Black belt exams

[Brandon Fisher]

The rank testing in my dojo is more mental than physical I get them to the point where they feel like they are not going to be able to continue but they are able to. Its running the required waza and kata hard that gets them to this point. This is testing how well they really know the material. I have some tough black belts also but they got theirs ranks by training hard and I mean real hard with the required material.

[New Beginner]

I agree with Oldskoul. My own Dan gradings were all extremely hard, and they are times that i will never, ever forget. I believe that high level gradings should be a test of character as much as a test of technique and strength. Technical proficiency accompanied by a swaggering and cocky attitude, or simple over-confidence would not be what i would want to see from a shodan, although I admit I had elements of that attitude myself as a shodan, it is a new start after all, a beginner's grade.

I don't believe harsh gradings at Dan level are to simply break people down like you would a raw military recruit. It can be relatively easy for students to turn up at the dojo weekly and train fairly hard, but the grading has to be very hard to see how far the student is willing to push him or herself, to see how much it really means to them, to see whether they are just 'good' because they are able to do everything asked or if they have the maturity and mettle to dig deep beyond the point where they may be just 'going through the motions'. Ultimately, it is an achievement and nothing more, it's the person that makes the grade and not vice versa. Some very well respected karate-ka that i know have failed shodan gradings simply because they were not ready, even though they were brilliant.

[bbk2132]

All of the basics.

Then crazy combonations that are ment to confuse you.

Then Kata and Bunkai.

Then you spar every blackbelt there, and all of the black belts are supposed to show.

Then bag work

Then push-ups, sit-ups, squats, leg raises, and every other kind of warm up drill.

I did 150 push-ups for my jr. Shodan. And a guy was testing for nidan with me and broke some ribs during sparring. It was intense.

[username8697]

For us it goes as follows you have to do the following in front of a o panel of 6 judges..

1. K I H O N

(5 steps counted- turn around - 5 steps no counting)

1. OI ZUKI (CHUDAN).

2. SAN REN ZUKI (JODAN - CHUDAN - CHUDAN).

3. AGE UKE - GYAKU ZUKI (CHUDAN).

4. UCHI UDE UKE - KIZAMI ZUKI (JODAN) - GYAKU ZUKI (CHUDAN).

5. SOTO UKE (ZEN KUTSU DACHI) - YOKO EMPI UCHI (KIBA DACHI ou

SHIKO DACHI en YORI ACHI) - URAKEN UCHI (JODAN same arm and return to ZEN KUTSU DACHI).

6. GEDAN BARAÏ - URAKEN UCHI (JODAN même bras) - GYAKU ZUKI

(CHUDAN).

1. MAE GERI (CHUDAN)

2. MAWASHI GERI (CHUDAN ou JODAN)

3. YOKO GERI KEKOMI (CHUDAN en KIBA DACHI ou SHIKO DACHI )

4. MAE GERI (CHUDAN) + MAWASHI GERI (CHUDAN or JODAN).

5. MAWASHI GERI (CHUDAN or JODAN) + USHIRO GERI (CHUDAN).

6. MAE GERI (CHUDAN) - YOKO GERI KEKOMI (GEDAN, CHUDAN or JODAN )

7. SHUTO UKE (CHUDAN in NEKO ASHI DACHI ou KOKUTSU

DACHI) - JUN GERI - KIZAMI MAE GERI (CHUDAN)

GYAKU NUKITE (CHUDAN en ZENKUTSU DACHI)

2. K A T A

One pinan or heinan randomly chosen (dice)

+ one superior kata of your choice

A. JYU IPPON KUMITE left and /or right :

1. OI ZUKI JODAN

2. OI ZUKI CHUDAN

3. MAE GERI CHUDAN

4. MAWASHI GERI CHUDAN or JODAN

5. YOKO GERI CHUDAN

6. USHIRO GERI CHUDAN

7. URA MAWASHI GERI JODAN or CHUDAN (jambe arrière)

+ 6 * 2 minutes kumite with different partners..

[Rick_72]

5. 1 hour and 30 minutes of kumite{every 5 minutes i give the brown belts a fresh black belt,i rotate the black belts out,so when your fighting you have to keep fighting rested/water'd black belts.

thats the test its hard and for good reason

I would love to see that portion of your test. After completing everything else, than attempting to go that long in continuous sparring.

I did 20 minutes of continuous sparring for my Shodan test and I was shocked at how tiring it was, and we start our test with that sparring.

I've been through Marine Corps bootcamp, so I understand that the human body and mind can continue a lot longer than most people give themselves credit for, but your test seems a little super human to me. I love to see it done.

[bushido_man96]

5. 1 hour and 30 minutes of kumite{every 5 minutes i give the brown belts a fresh black belt,i rotate the black belts out,so when your fighting you have to keep fighting rested/water'd black belts.

thats the test its hard and for good reason

I would love to see that portion of your test. After completing everything else, than attempting to go that long in continuous sparring.

I did 20 minutes of continuous sparring for my Shodan test and I was shocked at how tiring it was, and we start our test with that sparring.

I've been through Marine Corps bootcamp, so I understand that the human body and mind can continue a lot longer than most people give themselves credit for, but your test seems a little super human to me. I love to see it done.

Have you read about some of the kyokushin kumites in testings? Sometimes 20 man, and the real crazy one is the 40 man, and reportedly, there is only one person who completed it.

Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai#Multi-man_kumite

[Rick_72]

Have you read about some of the kyokushin kumites in testings? Sometimes 20 man, and the real crazy one is the 40 man, and reportedly, there is only one person who completed it.

Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai#Multi-man_kumite

Very impressive!

Oh, and I wasn't saying it wasn't true, just that I'd love to watch it is all.

[bushido_man96]

Have you read about some of the kyokushin kumites in testings? Sometimes 20 man, and the real crazy one is the 40 man, and reportedly, there is only one person who completed it.

Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai#Multi-man_kumite

Very impressive!

Oh, and I wasn't saying it wasn't true, just that I'd love to watch it is all.

No worries. I understood what you were saying.

[sonofkanga]

5. 1 hour and 30 minutes of kumite{every 5 minutes i give the brown belts a fresh black belt,i rotate the black belts out,so when your fighting you have to keep fighting rested/water'd black belts.

thats the test its hard and for good reason

I would love to see that portion of your test. After completing everything else, than attempting to go that long in continuous sparring.

I did 20 minutes of continuous sparring for my Shodan test and I was shocked at how tiring it was, and we start our test with that sparring.

I've been through Marine Corps bootcamp, so I understand that the human body and mind can continue a lot longer than most people give themselves credit for, but your test seems a little super human to me. I love to see it done.

Have you read about some of the kyokushin kumites in testings? Sometimes 20 man, and the real crazy one is the 40 man, and reportedly, there is only one person who completed it.

Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai#Multi-man_kumite

I study Kyokushin.

Shodan-10 man kumite

Nidan-20

Sandan-30

Yondan-40

Godan-50

Everyone that holds the rank has done it.

A few have even gone for http://www.australiankyokushin.com/kumite.shtml

[Brandon Fisher]

Kyokushin is pretty famous for 100 man kumite.