Gradings
This is an article I wrote in 1995. I have reproduced it here and add some information with regards the new grading syllabus.
Why do we need gradings or examinations? In a perfect world there would be no need for any ranking system. We would practise our art just for enjoyment and personal development. Senior and more experienced practitioners would be immediately obvious by their skill and ability.
In the martial arts gradings are a relative new and western development. Before large classes, competitions and payment for instruction there were no gradings. Now we have the grading system with Kyu grades and Dan grades. The Dan grade signifies a student that has reached a level of understanding and physical development to really begin to learn. Not an expert but a dedicated student.
When I grade a group I talk with the instructor to find out which students have trained diligently and are ready for promotion. The student must commit him or herself to training hard and practising what they have learnt, not only on training nights but also in their own time. Once a week is fine but if you want to be good at anything then the secret is hard work.
No one should fail the grading because they are not ready. As a grading examiner I am not looking for perfect form, or a clone of the instructor. I look for someone who tries hard and does his or her best. A grading puts you under pressure and we all make mistakes, it is how we handle that pressure that is important. Examiners accept that people do not perform well when put under pressure. If you were taking part in any other activity, because of the pressure, performance would suffer and that would not be a fair test of your abilities, if you practise because of the possible self defence benefits then short of looking for actual physical confrontation there is no other simple way to test the abilities of the student.
Be the best that you can possibly be, at whatever level you are. Work hard and listen to your instructor. Work on your physical fitness and flexibility and learn as much as you can about your chosen art Not everyone will reach black belt, but then no one ever won a fight with a length of black material.
Remember
Whatever grade you are, performance declines if you don’t practise. Training is like making deposits in a bank, building up a reserve of fitness, both physical and mental, to be used at a later date.
Train hard because you never know when you might need to make a withdrawal!
Chosho Grading Syllabus Explained
With Chosho Fighting Arts I have developed a new syllabus that incorporates all of the arts that I have studied in a complete system. There are separate syllabuses for Senior and Junior students. Below is an explanation of the adult syllabus, the junior one has an extra step between each belt up to brown belt, this is to allow more time for comprehension of the techniques and to give encouragement to the juniors. Their journey is made of smaller steps.
The adult syllabus has ten Kyu (levels) grades each with a minimum time between gradings, which is measured in classes, one and a half hours of training. These times are as follows:
Minimum Training Times Between Grades
10th Kyu Minimum requirement of 4 classes, 6 hours
9th Kyu . Minimum requirement of 8 classes, 12 hours
8th Kyu Minimum requirement of 12 classes, 18 hours
7th Kyu Minimum requirement of 12 classes, 18 hours
6th Kyu Minimum requirement of 15classes, 22.5 hours
5th Kyu Minimum requirement of 15classes, 22.5 hours
4th Kyu Minimum requirement of 18 classes, 27 hours
3rd Kyu Minimum requirement of 24 classes, 36 hours
2nd Kyu Minimum requirement of 24 classes, 36 hours
1st Kyu Minimum requirement of 24 classes, 36 hours
1st Dan Minimum requirement of 48 classes, 72 hours Min age 15
2nd Dan Minimum requirement of two years from 1st Dan. Min age 17
3rd Dan Min' requirement of three years from 2nd Dan. Min age 20
4th Dan Minimum requirement of four years from 3rd Dan. Min age 24
Due to the increased intensity of the training on courses, they will count as two classes and private lessons as three classes. So as a guide only, it will take 185 classes to reach the minimum required time for Shodan (1st Dan). Three and a half years if training once a week, assuming each previous grade was passed with the minimum number of classes. Just over a year and a half if training twice a week, this would be the exception rather then the norm but is possible, depending on previous knowledge and athletic ability. It took me five years! Completing these minimum times does not automatically entitle the person the right to grade. They can then ask if they are ready to take the grade and will be given an assessment by myself of their possible success at that time.
I am not going to use gradings to generate money! A grade awarded by myself will be earned through hard work and dedication. You will be able to go to any club in the country teaching Karate (Ju Jitsu or Kickboxing) and your performance on the mat will be as good as the equivalent grade in that organisation, if not better. In the same way that a person passing a driving test in Essex should be of the same standard as someone passing the test in Kent.
The grades of anyone that joins the Chosho Academy from another organisation will be recognised. They are entitled to wear that belt and will be treated with respect for the hard work they have put into their training. If they wish to grade in our system then they will take the next Kyu grade up from the one that they hold. i.e. if a 7th Kyu they can take the 6th Kyu grading when they are ready.
| 
