I started studying Judo just after my 6th birthday in 2005. My 26th birthday will arrive soon on April 20th, 2025. After nearly 20 years of training, I finished my exhibition for the my belt yesterday in just under 9 hours. I did pass, but I am exhausted. My grandparents, all 4 parents, sister, brother-in-law, and Jaqs’ parents all appeared at the end to watch my Sensei honor me with it. Last night was also the 1st time in years I slept more than 6 hours. In fact, it was probably the first time I’ve ever slept more than 8 at one time!😄
If you’re curious as to what it took to earn my 4th-degree belt in Judo or Yondan (2 more to tie Rhonda Rousey!😄) it’s entailed below. In this exact order, because it is meant not only to test your physical capabilities but also your mental resistance and force of will.
This may not be what every Dojo or Sensei puts their students through, but it is what mine does. The reason is that the 4th-degree belt is what signifies your expertise and mastery of the art. While you can teach below this belt, you cannot call yourself, Sensei, until you achieve it.
After 4th, it becomes much more spiritual, while also learning more advanced techniques. But my Sensei expects any judoka to at least be knowledgeable of all 100 moves and techniques at 4th degree, even if you haven’t mastered the advanced ones.
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- You must display the seven Katas:
Nage-no-Kata: Teaches throwing techniques
Katame-no-Kata: Focuses on grappling techniques
Kime-no-Kata: Emphasizes self-defense techniques
Ju-no-Kata: Focuses on flexibility and adaptability
Koshiki-no-Kata: Preserves ancient techniques
Itsutsu-no-Kata: Represents five fundamental principles of movement and energy
Kodokan Goshin Jutsu: A modern self-defense kata
- Display your choice of Yoga style that you have used over the years, for core power and flexibility training. I do Vinyasa.
You must do 1-3, 10-15 pose sequences (I did two of 13) of the 72 poses, as perfectly as you can, to show strength and flexibility. (No there is no “strength training part of the exam like if you were to use weights or something. That is used to tone and strengthen muscles yes, but you can show off that strength in the Yoga positions you choose as well.)
- You must do a 10k run to show endurance, and if female, finish in under 70 min (Guys under 65) I did it in 62 minutes.
- Do a written essay on techniques & their teaching & how you personalize it. You have to cover every Kata, & at least 50 of the 100 Judo moves, explaining both Nage-waza (judo throws) and Katame-waza (groundwork).
- You must give an oral, history of Judo, the tenets, and an oral essay on what it means to you and how it has affected your life.
- Lastly, you must spar, with someone in your weight class, of each belt below the belt you are testing for including someone of your equal rank. For me this meant 9 sparring matches. Winning isn’t the end game, showing off crisp clear technique and execution is. This is good because I lost the last two through sheer exhaustion, and I was concentrating so hard on being technical and precise, that I just didn’t have the strength to pull out the wins.
At any point during the day, my Sensei or one of the other 2 judges could, if they found fault, have ended it. I then would have had 90 days to “fix the error”, and attempt it again.
So there you go, yep, this might have been a bit of flagrant self promotion. but you know what, when a Professor gets tenure, they tell people, when someone gains their MD, oh you can bet they tell people. When my sister got her Juris Doctor, you can bet it’s all I heard about for a year. 😄 So Yeah, I’m going to pat myself on the back a little.
If all you wanted to know about was the Judo Exhibition/Exam, you can stop reading here if you’d like. 😄 What’s below is more for Vegan Foodies, and my friends around the world with a little update.
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Now recipes and other stuff. I still have to post my Vegan Tamale, Vegan Chili Rellno, Vegan Baked Poblanos and Cilantro Lime rice recipes. I will get to those over the next week or so. I have much more time on my hands now that my little warriors have new teachers and Jaq & My swim business is now in the very capable hands of the five young women who have helped us all these years. Good luck to them! They will do awesome!
Confused? I am moving to Sydney Australia the first half of April for the next four years. (Maybe sooner if Martial law is declared, my boat can make it out to international waters and up to Canada just fine.😄) It’s the only thing I have left here. My home and car have been sold and their sales have allowed me to purchase an apartment (It has amazing views of Botany Bay, the Blue Mountains
Chinatown, Darling Harbor, and so much more! I LOVE IT!❤) , car and boat in Sydney. San Diego’s cost of living and home prices make even Sydney’s high costs seem reasonable! So it will be just like living in San Diego, just with a bit more extreme weather and better sports. For those of you who get this in your email, it will continue. Like so many of you, who don’t live in the U.S. I’ll have to alter my daily schedule a bit to be online for talks etc. but we’ve done it before.
I know I’ve been off Discord for a bit lately so a few notes to individuals:
To my friends in Germany getting this, congrats on holding the AFD at bay!!!!
To my Canadian friends, way to go Hockey Gods! I’m sorry you’re being shit on by the US Gov. Who knows, maybe it’ll become your 11th Province. 🤣
French, Italian, Japanese and other peeps, I have to stay in Australia pretty much solid for the next 4 years if I want to get full on residency or dual citizenship. You have to live there for 4 years straight to qualify. So I may not be visiting as much if at all. But man when the 4 years are over, Aussie Kayla is going to take a good 6 months visiting everyone. 😄(Providing we’re all still here.🙄)
So with all that, I will get all those recipes up this week, and now I am just going to concentrate on getting my Karate Black Belt while I am still in the U.S. and finishing this quarter. Once in Australia though, Diving baby! Jobs lined up on school and private research projects as Dive Master, Teaching Judo, training in Karate, and maybe even taking some charters of my own out. Sooooo much diving will be going on.
(And fricking Netball! I may even join a league!❤🏀).
For now, Hugs to you all!
Awesome! Good luck with all the logistics!