On the 9th July I successfully graded for my Shodan (1st Dan black belt). Feeling pretty pleased with myself as I wasn't as hurt as I anticipated. The grading includes a lot of basics followed by kata and bunkai (kata moves applied to real fighting moves) and then ten, two minutes fights with mainly fresh black belts. I was knocked around a fair bit but held it together to at least control the fights on a few occasions.

By far the most enjoyable part of the grading for me was the part that I was initially most scared of. The breaking of six standard roof tiles in one punch. I managed to break four of the six with no damage to my hand and left the stage with a real sense of achievement. I now know that I could, if called upon, break all six roof tiles just by using my body weight more effectively.

So I'm a happy chappy for now and will take a few weeks off from Kofukan Karate but when I get back to it I'll be heading towards my 2nd Dan which will be graded by my Shihan when he arrives from England next May/June.