What with practicing for the tournament and with the Christmas break, I have not had much time to practice what I need to in order to grade to orange. Another grading is coming up, and I will wait and see if I can do what I need to do in order to grade. I can do all my upcoming requirements for grading, but I cannot do them well. I know what I need to work on. I need to learn the Japanese names, I need to work on Neko Ashi Dachi (the Cat Stance), I need to know the names and numbers of both the Kihon Kumite and the Katas. I need to perfect my shuto.
I need to be able to walk forward and backward in stances, and I need to be able to do everything I have learned in a right handed and left handed way. It’s one thing to be able to do a Yoko Uchi or a Sukui Uke in a left Zenkutsu Dachi, quite another to do it in a right Zenkutsu Dachi. In light of this, I am considering not ranking until I have mastered these techniques. On the other hand, if I am confident that I can perfect these and still deal with the new knowledge that would come after a grading, then I will probably grade. I would ask the Sensei if I should grade or not. The Sensei will not prevent an attempt at grading, but they already know if one can pass or not and they will say so.
I think all depends on how much I practice at home, on preventing new injuries, and recovering from stresses caused by my other training routines.