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.
Every individual karate organization large and small throughout the world has different time in grade requirements for their black belt ranks (Dan ranks), i.e. the time a person spends at one Dan rank before he can attempt his next grading. There is no universal standard.
The ASKA grading model for both kyu and Dan ranks is transparent, objective and competency based. It recognizes competent skilled karate-ka, rewards service to the art in the higher Dan ranks and is in accordance with the requirements of the Australian Federation of Traditional Karate.
In my view it is competency that is all important.
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 at various times throughout the year. Black Belt (Dan) gradings are conducted as required. 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 with a white stripe | |
| 2nd kyu | Brown Belt | |
| 1st kyu | Brown belt with a black stripe | |
| 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.
Personally I think that after Funakoshi Sensei’s death the karate establishment that existed at that time simply brought karate Dan ranks into line with the Dan ranking systems of the other officially recognized Japanese martial arts e.g. Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Kendo etc who awarded 10 black belt (Dan) ranks.
The vast majority of traditional karate organizations and the karate world in general now use 10 black belt grades, starting at Shodan (1st Dan) and progressing up to Jyudan (10th Dan).
The Dan ranking system followed by ASKA in uniformity with the wider karate community allows for black belt grades up to and including 10th Dan.
