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Old 04-23-2006, 06:29 AM   #2
Ed Shockley
Dojo: aikikai of Philadelphia
Location: philadelphia
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 84
United_States
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Re: Poll: How long do you think a shodan exam in aikido should take?

My experience both as a tester and as audience for numerous shodan tests is that both the sensei who has sponsored the student and the examiner are aware of the student's proficiencies prior to the event. As such, it is more a demonstration of Aikido or performance than a proficiency test. Having a student suffer through a long, grueling, trial seems pointless at the shodan level unless there is a real question of their grasp of Aikido technique. This would, in fact, be a comment on the respect for the Sensei. I have watched my former sempai, with more than ten years experience, falter with performance anxiety and fumble foundation techniques. A longer test would only have exacerbated her humiliation and toward what purpose?
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