Gokyū

So today my SO and I are testing for our green belt in Uechi Ryu.

This is an older photograph of my SO and his wee one, my stepdaughter.

Some of the things we’ll have to cover during our testing include the first three kata of Uechi Ryu:

Sanchin: Literally translated as “three fights/conflicts”. From the kanji 三 (“three”) and 戦う (“to fight/to struggle”). Usually interpreted as three Modes/Conflicts: “Mind, Body, and Spirit.”

Kanshiwa: A combination of the first kanji in Kanbun’s name, and the last two kanji written in Chinese order of Shu Shiwa’s name in Japanese pronunciation. Originally known as “Kanshabu” based on an earlier mistranslation of Zhou Zihe’s name into Japanese as “Shu Shabu.” Created by Saburo Uehara in 1956.

Kanshū: A combination of the first kanji in Kanbun’s name, and the kanji for Shu Shiwa’s family name (Shu) [see previous note on pronunciation]. Originally known as Daini Seisan or “Second Seisan,” it was created by Seiki Itokazu in 1956.

Formal Kanshiwa Bunkai is also part of the test.

We’ll also have to do Kumite. I couldn’t find a video example for the exact Kumite. And then Kotekitae. Arm conditioning.

The basic exercises and some questions will also be part of the testing. This is where I’m worried I’ll end up goofing up. I know most of the information, but if you ask me during a formal test, my brain will freeze up and I probably won’t even be able to tell you what year it is.

Technically, I know my stuff. Just really anxious about doing it. In front of a formal testing board. AND all of our classmates. I’ve had to do a formal test for every rank, except my first stripe, so far and it just makes me fall apart. I always end up throwing up before and after the test. This is pretty much the LAST thing I want to do before my Christmas trip.

I got so anxious thinking about testing that part of me really just wanted to skip the chance at getting promoted to the next belt. But I’ve been a white belt for two years now. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I’m definitely just ready to move on. It can be a bit daunting to be the only girl in class (besides my stepdaughter, who doesn’t come to every class). Time to practice an intense amount of DBT skills to get through this.

Hopefully, by the time this posts, I’ll be done with the test! I’ve been trying so hard to get some posts done while I’m gone on my trip. Plans for that keep changing so we’ll see how things turn out. Oh, look, more stuff to panic about. Urgh. Haha. Thanks for listening to my insanity.