.

There's a whole lot of Japanese food to choose from in the small shop. I grab a tong and I contemplate at the options. "JUST CHOOSE QUICKLY, IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Mum screams. I do exactly that and we pay the bill, miliseconds later before going outside the exit, across the road, and joining the line outside Johnsonville Prime (yes, that is how close the mall is to our dojo). 

15:15.

Not bad.

Here's the thing. It's not easy to get a red belt when you're a blue belt. You need to get assessed when you turn blue in order to get to red, and if you don't pass, you have to go to assessments until you pass and get a form to get graded. If you do pass, you go to grading. Saves you the trouble of redoing assessments all over again. 

My family and I took an assessment for the first time, and of course it was terrifying. The thought of senseis staring into your soul and having to compose yourself but not making it obvious. It's challenging.

The assessment went well, but we didn't pass. And my parents took the news hard. So when we took the second assessment and passed it, they were the happiest people in the world. 

So now we're here, super terrified about what's gonna come our way. 

After 10 minutes, the line is finally moving. More people has gathered behind us, also terrified. 

Ninang and Mum are both holding grading forms, the key to get our red belt. Meanwhile I'm having a mini panic attack. Actually, correction: a HUMONGUS panic attack. I'm inches away from entering. This is making my panic attack even worse.

Our sensei is chatting with other instructors, with a usually large smile on his face. My expression is far from smiling. 

We sign in for grading and hand in the forms. Gosh I haven't been here in a while, I think to myself.

5 more minutes. Let the games begin.

  Me at the grading:

(yes this is a squid game reference)

*

It has sadly been 5 minutes. Everyone makes their way to the mat (where we're gonna do grading) and forms 3 lines. I feel a bit cold, but going to a grading before, I know that I won't feel like this for any longer. It will definitely get stuffy in here, since there are what, like the whole world population in here?! 

Senseis are lined up in front of us, making this even more intimidating. Not helping. But I think to myself, if I have a positive attitude, maybe, just maybe, things will go well... 

Right?

Before I know it, we're on our calves in a sitting position and bowing then...

The grading has officially started. 

45 minutes into the grading...

After a series of punches and kicks, my face is BURNING. As in red as a tomato.

And my legs are in a paralysed state. Like, I am so exhausted that right now, I could just collapse into the floor. I really wish I could do that but I can't. I'm still in the grading. My family and I haven't even got our red belts yet, so we have to keep going.

Though I know one thing's for sure. It'll be so worth it in the end.

Just about 45 more minutes till I-

"Heels together, bow, and grab a drink break!" A sensei yells a command. I would gladly drink anything right now, I mentally decide.

I discreetly sneak past the orange belts who are being graded on the left side of the line, then swiftly grab my water, take a small refreshing sip, and head back.

Once everyone has drank their water, we are back in our original lines. The sensei announces that now we're gonna do kicks. AKA one of my weakest area of karate. 

"In kiba dachi (a stance), do sidekicks." Sensei says. I have been dreading this moment where I have to do sidekick. It's not really my strong suit. My sidekick off my right leg is just fine, but my left leg is a whole different story.

They count in Japanese and it's almost as if they're counting how many numbers it takes for me to pass out mid-grading. 

But, after a few sidekicks later, we're done and over with kicks. Phew. I sigh in relief. 

After kata (a series of movements for specific grades), an eternity later

"Blue belts, bow." We do so. "Sit by the side." Everyone erupts into applause, and... I'm done with the hard part. YES. Only 30 more minutes. All I need to do is...

SPARRING?!

Oh no.

That is my weakest skill.

What am I supposed to do???

* 

I've put on all my kumite (sparring) gear. 

Just to let you know, sparring is when you fight someone but with "no contact". Or at least that's what the senseis claim. But if there's one thing about sparring, it's that there is a lot of physical contact. 

We form two lines that in a way that the two lines are facing each other. My opponent, a blue belt just like I am, is eyeing me nervously. I do the same. 

I really don't wanna do this.

"Hajime (begin)." A sensei says and I move forward.

So those my opponent.

And we spar.

 

Everyone of us do at least 5 rotations with different partners, and when I'm done with sparring, I'm drenched in sweat. At this point, everyone is.

And now I'm done. With grading.

Now all I have to do is find out whether I've passed or not.

*

Everyone is on the ground, crosslegged. We are all waiting expectantly to get our new belts. I really hope I get a red belt. I really hope my family will.

Sensei Nolan, the head sensei speaks on behalf of all the senseis. "Congratulations for making through this grading. You guys really pushed through, and this is the biggest grading yet. We will give out the belts."

This is the moment we have all been waiting for. To actually give out the red belts. They give it out the new coloured belts by grading order, orange belts, green belts, blue belts, and eventually red belts. 

"Rachelle Danganan." Mum bows and kiais (shout "hai!") and darts off to the front. 

"Sophia Danganan." I do the same and race through the dojo to the front of my sensei.

"Yasmin Zakaria." Ninang breaks into a run.

"Heels together, bow, yoi. Congratulations on your new belt!" Sensei Nolan claps and everyone claps as well.

I look at my family, super accomplished. 

We've made it so far. I can't believe this. It feels so...

Surreal.

BONUS MATERIAL!

At 17 July, our founding & chief instructor Kancho Robert Sullivan came to visit us in Upper Hutt College in NZ after a year! He visited us back in 2024, around the same timing this year. We attended the Kancho Sullivan Seminar, and he taught us (as in more than a hundred of us) basic kihon (the fundamentals) of different strikes and blocks in combinations. It might have not been that tiring, but I learnt a lot.

Here are some facts about him:

~ Kancho Sullivan is an 8th dan Black Belt in GKR Karate International (the third highest rank in karate!!) and if you think it's not high, it is estimated that people who have the highest attainable rank (10th dan) are only 10-20 IN THE WORLD. So 8th dan is considered very high. 

~ He holds an honorary rank of 9th dan by Martial Arts Australia and International Martial Arts Coaching Council. The grading of getting his black belt was awarded by 6 masters from the associations I've just mentioned just now.

~ According to the QNA, he was born in October 28 1947 (around there) and started his karate journey at the age of 17. 

~ He has more than 60 years of karate experience

~ After 20 years of training in karate, he started a karate club (GKR)

We even got some photos with him. 

THANKS FOR READING!!!