Toward the end of last year two big gradings were held for ISK Martial Arts.
First up was the second Dan grading of the year, seeing one candidate testing for Second Dan, one for Senior First Dan and a third attempting to make the big leap to First Dan. As always, the grading took place behind closed doors, and what happened behind those doors remains secret for just those in attendance, but suffice to say that these senior grades are most definitely earned and not given or paid-for. End the end of four or five hours of mental and physical battle against themselves and those helping with the grading, they hauled their bodies off home for soak, ready to get up the next day and head to Falmouth for the second of the weekend’s gradings.
The new Performance Centre at Tremough Campus played host to one of the largest gradings ISK have ever seen, and for the first time saw both the Tang Soo Do and the Doksa Kickboxing students being tested for their new grades. Many TSD students hadn’t seen a Doksa lesson, and to demonstrate just how hard the kickboxers work in their sessions, they graded first. It’s fair to say that after their test I think most people in the hall had a new respect for the programme.
Next up were the Tang Soo Do students, including a large new batch from the Falmouth University club, the new students from the Centre Of Excellence in Redruth and students from Mevagissey too. The testing was very tough and it only got tougher as the grades went up. We’ve been pushing high standards for a long time, and over the last year the testing has become more rigorous and the expectations higher, but despite these demands everyone excelled themselves and we ended the year with a 100% pass rate. This isn’t something we’ve been able to say of every grading in the last year, it just goes to show how much everyone has upped their game.
A very proud group of instructors want to thank everyone for their continued efforts and enthusiasm, and for their help in keeping this club at the very top.
