Training for Shodan
By Bob Davis
Published in the NL Shotokan Newsletter Vol 1, Issue 1, Spring 2013
I started training in Shotokan Karate in 2005 and tested successfully for Shodan in 2012.
After I reached brown belt, I had two years to prepare for my Shodan grading. In the first year I concentrated on learning the required kata, Kihon, and kumite for the exam. You will have to know Bassai Dai and Tekki Shodan and one other Heien kata. Know them all well! You have to get to the point where the kata are natural to you. Understanding not just what comes next but also what the techniques are for and the timing of the kata.
In my second year of brown belt, I started working on conditioning as well. Important things to work on would be; core strength, flexibility, and cardio. On top of your karate classes, add in a day or two of cardio a week. Biking, running, swimming, and hiking. Don’t wait until a few months before the exam. With exercise, come injuries. You don’t want to get hurt and be sitting around for weeks waiting for things to heal. Better to suffer the injuries earlier on and over come them. As much as possible, try to replicate karate-training conditions outside the dojo. Make sure to warm up properly. Create routines with bursts of explosiveness and make the routines last an hour to begin and then two hours later on. Wear a jogging suit the same weight as your gi. Drink water before and after your workouts, and not during like a regular class.
Once your conditioning is where you want it (about 6 months), find a buddy to train with. Find another karate guy that is going for Shodan or training for a higher rank. Do an hour of cardio and conditioning followed by an hour of karate. Work your kata and then your sanbon and kumite, just like the exam. Start with the advanced kata and then work backwards. Nothing will help you with your kumite besides more kumite. Train to the point where you can relax in the middle of fighting. Create openings and then capitalize on them. Pressure your opponent, get him to make mistakes and leave openings.
Gradings are usually done at a yearly seminar during the summer, although they can also be done in class. The seminars tend to be 6-8 hours with the grading component at the end. I would recommend going to the one the year before your grading to check it out. There is a break in the middle for lunch. I would recommend bringing two gi’s with you. After lunch you will be able to change into a fresh gi. Drink lots of water before, during lunch, and after the seminar. Dehydration causes dizziness, fatigue, and confusion. Eat food that will give you sustained energy for the seminar and grading without making you sluggish. Avoid coffee and soda as they will dehydrate you.
The Shodan grading is a big milestone in your karate training. Dan gradings are longer, requires more stamina, advanced kata, and kumite than kyu gradings. Keep in mind that Shodan maybe the end of the kyu ranks but it is only the beginning of the dan ranks. If you prepare for it properly, you can be a success at your Shodan grading.
