Far from my finest belt test. I completely blanked when performing Naihanchi Sandan. Even after three times, it still wasn’t correct.

Aside from that, there were many positives. My technique feels stronger. I’m also not thinking about things as much and consequently there is better flow to my kata. I feel like things are slowing down and as I continue to improve, at times, I feel like things are coming together. I correctly answered all the questions Sensai asked regarding the history of Matsubayashi-Ryu and precepts for study.

Some things I need to work on:

Continue to improve my Ido Kihon especially by practicing the turns.

Kiais need to be consistently better.

Keep my fists tighter, and my thumbs tucked in.

I’m not rotating my left hip enough on my gedan-uke zenkutsu-dachi.

Need to practice Yakusoku kumite Ⅴ more. The initial attack is a right side kizame-zuki. On defense, when I block down in kosa-dachi, I need to turn so my belt knot faces my opponent.

Need to work on the move from kosa-dachi to iaigoshi-dachi in Pinan Godan. The movement should be “L” shaped and the rear foot should be on the line.

In Ananku, I need to work on rotating my hip to add power to the chudan-uke naname-zenkutsu-dachi. Right now I’m cheating and moving my right (rear) foot. Sensai complimented me on this kata, saying that it was better than that of some black belts.