A karate grading is the assessment process karateka must undergo in order to progress to their next rank. Gradings take place quarterly and coincide with a training session led by an independent, licensed JKA examiner. Although most students will attend keiko, not everyone will grade at the same time.
The exam is physical and split into three parts: Kihon, kata, and kumite. For their first grading, students will be asked to demonstrate select techniques to count. Kihon waza incorporates punches, blocks and kicks, with a turn after each set of four. Kihon Kata, also known as Taikyoku Shodan, is a pattern of 20 movements counted as two sets of ten. Beginners are not generally expected to demonstrate kumite but the examiner may ask them to do so.
Each level is denoted by a different colour belt. On passing the first level, students may wear an orange belt. Kyu grade belts and certificates are presented at the next club session following a grading.
In the weeks approaching a grading, an instructor will assess which students have made sufficient progress to be able to attempt the next level. There is no rush and not everybody will grade at the same time.
When invited to grade, you’ll need to submit your JKA England booklet and make payment in good time, prior to the event. Please ensure a passport-size photo is affixed, personal details completed and a current membership slip printed and inserted. Dates of upcoming gradings for the year can be found on our events calendar page.
The ultimate aim of karate is self-improvement; training and regular practise always comes first
Ranks are taken in order, one at a time. While it is not possible to skip a level, at the discretion of the examiner, there may occasionally be an exception eg. ‘double-grade’ at beginner-level, a ‘cross-grade’ when joining from another karate association, or a re-classification for those joining after a significant absence. In the case of a double-grade, this is more the exception than the rule, and a student should focus primarily on one level at a time.
Yudansha exams are held at national level for those regularly attending courses. All rankings are recorded with the Japan Karate Association Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Certificates are issued directly by the Sohonbu and typically take around two months to arrive but black belts are available to purchase directly afterwards from the registration desk.
Karate is not just something to be learned, but something to be lived. And that takes a lifetime.
The Japan Karate Association