7th & 6th Kyu

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[bogglefreak20]

Do any of you have tests for 7th and 6th Kyu at your dojos. Apparently they're not a part of the system, still some dojos have them as a preparation for later tests - they actually use these two tests as a means to explain some basics to beginners (like observing one's own body, getting to know yourself, etc). It's not ment, however to give beginners a sense of importance once they've passed them - quite the opposite actually.

[Nacho_mx]

Aikikai official ranking begins at 5th kyu.

[lt-rentaroo]

Up until 4 months ago, we had tests for 7th Kyu and 6th Kyu at my dojo. I adhered to the same testing requirements as the Aikido Association of America. Each test required the student to know a number of Ki Exercises (ukemi, ikkyo undo, tenkan undo, etc.) as well as taijutsu (kotegaeshi, ikkyo, shihonage, and others).

Currently, 6th Kyu is the first level students test for. The decision to drop the test for 7th Kyu was based upon several factors, with the main reason being that it brought our testing requirements more in line with those of the Aikikai Hombu in Japan.

[Bogeyman]

In our school we have 6th kyu testing. It is a relatively simple test with four basic techniques from grabs, tumbling, and some movement exercises. It seems to be a confidence booster for our students who tend to have no similar experiences. We have some students that dread testing and this seems to make that easier.

[aikido_fudoshin]

Our school actually has a 9th kyu test! I train in Yoshinkan, if that makes a difference? Its basically just there to make sure you know proper etiquette and are familiar in our basic movements, back breakfalls, knee walking, etc. Its a free test and they dont test very much in our dojo so it seems as though theyre not trying to scam us.

Osu!

[Rob Coote]

First rank in my dojo is 6th kyu, and yes, there is a test. It is very basic, but does cover shihonage, kotegaeshi, and a couple of others.

Rob

[Edward]

Our school actually has a 9th kyu test!
I can do better! In our dojo we start at 11 Kyu!!!! First test is for 10 kyu. Not only that, but after 1st kyu you don't become a shodan! You become a shodan ho, whatever that means. You are allowed to wear a black belt but no hakama. Kind of half shodan :)

Osu!

[Kelly Allen]

I don't think I would want to be a Shodans ho :blush:

Unless of course she was good looking;)

[erikmenzel]

I have only once seen somebody do a shodan test and been offered shodan ho instead of a shodan. It did (and still does) not make any sense to me. Beside that I found it to be insulting to the person doing the test (and as to the quality of the test, I have seen far worst sandan tests) and also found the shodan ho at that point to be nothing more than a representation of the teachers fear of falling someone for an exam.

The person probably felt the same and within two years stopped aikido.

I peronally think shodan ho sucks bigtime

[Matt Whyte]

What kind of a rank is shodan ho, and in what system does it exist?

[Edward]

Well, actually at our dojo, shodan ho is an obligatory step before reaching shodan. I have not seen it in any other dojo.

[Nacho_mx]

I don't think I would want to be a Shodans ho :blush:

Unless of course she was good looking;)
AHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! :D

But seriously what is a shodan ho? Never heard of it.

[erikmenzel]

As far as I understand it, Shodan Ho is a kind of Shodan on probation, or a kind of conditional shodan. I only have seen it used in Aikido once, but it is far more common in Karate and Kobudo. It is also sometimes used to grade people that do not yet meet the minimal age requirements for shodan (again mainly in Karate and Kobudo, as far as I know).

Somehow hearing about shodan ho gets me into the "hmm"-saying and seriously questioning motives mode. But maybe that is just my stupid western Aikido brain being stubborn.

[John Boswell]

http://aiki.mc.duke.edu/aikido/AdultTestReqts.PDF

AAA/AAI requirements start at 7th Kyu.

[MikeE]

We do 11 prescribed arts,tumbling,& shikko for rokkyu in the IAA.

This is the only test where the techniques are dictated to the testee, all the rest of the rank tests allow the testee to perform whatever techniques they want against the attacks called out by the tester.

