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These training manuals contain
ASKA kumite and kata grading syllabus requirements laid out in a step by
step photo format together with in depth explanations.
The
ASKA grading syllabus utilises the usual kyu grade and Dan grade system. Kyu grades, sometimes
referred to as coloured belts, are all the grades below black belt. Dan
grades, are black belt grades. The
ASKA grading
model is transparent, objective and competency based. It recognizes competent skilled karate-ka, rewards service to the
art and is in accordance with the requirements of the Australian Federation
of Traditional Karate.
Undertaking a karate grading
with ASKA is a reward for effort and not
a right. ASKA
students are formally invited to attempt all their kyu gradings as well
as their black belt
gradings. Students must demonstrate
their ability during normal training sessions to meet the standard
required to undertake their next grading.
It is up to the student or their parents to
accept or decline the invitation to grade. There is never any pressure
placed on students to grade.
Students or their
parents must advise Sensei by email by the RSVP date on their invitation
to undertake their grading whether they will be attending the grading or
not.
If a student
wants to progress through the karate ranks in a timely manner then he must
train with spirit and the correct mental attitude, and always try his very
best at every training session he attends. The student holds his karate future in
his own hands. He alone through his attitude to training determines his rate
of progression.
Time in between gradings is not important. Being up to the
required standard is important.
If karate training is just an
activity (something to do for fun), as it is for some students, then they
will not reach the standard required to undertake their next grading in any
set time frame. Karate training should be fun and enjoyable but if students
are only having fun and not trying to improve stances, techniques, and
remember their kata then they cannot expect to progress at the same rate as
students who are making a real effort to improve.
There are
no short cuts in karate. Nothing replaces the hard work of correctly
practicing your kihon, kata and kumite drills.
"What we achieve too easily we esteem too lightly"
- Sensei John
Depending on how hard and regularly you train, you can expect to reach the
point where you may be asked to prepare for a black belt (Dan) grading around 3 to 5
years after commencing training.
Ungraded students wear a white belt before taking their first grading
examination. There are 9 kyu grades, starting at 9th kyu and working up to
1st kyu. The next grade is Shodan, 1st Dan - black belt.
The
ASKA grading syllabus is a living document, by that I mean it is
subject to change and is not written in stone. Changes to the grading
syllabus only come about after much thought. When any change in the
syllabus occurs it is made to improve the syllabus. Changes are never made simply
for the sake of change.
Kyu gradings are conducted
3 times a year, and Black Belt (Dan) gradings are usually conducted once a
year. All gradings are carried out by a grading panel consisting of the Chief Instructor and
senior ASKA black belts.
| Grade |
Belt Colour |
| 10th Kyu |
White belt |
| 9th Kyu |
Red
belt |
| 8th Kyu |
Yellow belt |
| 7th Kyu |
Orange belt |
| 6th Kyu |
Green belt |
| 5th Kyu |
Blue belt |
| 4th Kyu |
Purple belt |
| 3rd Kyu |
Brown belt |
| 2nd Kyu |
Brown belt |
| 1st Kyu |
Brown belt |
| Shodan |
Black belt |
How
many black belt grades are there?
In
the research paper “The Japanese Evolution of Karate Rank” by Sensei Pat
Zalewski, Pat states that Funakoshi Gichin Sensei, the founder of the
Shotokan style made it clear that the ranking system in his style had a
ceiling set at Godan (5th Dan). At that time Kenwa Mabuni adopted the same
stance for his Shito Ryu style. Why these men did this remains a mystery
according to Sensei Pat.
There was a lot of
karate politics happening at and around the time of Funakoski Sensei’s death
in 1957. The Japan Karate Association (JKA) had been formed in 1948 and this
large body later had a direct impact on lifting Dan levels above 5th Dan.
After Funakoshi’s death the higher ranks materialized and Sensei Pat states
that the machinery to achieve this had been put into place earlier due to
Funakoshi Sensei’s failing health and higher Dan’s in the JKA were given
out.
For a full account of
the goings on behind the scenes please read Sensei Pat Zalewski’s well
researched article. It is available on the links page of the ASKA website.
So today the majority of
traditional karate organizations use 10 black belt grades, starting at
Shodan (1st Dan) and progressing up to Jyudan (10th Dan). There are still a
number of karate styles including traditional Shotokan styles that only go
to 5th Dan (Godan) out of respect for Funakoshi Gichin Sensei.
I agree with other
instructors that say that beyond 5th Dan simply means you have been around
for quite a while. But we operate in a world where people who do not
understand this ranking history automatically think that 6th Dan beats 5th
Dan etc. So to lessen the confusion over which Dan grade is higher the
system followed by ASKA allows for grades up to 10th Dan.
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