• chakuso (the manner of wearing gi and bogu)
  • practice putting on your keikogi, hakama, and bogu, checking yourself in a mirror (practice until you can do everything quickly and properly without the mirror).
  • check men himo length: must be 40cm max (15.75")
  • kote himo must be trimmed and tied securely
  • see this shoelace site if you have problems tying your himo with a crooked bow or if you want to learn how to tie the quick knot.
• examination points (see evaluation sample forms)
  • chakuso
  • reiho
  • kiai
  • kamae
  • ashi sabaki (footwork)
  • shisei (posture)
  • basic strikes
  • basic waza
  • maai (distance to opponent)
  • ki-ken-tai-no-ichi
• kihon test for 4kyu and below applicants
  • reiho (rei @sageto, taito, 3 big steps RLR, sonkyo)
  • kirikaeshi
  • men 3x
  • kote 3x (from this shinsa, changed to going through)
  • do 3x
  • kote-men 2x (from this shinsa, changed to 2x due to kote change)
  • reiho (sonkyo, 5 steps LRLRL @taito, sageto, rei)
• testing for all other ranks consists of:
  • kendo (jitsugi) with two other people trying for the same rank
  • 4dan: also perform and receive kirikaeshi
  • 1kyu and above: kata (if pass kendo)
  • 1kyu and above: written tests
  • 1dan and above: use the 2-person rei procedure to begin and end jitsugi
• additional skills (see SCKF shinsa criteria)
  • reigi, including aisatsu and cleaning the dojo
  • fold keikogi and hakama
  • maintain and name parts of the shinai
  • waza

All of the above is very important for everyone, even if you are not participating in this shinsa.

pn   name               req res
14   Kim Alvin           6   6
15   Kim Sun             6   6
16   Kim Ashley          6   6
36   Kim Ryan            5   5
37   Cho Daniel          5   5
38   Cho Ryan            5   5
63   Kim Noah            4   4
56   Cheon Kevin         4   4
75   Choi Jonathan       4   4
90   Hahn Lance          3   3
97   Moon Joshua         3   3
126  Tseng George        2   2
153  Lim Steve           1   1
158  Ji Daniel           1D  1D
161  Trost Jeffrey       1D  1D
176  Yoon Courtney       2D  2D
182  Amano Shingo        3D  3D
188  Huang Michael       3D  3D
190  Domen Sumi          4D  4D 

• Plan to arrive by 8:45am for sign in. Plan to leave your house no later than 8:00am (earlier if you live farther away) to have plenty of time to drive, park, change, get your tare, and register. Sign in closes at 9:30pm. No late applicants will be allowed. If you get to the sign in table one minute late, you will not be able to participate, plus you will have to pay a $20 fine!
• For those trying for 1kyu and all yudansha ranks, turn in your completed written test at sign in. Be sure to include your name, participant number, requested rank, and dojo.
• Wear your nicest keikogi, hakama, and tenugui
  • make sure they are washed and pressed
  • remove your Norwalk patch, otherwise it and any other markings will need to be covered with special tape (this will be done by registration officials at the shinsa)
  • check each other to make sure everyone is neatly dressed
• At shinsa registration, a label will be put on the center flap of your tare with your participant number. You must be dressed in keikogi and hakama and bring your tare to register. Remove your nafuda (name tag) for the shinsa.
• Review the SCKF page for more details about the promotional examination. Starting in 2013, yudansha applicants use the 2-person rei procedure to bow in for jitsugi (same as in AUSKF kodansha shinsa).

Note: all menjo are in English; AUSKF no longer offers Japanese menjo. Make check payable to Norwalk Kendo Dojo; the dojo will write one check to pay the federation for the menjo.