[Troy]

At my Dojo, we start at 7th Kyu, and you have to test for 6th Kyu. I've red in a few books that, starting at 7th is the average ranking system. But I'm sure its different for each style.

[markwalsh]

Within three large aikikai organisations in Britain, testing begins at 6th Kyu.
Interestingly the test requirements are almost indentical to hombu dojo, but one grade behind. E.g. The Japanese rquirements for shodan are the British requirements for 1st Kyu.

[Goye]

We start with 6 kyu test but our children start from 10 kyu,.. they have coloured belts,.. then grow up,. and start the adult program with a 6 kyu test and a brand new white belt to use for some years,...

shodan ho??,.. i personally dislike the concept,... for me it is more clear to think that while being first kyu a person is demonstrating how he/she will conduct as a shodan,.. that is the first step to be shodan. Yamada Sensei points some aspects of that in

http://www.aikidoonline.com/Archives/1999/oct/feat_1099_yy.html


Bye!!

[GaiaM]

In the USAF, testing starts at 5th kyu except for some kids classes where they start at they start at 8th or 10th and use colored belts until they join the adult class.
The requirements can be seen at: http://www.usaikifed.com/testreq.htm
Gaia

[Berney Fulcher]

It seems strange to me that those test requirements are listed as being in days. Would classes not make more sense? Or is it assumed you are taking x classes per week?

[giriasis]

It seems strange to me that those test requirements are listed as being in days. Would classes not make more sense? Or is it assumed you are taking x classes per week?

Berney, I train at a USAF dojo, too. It's not listed as classes as we only count each day of practice not each class. So if you train 5 classes a day for 5 days then only 5 days count not 25 hours. If you counted each class then someone could test for 5th kyu in less than three weeks. It takes a lot longer than three weeks to learn what you need to know for 5th kyu. However, this usually doesn't matter because most people only take one class a day. When counting more than one class might come up is during seminars and training camps where you can take four to five classes a day or dojos large enough to offer two or more classes a day. Given that one day of training is still one day of training.

[Berney Fulcher]

Ahh, I understand then, thanks for the explanation. Just tested for 5th, so still a newbie with lots of questions :)

[mrjam2jab]

I will be taking my first test in about 2 weeks. It is for 6th Kyu. There are 5 techniques, 5 Ki tests, and 6 possible knowledge questions. My Sensei says i will not have any problems but Im not so sure. Show me a technique and I can get it...tell me to do Katate-tori Shiho-nage and all i can do is look at you. :confused:

[Dario Rosati]

Do any of you have tests for 7th and 6th Kyu at your dojos. .

I will test for 6th in two weeks, after 10 months of continuos training (3h/week, very few lessons missed, 4 full day seminars attented).

It seems every dojo/sensei chooses his personal system of rank/test metodology, judging from the posts...

My test will include stuff from the 5th and 4th kyu stated on many dojo sites and many posts of this forum, with no suwari waza parts (practiced, but they're not in the test):

ukemi (front/back)
katatedori/shomenuchi ikkio (omo/ura)
katatedori nikkyo (omo/ura)
katatedori/shomenuchi/yokomenuchi iriminage
katatedori/shomenuchi kotegaeshi
katatedori/yokomenuchi shihonage (omo/ura)
kaiten nage (omo)
uchi kaiten sankyo
ude kime nage

As promised my sensei tests people for the n-th kyu when you're probably almost ready for the n-1 one... I wonder if there's someone out there who does the same.

Bye!

[Mr Greyhame]

Our dojo starts with the 7th kyu rank. My sensei seems to think both that I am picking the techniques pretty quickly and that I should be ready to test in a week or so...but that does not stop me from being nervious. Maybe I am just over hyping this but I tend to that about a lot of things.

[Devin McDowell]

We start at 7th kyu.

[gilsinnj]

We start with "no" kyu as an untested student with 6th kyu being the first test.

[Paul Sanderson-Cimino]

Our first test is sometimes called '9th/8th kyu'. We joke that when you step forward after having your name called, you've finished 9th kyu, and then you immediately test for 8th.