What happens in gradings?

What usually happens in grading sessions? Who judges you and who do you practise on?

 

Depends. ask your sensi

 

Or Sifu, or coach, or Guro........

It depends on the MA you're doing, the organisation you're in, etc, etc.

Some places (like our Kali group) don't even do gradings.

 

Can you give any examples?

 

The requirements for gradings are much to varied to give an accurate answer. Even if you ask for examples, the answers you get are still likely to not be applicable to whatever you are doing. Just ask your instructor.

 

In general, you'll be assessed by somebody with more experience than you to find out whether you've learned the things they consider necessary for a person of your grade.

Anything more than that and the details will vary massively from school/association to school/association.

My last grading involved being assessed by two senior members of the association I belong to, including the chairman, on kihon ("fundemental" combinations), kata (patterns of techniques) and kumite (sparring).

 

Thanks. So you had to do moves or spar with somebody?

 

Well in most places it starts with a virgin sacrifice, then kata and sparring. If you mess up then you have to fight a rancor if not you get a shinny new belt.

 

Anything from having to plod inexpertly through some half arsed techniques and recite dojo codes, to all out sparring with every member of the club depending on where you train.

Where/what do you train? Did you start Krav?

 

I could give you millions. But if you give me more information I could save both our time and be more precise.

 

FYI at last count I'd done something like 40+ different gradings with about 6/7 different arts/orgs.

 

It varies so much from club to club and instructor to instructor - I generally run formal gradings where I check a student's performance against our syllabus - but...

I graded a student a week back - didn't actually tell him he was a Blue Belt till this week - he looked a bit confused till I explained - we did a little evasion exercise at the beginning of last weeks class - I tried to hit him with a jo (four foot long stick) - mainly using it like a billiard cue - i.e. thrusting attacks towards legs, abdomen and chest - his job was to evade the attack by tai sabaki (body movement) - based on that I was able to decide that he has reached the stage where he is ready to start training in Brown Belt techniques which require good movement skills and now add on more strength based techniques.

I don't for one second suggest that my method of grading him was better than any other - it just seemed appropriate this time.

 

Hugs.


edit: No wait you don't do BJJ

 

well you're a lot of help

Yes, do moves required for your grade. For example, when I took the orange belt test that I never passed (but didnt fail either) they, my senseis made us come to the front of the room, and everybody else was in back. They made us stand in horse stance and punch on the spot for a while. Then we went up and down the floor doing our crescent step and our blocks, kicks and punches. For orange belt kick you have to know things like side thrust kicks. Then they had us do both our katas, white belt kata, and then the kata that yellow belts have to know. Then they had us yellow belts face each other and one person punched and the other blocked. One step sparring a a little semi free sparring. (They dont have people at our level do total free sparring.) It doesnt last very long at our level. The senseis then go off and huddle in a group with senior black belts, 3rd degree and up (called senpais) and get their opinion. Then they came back and the senseis make the final decision. Thats about it, in a nutshell.

hope this helps

 

Quite recently we had a rather impressive experience with gradings. The Interstate around Chicago had not been reconstructed since its constructed decades ago. Though one would not realize it now, the entire grade of the roadbed was raised about one to two feet. And, as you might guess the grading was all done with heavy machinery. In addition the roadbed was broadened now allowing 6 lanes in one direction- both north-bound and south-bound.

Not altogether sure what grading has to do with a Martial Arts forum. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

TONG En-chik

 

This is probably the best answer in the thread

Seriously, I don't think anyone can guess what gradings at another school might be like, even within the same style. I can only go as far as to say you'll be demonstrating what you've learned so far...any more details, I can't say. You certainly won't be making pina coladas and doing the hula, that's for sure.

 

probably, yeah a student would ask their sensei. But lets face it. a lot of questions here are ones we could go to people IRL for. but then whats the purpose of a forum if everyone just said go ask your sensei?He asked, I gave what happened at my own Shotokan grading as an example of what happens with us.

 

Yeah but us not being psychic means any answers given are speculative or a total guess.

Had the question been "what happens at YOUR grading" then I could have given more than 4 word.

But since we don't know what belt, style, organisation or anything then anything other than 'you will probably pay more money for an hour than that time you went to Amsterdam and will probably be just as sweaty' is just total guess work.

 

thats true too. of course.

 

The best person to ask is your own instructor.