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May. 22nd, 2011
4th Dan - check!
May. 22nd, 2011 09:51 amI still can't believe it, but it's a done deal. I passed the 4th Dan exam in ju-jitsu last Friday. What a load off my chest.
It all started as usual, the students grading for 1st Dan (shodan) and 4th Dan (yondan) all assembled at the club, tense, wondering what their exam would look like. The sokeh told his assistant to give us some warm-up exercises, and then proceeded with testing the shodan guys. We were told to sit down and wait. And wait we did, for at least 40 minutes. Afterwards came the fun part. My partner and I had thought that we would be tested "by sections", or in other words: we would take turns in performing the same exercises. This way each one works and rests (if you can call falling and getting up again – rest) in an alternating pattern. What happened in reality was my partner was told to showcase the whole exam by himself! He proceeded with the task, and managed it quite beautifully, I must say. Then came my turn. The sokeh was about to take a break, and told sensei Stefano Mancini (visiting from Italy) to complete the exam. Stefano took up the job with no further delay, and had to see me gasp for air and beg for water (at one point) as I was going through the tedious routines and katas. Towards the end I became quite dehydrated and confused, but Stefano wouldn't let me quit. "You're doing well, please continue", "not much left now", "you can do it", and so on. Stefano is a great guy. Whatever he says, you actually believe it. I finished the whole thing, and almost collapsed on the floor. The sokeh came back in, set everyone up in a straight line, rei (bow), and we were done.
A few hours later came the international WJJF seminar, the handing of the certificates, the belts, the thank-yous, the gifts, and the group photos. Same every time. Saturday evening – a gala gathering in a restaurant in Jaffa. More photos, smiles, handshakes, and "see you next year"s. Back to training routine :)
It all started as usual, the students grading for 1st Dan (shodan) and 4th Dan (yondan) all assembled at the club, tense, wondering what their exam would look like. The sokeh told his assistant to give us some warm-up exercises, and then proceeded with testing the shodan guys. We were told to sit down and wait. And wait we did, for at least 40 minutes. Afterwards came the fun part. My partner and I had thought that we would be tested "by sections", or in other words: we would take turns in performing the same exercises. This way each one works and rests (if you can call falling and getting up again – rest) in an alternating pattern. What happened in reality was my partner was told to showcase the whole exam by himself! He proceeded with the task, and managed it quite beautifully, I must say. Then came my turn. The sokeh was about to take a break, and told sensei Stefano Mancini (visiting from Italy) to complete the exam. Stefano took up the job with no further delay, and had to see me gasp for air and beg for water (at one point) as I was going through the tedious routines and katas. Towards the end I became quite dehydrated and confused, but Stefano wouldn't let me quit. "You're doing well, please continue", "not much left now", "you can do it", and so on. Stefano is a great guy. Whatever he says, you actually believe it. I finished the whole thing, and almost collapsed on the floor. The sokeh came back in, set everyone up in a straight line, rei (bow), and we were done.
A few hours later came the international WJJF seminar, the handing of the certificates, the belts, the thank-yous, the gifts, and the group photos. Same every time. Saturday evening – a gala gathering in a restaurant in Jaffa. More photos, smiles, handshakes, and "see you next year"s. Back to training routine :)