In that case I indeed think it is a good way to pass through grades, funny how that is so different from ours. I have never heard of this way in the netherlands, we always just perform the techniques required for the grade, and the teacher will judge if you have mastered them well enough to be rewarded a higher grade. And that's it, pretty much.. I have never done any sort of match for this (the more time I spend on this forum, the more I feel for getting back into judo )
If only there was an extra day in the week :cry: I feel that as far as gradings go in martial arts, Judo and BJJ have it bang on! A combination of knowledge, skill and ability.
Indeed. Like I said before, in Canada, or at least in Western Canada (it may be different in the east) it is mostly up to the club's discretion to grade you for kyus. When I said I got promoted for beating belts higher than mine, it was throughout a tournament season, not just one or two opponents. This happened at my first club where gradings only happened twice a year, but I was getting graded regardless of skill when for example as a yellow belt I repeatedly beat multiple green belts. Yes I had to still demonstrate the techniques for the belt, but there wasn't much emphasis on it in those instances - I was getting the belt anyways. At the club I'm at now, a kyu grading is done anytime whatsoever in the year, but candidates have to participate in tournaments, do a written exam of vocabulary, and perform all techniques up to and including the belt they are grading for. It's quite interesting to see the differences across the globe for this. Europe seems to have a more structured system of it, but then again Canada tends to be all over the place in most matters anyways I was at a small club in the Netherlands once, and I noticed huge differences in training style. However, most of the members there were a bit timid to train with me since I was from another country...and I'm sure I wasn't better than them all. I would like to visit various judo clubs across Europe when I do go again, hopefully by the end of this year
For better understanding of promotional requirements which combine fighting scores and demonstration of techniques, just check the Kodokan site. In Kodokan you can get 4th Dan solely based on your wins. But after that, waza and kata are mandatory.
