Open Grading, Edinburgh, 17 February 2007

Nine kendoka from St Andrews went to Edinburgh to attend a seminar led by Honda Sotaro sensei, the outgoing British team coach. Also in attendance were Stuart 'Gibbo' Gibson, the British men's taisho (team captain), Alex Burch, the recently retired women's taisho, Yamazaki sensei from Aberdeen and as host Steve Bishop sensei of Edinburgh Kendo Club.

Honda sensei is known to be an excellent teacher and he took the large group of nearly 70 kendoka, some of them mere beginners, step by step through keiko ho #1-4, kirikaeshi and then into ji-geiko/sensei geiko. There was something to learn for everyone. The most inexperienced learned the forms, the most experienced learned about coaching. The large mawari-geiko-style sparring in the end was an experience for all and there were some very spirited exchanges. Andy Crowe did very well against a young third dan from Japan; six-year-old David Irvine from Edinburgh fought all the higher grades; Mark Bowker learned to put his 'men' on correctly.

In the background, the Scottish sensei conducted an open grading, in which they observed the gradees without interrupting the seminar. I am proud to say that St Andrews kendoka did very well in this grading:

• Chris Burton and Derek Burr were awarded third kyu
• Mark Bowker reached fourth kyu
• Penny Crowe and Shirley Jonsen got fifth kyu
• Grant Clarke, who was not in armour at the time, was awarded sixth kyu

This grading success is welcome news to our club and we are now looking forward to the formal grading in Glasgow.

Thanks go to Andy Crowe and Barry Marshall for driving us to Edinburgh.

Michael Gratzke, Dojo leader StAKC