Minimum Requirement for First Degree

[ShoriKid]

Do you have any details you'd like to share? Do you perform your katas? All of them or a certain one? Do you spar or have physical requirements? (Certain amount of push-ups, or chin-ups etc.)

There was a full break down of the testing for shodan over on the testing forums, but I can elaborate if you like.

As to the kata's? You can be required to run all of them, or some, and they weren't in order when the first group went through the promotion. They were called up and kata from the required list were asked of them. They might do 1 or 2 different ones and then sit down while someone else came up and did their's. Then, back up and do more kata.

As for the physical requirements, on the run, the ideal is 16min to 16:30. For the push ups and sit ups, there isn't really a minimal number that has been state(100 push ups or you fail!), but if your not putting out maximum effort, your not going to make it. Anyone who hasn't hit 75 or better push ups or set ups in their first round isn't going to make it though. Not with the effort required. Random sets of push ups and sit ups are sprinkled throughout the testing.

There is sparring, and grappling and mixed rounds as well. On paper it's 5, 3min rounds of each. In practice you get about 4+ rounds with the instructors and other students that go until you can't continue due to exhaustion and/or being hit. Contact was "medium to hard" with bells rung all around, both in those testing and those being tested. One poor guy got asked if a raccoon taught him to block, with both eyes blacked.

[Truestar]

Sounds like a good test to me. Our school has recently gotten back into the harder stuff. It used to be the day where nobody whined about getting hurt. Some of us are getting into that life now. No pads light contact sparring into take-downs whenever you can set up then into grappling. If you can get up into sparring again, you do. That's the kind of stuff the more advanced students are doing in our school.

For my black belt test the group was somewhat fragile (younger guys and girl going for different belts) and unfortunately nobody else was ready for black. But stuff like that has been included in some of our tests. Hopefully if I test for 2nd Dan it will be with the current black belts who are currently a rough group.

[ShoriKid]

For my black belt test the group was somewhat fragile (younger guys and girl going for different belts) and unfortunately nobody else was ready for black

Hate to hear that for you man. With any promotion we do, it's an open invite to any black belt or instructor in the schools we associate with. Training partners we know from outside the school can be invited as well if your willing to stand good for them and their behavior.

[tori]

For shodan:

Must demonstrate correctly all blocks, stances, strikes correctly from white to black.

Must demonstrate all kata from white to black.

Must defend oneself against 50 punch attacks, showing a different technique for each.

Must demontrate self defense against all kicks

Must demonstrate all releases learned from white to black (I think there are 20 different releases.)

Must be able to pass the physical exam:

sparring all people testing and black belts who are witness to test.

150 push ups

150 situps

300 jumping jacks

50 squat thrust

5 minutes continuous on work out bag

all kicks learned - 25 on each leg.

100 punches from low horse stance

and

board breaking.

The requirements get much harder from shodan to nidan and even worse from nidan to sandan.

[pittbullJudoka]

Do you have any details you'd like to share? Do you perform your katas? All of them or a certain one? Do you spar or have physical requirements? (Certain amount of push-ups, or chin-ups etc.)

There was a full break down of the testing for shodan over on the testing forums, but I can elaborate if you like.

Here's the link to the entire break down for the first black belts at the Makotokan Dojo:

http://www.karateforums.com/what-s-in-your-black-belt-grading-vt32866.html

It was worth every minute of suffering.

[Bushido58266]

our test for 1st degree in chun kuk do is about 3 to 4 hours long consisting of:

-forms:

keecho hyung il boo, keecho hyung e boo san gup, keecho hyung sam boo, pyung ahn cho dan, pyung ahn ee dan, pyung ahn sam dan, pyung ahn sah dan, pyung ahn oh dan, bassai dai, UFAF form 1, UFAF form 2, bo staff kata mahaba baston inyueza (is the best way i can spell it)

-Street combative techniques

-Weapon defense

-Sparring

-Jiu jitsu

-judo takedowns

i believe thats about it

there is one thing that i dont agree with and that is there is no age requirement. we have 9 to 15 year old black belts, i believe we should have an age requirement of at least 16. im not denying their talents but i just think they are to young and received their belts to quickly. some within 4 years! but its not up to me UFAF wont change that

[Traymond]

In alot of schools that I have been apart of, the requirements differ, but they never turn down a black belt because of their age. My requirements in my schools are.

Know all 25 main forms.

You must be able to break atleast two bricks, and four, one inch boards. And atleast ten lbs of ice compacted in a block.

You must know all 10 basic weapon forms

You must be able to defend against all lower belts, that are present that day, (which is not much do to the fact that my classes are less than 20 people now)

And finally you must know all commands in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean as well. I dont stress to much on the korean or chinese since the most influence are in the japanese arts.

[Wa-No-Michi]

In my group, the requirement for shodan are "technically" less complicated than for 1st kyu.

Theory being that up to 1st Kyu you should have covered (academically at least) virtualy all of your school's syllabus.

1st dan (in our group anyway) is a demonstration that you have a better undersatnding and ability to perform "fundamental" techniques more accurately.

Through 2nd, 3rd and 4th dan etc., is when you consolidate the techniques found within the entire syllabus.

[Bushido-Ruach]

In our class, first degree regime is as follows...

 

All ten forms done correctly (each one following the belt stage one-step form applications: basic one-steps, one-steps utilizing simultaneous block/strikes, joint locks, take-downs, multiple hits, pressure points, joint dislocations, breaks, vital point (dim muk) strikes, weapon (their choice, either knife, dagga, pen, or escrima).

 

Rolls and falls.

 

All blocking and cleansing techniques.

 

All belt specific targets.

 

Body mechanics as it has to do with reaction to hits, balance disruption, etc.

 

Defense against weapons (un-armed and armed).

 

Proficient in sticky hands forms (basic, balancing, pressure point, vital point)

 

All 1,023 one-step techniques (rank specific) - each rank has between 101 and 136 one-step techniques.

 

All vital point strikes: the target, the affect, the counter measure (if any).

 

Must demonstrate the ability to proficiently defend themself against an attacker (me!).

 

Must demonstrate the ability to teach and lead others.

 

Must demonstrate the 12 tenets of the Code of Bushido (benevolence, bravery, respectful, devoted, faithfulness, honesty, integrity, honorable, upright, self-control, self-discipline, and sincerity).

 

[Traymond]

Shodan in Shinchuurou Te

Must be able to Demonstrate All Katas up to Shodan level (17) And must be able to demonstrate Bunkai and Oyo Bunkai of the first ten katas/

Must know weapon forms

First four Sai Kata

First Four Bo Kata

First Four Ekue Kata

and First two Three Section Staff

Ability to go through Uechi Ryu Sanchin Kata (Kitae) at full force.

Must be able to demonstrate that he or she can walk away from a fight if it is within their safety to do so.

Must show maturity within and out of the Dojo.

They also need to be able to spar and defeat four lower ranks and must be able to score once on a higher rank.

They must recite the Dojo Kun and they must also know the creed of the school, and they must also be able to draw our school emblem, the Tachibana.

They must also know all the names of the Blackbelts within the school, and the forefathers of Shinchuurou Te such as

Gichin Funakoshi

Kanei Uechi

Chojun Miyagi

Huo Yuan Jia

Morihei Ueshiba

and

Yip Man

Then the three highest ranking black belts within the school score you and let you know within the next two weeks.