Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

Took my 6th kyu test last night. Thanks to all of the threads on here about testing and what its all about and how to prepare and what to do if you have a "moment" I felt pretty well prepared.

Got a little hung up early on but at least I kept moving until I figured out what to do. All of my Ukes were terrific and I actually almost had fun in spite of my nerves. Its only the first with many more and bigger to come, but I have to say its quite some feeling to have accomplished this much. Especially considering that when I first started out I really had no thoughts of testing in mind.

Now to start studying 5th kyu techniques.. no time like the present to begin preparing right?

Thanks to everyone here for sharing their experiences and insight. Its really been helpful for this beginner. :)

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

Congratulations, Cherie. Now, get back to training.

-- Jun

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

Thank you...
Already did. :)
Second class followed testing.

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Congratulations!!

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Congrats! I am getting more and more anxious about the test I have coming up. Yuck... after 20 years of school I thought I was done with tests......

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Good for you. Remember---Aikido is our banquet. Eat what you want but never get full. Stay hungry and you'll go far!!!!

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Mathew-Thank you

Ashley- You know I had some major anxiety over it last week then I got over that. Lots of support in my dojo to help me. Remember you would not be testing if you were not ready. That's how it works. In spite of the nerves I'm glad to have tested. it showed me what I can do when the heat is on.

Phil-..... I'M STARVING!! :D

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

Cherie, congratulations on the 6th kyu test. Have fun and take care with your journey.

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Congrats... :)

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You did great, Cherie. Ready for Thursday's class?

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Yay Cherie! Congratulations. I know you worked hard preparing. On to 5th kyu. :)

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

LOL Greg I am always ready for the next class. Tonight's is no exception.

Linda-worked hard yeah. To the point of obsession at times. Those techniques were running through my head every waking moment and a lot of the non waking ones too. I think my friends might be getting a little bit tired of hearing about Aikido. Managed to get one to come visit the dojo and see my test. Now she wants to try it too. She just thought Kotegaeshi was way too cool.

Her little girl (5 years old) was intrigued and talked all the way home about how I "beat up" all those people. hmmm future aikidokka?

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

LOL That's why we have AikiWeb (thank you, Jun!), so we can obsess amongst ourselves. ;)

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

No, no, no, no!!! Don't go on to the next test. Go back and review the test you just past. Now that the pressure is off, really evaluate the techniques just past. Did you do them right? Did you mess up on one during the test? How can you improve them? Etc.... Don't be in such a rush to move forward. Move back for a while before you start to move forward. This is one of the biggest problems that people have in learning this art. Always in such a hurry to get to the next rank.
Congrats on passing though!

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Congrats Cherie, I have done parts of my test techniques over for 5th kyu and have greatly inproved them so I agree with Mike but train for your 5th kyu because before you know it your next:D

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That's a really good point Mike. I have my whole 6th kyu test on video, and it's really helpful to review it and remind myself of what I need to work on. Every time I watch it I see some other little (or not so little) thing.

And I'm working toward my 5th kyu test. :)

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Good advice thank you. Of course I am reviewing over and over in my mind all the parts of the test and how I could improve on them. In fact right after testing we went into second class and worked on things that sensei saw we needed to improve on. Of course I will continue to work to improve on the techniques form this test. LOL a lot of them are actually on 5th kyu but with a different attack. And I know my teachers will have me working to continue to improve on them as well.

I promise you I am in no hurry to get to the next rank. This is a lifetime study for me there is no rush to get to a destination that, for me, really does not exist.;)

Boy though I'm still pretty beat mentally and physically. Tonight's class I just really had trouble really focusing on much of anything. I was at such high intensity for a while I think I just need to relax and train for the fun of it and not be looking towards a goal again, for a little while anyway.

Re: Tested.. passed... on to the next one.
 

I felt the same way after my 6th Kyu test, but after a few weeks I decided that preparing for a test was a good way to keep myself on track to training hard, so I've set myself an Ambitious Test Date (If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll go for it), and a Realistic Test Date (or at least, realistic in my mind).

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I doubt I'll wait a few weeks to start looking over 5th kyu techniques. More than LIkely I'll begin paying attention to them within the next couple of days. I have in mind an approximate time frame for the next test to occur but I also am not setting any hard and fast goals in that regard. My teachers will tell me when they feel I'm ready. I'm kind of glad that our dojo does not set test dates far in advance. This way I won't find myself rushing the process.

I do not want to get myself caught up in the drive to test and advance to the point that I miss the entire purpose of my practicing aikido in the first place. That being to learn more about and to improve myself in ways that really can't be measured and classified by mere rank.

Ive had quite a lot of self discovery this year. Aikido has been a part of it. A lot of good has come out of it so far for my personal growth and well being. But this is only the beginning.

For me aikido is not going to just be something I do as an eccentric hobby. It is intended to become part of a way of life.

Looking back I guess the title of this thread is a bit misleading. Its not about rushing to advance so much as it is about looking ahead and anticipating the next phase of this amazing journey.