Graduation article
By Magnus Wulff Breinstrup, 20 years old, 2.kyu, Yakami Shinsei-ryu Taijutsu & Karate-do (the multi-track martial arts system), 1.kyu, Bujutsu Kodosokukai Jikitai Karate-do (Original gl. Original Okinawa Karate-do), 1.kyu, Bujutsu Kodosokukai sports karate-do (Gensei-ryu legacy from 1965 and comparable degree to Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Taekwondo, Judo, Jujutsu, Kendo, etc.)
This summer I passed my graduation to 3rd kyu YSTK (Yakami Shinsei-ryu Taijutsu and Karate-do) with a big 12, and I had done so well that I was awarded a 2nd kyu HO degree. This means that I was 80% of the way to the next degree, but also only 80% of the way to an 02. Apart from this summer, this has not happened for many years. But an HO degree is not a complete graduation, it is only the beginning. To pass the next belt you still have to finish with the last 20%, and preferably a little more. And for 2nd kyu YSTK, the last 20% is not so little. This involves, among other things, the stop tests that are for all brown and black belt graduations. So even though I was 80% off the road to the next degree, I also only had half a year, as opposed to the full year a season normally takes, to finish the degree. It will require effort and a good attitude.
But in September I started university, which has affected my focus significantly. Before the summer holidays I worked in a shop, which meant that as soon as my working day was over, I didn't think about my work anymore. It was all at my workplace, and there was nothing to do in connection with it as soon as I got home. That is, all my focus could be on my karate when I was training. But at university it's not as separate. You always have homework, and you can always do some more schoolwork, even when you're at home. So thoughts of school are still in the back of your mind. Even if you've done something, it's not necessarily enough, so maybe you should spend a little more time preparing. This has been clear when I've been training, as my concentration and attitude have been much worse, and I haven't been getting as much out of the training. It's a problem when I'm up for a brown belt graduation, especially when I've only had half a year.
This half year we have had a busy schedule with karate, where there have been many brown and black belt trainings, as well as all 4 OBC courses. On top of all the extra time that has been taken up in connection with the start of my university, this has meant that I have been very busy, and have had virtually no weekends where I have had the opportunity to relax and calm down. Therefore, the stress has also slowly built up over the months, which in turn has affected my training. This means that I have constantly felt behind with my karate, and Kimu Sensei has not hidden the fact that I have been. I have been very aware of where I have been in relation to whether I would pass my graduation, and it has always been on the border. I just have not had the right attitude to really develop myself. So when at one of the brown belt trainings I had to go through something that was reminiscent of Shiai, Shindenkan's free-fighting concept, I became very aware of how it was going. And at that time there were only 2 weeks left before graduation. So while this summer I was really nervous for the first time in my life, towards my graduation that I had worked hard for a year, it only lasted a day or two. In contrast, this time I have been nervous for 2 weeks. I had difficulty sleeping and my stomach hurt all the time. And since it is the first time I have tried to be nervous for so long, it has only made the nervousness worse.
On the morning of the graduation day, Kimu Sensei took Mads and me aside when we were up for graduation to talk to us. He wanted to give us a chance to talk about how we were feeling and tell us how we were doing in relation to our graduation. And then he would emphasize what we had to do during the day. Kimu Sensei's job is really just to assess whether we are good enough to get the next degree, but since he also really wants us to pass, he does everything he can to make sure we can show how good we are. For brown and black belt graduations, you have to teach during the event. And one of the things Kimu SThe thing ensei specifically focused on telling me was that he was well aware that I was nervous, and it could be that I was feeling sorry for myself because I was also busy with school. But when you teach, it's not about yourself, it's about your students. And if I couldn't put myself aside and give something of myself to teach the students I was in charge of, then I couldn't pass. And I was very aware of that, but it still didn't help the nervousness.
The good thing was that it was a Christmas event we held. And since it gets dark and dreary in the winter, we always focus on creating a good atmosphere for our Christmas events. This can be seen, among other things, by the fact that all the instructors have Santa hats, which they wear at the start of the day to build a good Christmas atmosphere. And when I just focused on our fantastic atmosphere, I could feel that all my nervousness disappeared as soon as the event started. So even though I had been very nervous for the last 2 weeks, the lessons and training went well. But when we got to the stamina test, where I had to give it my all and hit a pillow until Kimu Sensei told us to stop, the nervousness came back. But now I had made it this far, and the last thing just had to be over.
I gave my all for the stamina test, but I just didn't have much to give. I could feel that, unlike last summer, it felt much worse. And of course Kimu Sensei could see that too. Fortunately, it was still enough to just pass, but only just. As Kimu Sensei told me, I had a 1.99 which was rounded up to a 2. But nothing is given, and a passing grade is a passing grade. So I still achieved what I agreed to this summer when I accepted my HO degree. But going forward, I have a lot to work on if I want to continue to develop properly.
