Fight Ability Testing - How do you guys test?

[lupus yonderboy]

Hi there. I'm just curious how you guys typically test? Is fighting involved, and if so, what are the limits and rules on the fighting for your test?

In BJJ, they typically test by fighting with one another. When a student can "hang" with other guys of the next belt level, he can expect to become that belt very soon.

How do you guys do it? I'm curious to all responses.

[Shotokan-kez]

From brown belt above we have to do 3 minutes of kumite for each grade plus ippon sparring. With the kumite we must score at least once but the main aim is to score 3. Of course my sensei is aware that some of us are better than other, he just expects that a student at least TRY to score if they cant get a point.

[kkennedy219]

At our dojo, we all have to spar for about a minute with one partner, and then we rotate until we've all sparred with every other student. We're all lower ranks, so there's no shots to the head allowed, no elbow strikes or any other hard core stuff.

[DWx]

For my last testing had to do straight sparring against every other person testing. Then had to do 3-onto-1 sparring a couple of times. I understand now that we have to arrange a choreographed (realistic) fight to demonstrate applications and such.

[yingampyang]

The tests proceduse , is different in all styles. Mostly there is a fighting and a kata techniques.

[NightOwl]

last place that I did striking at was a SBGi, and most of the time it was light sparring for warming up and med contact sparring from there. Grappling is done through randori which is usually done from medium to full intensity/resistance.

[tallgeese]

Varies by belt for us.

At the lower levels they have to demostrate proficiency with several self defense movments. There is a spontaneous componant to these even when testing for yellow belt. They also have to deomstre basic movement and strinking.

Sparring is involved at every level, even white to yellow. Free grappling is expected at around green (even though everyone is rolling already, that's where we genrally expect people to have a certain level of comfort).

As one goes up, expect weapons defenses, weapon use, more sparring and grappling and the integration of all fo the above. From purple up, pretty much all self-defense is expected to be spontaneous in nature to randomized attacks. Multiple attackers and such also start to come into play.

For black belt, all of the above plus an hour of sparring plus skill demonstration. This includes stand up, takedown, grapping, MMA. Additionally, weapons sparring is inclused as is the finale of multiple opponant sparrring. It's an enduro beat down by the end.

We don't test people unless we're sure they're gonna pass. They test when they're ready. Pretty much it goes with what was said above about "hanging" with the guys a belt rank above them. We're a spar heavy system, so when someone is going toe to toe with us it's a pretty clear indicator that they're ready.

For me personally, I don't even run a test until purple belt. Until then, it's kind of a verbal "Yeah, you're a (insert color here) belt. Congrats."

I do have guys that are just interested in MMA type stuff, I don't rank them in my primary art. That distiction I still keep seperate for those guys who want to learn the complete system.

[Merciless]

For us, there's the basic tecnhiques, katas, fitness tests and sparring. We spar either someone with a belt higher, or if there is none, someone of the same belt. We have assistants (1-2dans) but they don't spar anyone for the tests.

For self-defence, we are told to do various techniques on someone at the sensei's command. As the higher the belt is, the more techniques. Then there's also a fitness test and sparring, both goju-ryu style, and for the higher belts, more sparring with some contact including to the legs, shins, and can use knees but no elbows to the face.

The sparring lasts longer as the belt is higher.

[swadoryu2000]

For our school, it depends on who we test. For white and yellow belts, we just test wether or not they know the techniques and the kata they have been taught. As long as they can do it and show effort and spirit, then we promote them. As they move on up in the ranks, we teach them how to define those techniques, performing them right, etc. Basically, how I see it, if the student doesn't pass their 9th or 8th kyu testing, it is the instructor's fault. No kumite is required for this test.

But if we are testing the other kyu's, then the insensity increases, the katas they are required to do is more, etc. First, we test them doing progressive and stationary drills (we do this with the white and yellow belts as well, but of course the number and variety of techniques is limited), then kata, then kumite.

For the kumite, it doesn't get very intense unless we are testing the 3rd kyu's and up. One student goes up and do a 3 minute round. After that round, one person bows out and another student (testee) will come up. Sometimes we will have a sensei or a senpai (testers) to spar the testee. Occasionally it will be a 2 on 1 match, but only for the 3rd kyu testee's and up.

[Tiger1962]

At our dojo, we all have to spar for about a minute with one partner, and then we rotate until we've all sparred with every other student. We're all lower ranks, so there's no shots to the head allowed, no elbow strikes or any other hard core stuff.

That's basically more or less how we do it in class too.

Of course when you go to a tournament, even though no contact is the rule, you do see some contact amongst black belt / "dan" levels (both genders) and mostly from the male adults at the lower rank levels.