Preparing for 5th kyu grading

Fri 20/11/09 Semenyih Dojo

There are only 7 techniques to do in the 5th kyu grading. After about two months of consistent training the serious student should be able to pass his exam with ease. In the two hour session tonight I went through 6 of the 7 techniques with Ilham. The 1 remaining technique that I couldn't do with him was Sanin Gake Shomen Uchi Iriminage, multiple attack using shomenuchi attack and iriminage defence. This was because Ilham was the ony student training tonight.

Tonight I taught Ilham one more additional technique that I have been quite reluctant to teach in the dojo. The technique is suwari waza ryote tori kokyu ho. Why so reluctant to teach this particular technique to the students?  The reason is that this particular technique requires moving on your knees and because we train on the hard concrete floor without the benefit of mats the body weight bearing on knees and rubbing on the hard surface can damage the knee cap in the long term. I am also not certain if the adult students can accept this type of training stress on their knees.

I was also quite worried if I could walk on my knees as I had sprained my left knee and still experiencing some pain whenever I flex my leg. However the knee guard that I wore tonight provided enough support to enable me to move without too much discomfort.

As I watched his movements I was confident that with two more sessions he should able to acquire enough skills and confidence to pass the 5th kyu test.