Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
There is a reason it is referred to as the first level of black belt. There is a reason why it is considered the ‘first stage’ of one’s journey to the higher achievements denoted by higher levels of black belt. It is also why the definition/translated characters or ideograms of kanji tell us it is the first level, the beginner level, the first step, a beginner’s course, a rudimentary stage and a novice, because that is exactly what that means, you have paid your beginner’s dues and are now ready to really buckle down and study and practice and train to be, I mean BE, a yudansha.
It is why the entire kyu system, the mudansha stages, is entirely about setting a solid foundation of fundamental principles and it is why the most aggressive and most physical kyu stage is the first kyu or senior brown belt level. It is a denoting of a transitional stage where you go above and beyond the physical and start reading or the less aggressive, although aggressive actions are necessary for defense, aspects and focus toward the more enlightened stages where concepts are taught and trained like shin-gi-tai and shu-ha-ri.
Sho-dan is merely a sign of the possibilities of the individual who achieves the “FIRST LEVEL” of yudansha and has begun tempering their heart and soul for the rigors and challenges of going beyond the mere physical and taking it the full distance, i.e., stops looking at the skies, sees the limitless vastness of space where they no longer reach for the moon and take their efforts to the very depths and breadths of that which is the Universe.
Sho-dan: First, the sho or the character for it " 初 " means "first," generally. As I utilize the Internet and my Kodansha dictionary I find that it can and does mean, "first, beginner, a first step, a beginner's course, elementary, rudiment, a novice [first, new, early, innocent, naive, artless, unsophisticated, inexperienced] and finally " 柔道 - Judo 初段 - first stage " being first stage or the first grade of the senior class for Kano Sensei's Judo.
The defining term for my perspective on Sho-dan is the words, "naive, artless, unsophisticated and inexperienced." Why? Because as been written in many articles one has barely achieved knowledge and a modicum of ability in the fundamentals of the particular system. A Sho-dan is naivety at its earliest stage; it is an artless form simply because a Shodan has not achieved anything greater than the mere physical, only a limited level has been achieved; the person lacks any true sophistication in the martial "arts" and they tend to lack any reality based experience which sometimes goes for an entire life time of practice and training - if your lucky.
Something to consider; something to mull over; something to study and something to come toward and reach an understanding that will drive all you do from that day forward. One’s aspirations could not be more complete and fulfilling.
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