All you need to know about your gradings and what you'll be expected to do on the big day.
To move up the belts, you'll need to be regularly graded by one of the KUGB's examiners. This is nowhere near as daunting as it might sound. Gradings usually begin with an extra course run by the examiner. After that, students are asked to demonstrate a sequence of kicks, blocks and punches, followed by the kata relevant to their grade and some kumite work with a partner. The details are in the syllabus, below. After everyone has had a turn, the examiner will give you some very valuable feedback and let you know if you've passed.
| KIHON | KATA | KUMITE |
|---|---|---|
|
Novice to 9th Kyu - white to orange belt
|
Kihon Kata |
Sanbon or Gohon Kumite attacking with jodan oi tsuki and chudan oi tsuki |
|
9th to 8th Kyu - orange to red belt
|
Heian Shodan |
As previous grading |
|
8th to 7th Kyu - red to yellow belt
|
Heian Nidan |
As previous grading |
|
7th to 6th Kyu - yellow to green belt
|
Heian Sandan |
Kihon Ippon Kumite attacking with jodan and chudan oi tsuki from right and left sides |
|
6th to 5th Kyu - green to purple belt
|
Heian Yondan |
As previous grading plus chudan mae geri attack |
|
5th to 4th Kyu - purple to purple and white belt
|
Heian Godan |
As previous grading, plus chudan yoko geri kekomi attack |
|
4th to 3rd Kyu - purple and white to brown belt
|
Tekki Shodan |
As previous grading, plus jodan mawashi geri attack |
|
3rd to 2nd Kyu - brown to brown and one white stripe
|
Bassai Dai |
Jiyu ippon Kumite attacking with jodan and chudan oi tsuki, chudan mae geri and yoko geri, jodan mawashi geri and chudan ushiro geri. All attacks are with the right side only. |
|
2nd to 1st Kyu - brown and one white stripe to brown and two white stripes
|
Bassai Dai |
As previous grading |
Information reproduced with kind permission of the KUGB. For a printable version of the syllabus and grading rules, click here.
| KIHON | KATA | KUMITE |
|---|---|---|
|
All begin from free-style kamae |
(a) Candidates choice (b) Examiners choice |
|
|
1st Kyu to 1st Dan
|
(a) Bassai Dai (b) Any Heian Kata |
Jiyu Ippon Kumite attacking with jodan and chudan oi tsuki, chudan mae geri, chudan yoko geri, jodan mawashi geri and chudan ushiro geri Jiyu Kumite |
|
1st Dan to 2nd Dan
|
(a) Bassai Sho,
(b) Bassai Dai,
|
Jiyu Ippon Kumite - attacking with any five single, unannounced techniques Jiyu Kumite |
|
2nd Dan to 3rd Dan Any 1st or 2nd Dan combinations plus - Kizami tsuki, gyaku tsuki, mawashi geri, uraken, gyaku tsuki, step back gedan barai, gyaku tsuki, rear leg mae geri and step back, ushiro geri, uraken, gyaku tsuki |
(a) Sochin,
(b) Bassai Sho,
|
Kaishi Ippon Kumite - the same pre-arranged attacks as for 1st Dan grading Jiyu Kumite |
|
3rd Dan to 4th Dan Any 1st or 2nd Dan combinations plus - Kizami tsuki, oi tsuki, gyaku tsuki, nihon tsuki, step back and with same arm block age uke, soto uke, gedan barai, uchi uke, kizami tsuki, gyaku tsuki, four turning gyaku tsuki attacks, turn behind with haito uchi, mawashi geri, uraken, gyaku tsuki, back leg mae geri and step back, yoko geri keage to side and step back, mawashi geri, ushiro geri, uraken, gyaku tsuki |
(a) Jiin,
(b) Sochin,
|
Kaishi Ippon Kumite - attacking with any five single, unannounced techniques Demonstration of three favourite Kumite tactics Jiyu Kumite |
|
4th Dan to 5th Dan As previous grading plus:- A 1500 - 2000 word thesis on any aspect of Karate-Do |
(a) Any Kata from Shodan syllabus and above (b) One or more Kata from Sandan syllabus and above Demonstration of applications will be requested from performed katas |
As previous grading |
|
5th Dan to 6th Dan As previous grading plus:- A written Karate CV and 2000 words and above thesis on any aspect of Karate-Do (different to above) |
As previous grading |
As previous grading |
KUGB Grading Rules
A useful section of the KUGB website which details grading rules and eligibility criteria.