Gradings again
Grading weekend again at the Phoenix Aikido Club on March 11th. Good luck to everyone taking their next belt, especially my Mum’s husband John, who will be taking his 4th Kyu (Orange Belt) on Sunday.
It’s nice to be approaching a grading weekend safe in the knowledge that all I’ll be doing is watching. I won’t face another grading until I take my black belt in September 2008. On the other hand, being the ridiculous height I am (6′5″), I am resigned to the fact that no-one is going to ask me to uke for them. Most people (sensibly enough) choose someone who is a similar height, or a little shorter. So unless the club gets a sudden influx of professional basketball players, I’m stuck as a spectator.
It’s a shame, because it’s very flattering to be asked to uke for a grading. At least I’ve been fortunate enough to get called up to uke for Sensei Costigan a few times in the last few weeks, which is very satisfying, if a bit nerve-wracking.
March 6th, 2007 at 8:29 am
I agree about the height. At 6′5″ myself, people enjoy working with me during training, but for the demonstrations they want someone of a little less freakish nature.
March 9th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I find people are very intimidated by my height; it is an advantage in some situations, to be sure. But the problem is, once someone takes my balance, I have no chance of recovery; take my centre of gravity far enough away from my feet, and I hit the ground pretty quickly. And one course, I have long arms too, which means they act as fantastic levers to throw me with.