How do you run your gradings as an Instructor

[Nidan Melbourne]

Like the header says how do you run your gradings as an instructor?

Do you have your instructors sit behind a table and have one roaming (or all sitting) or all the instructors roaming whilst one is up front giving instructions to candidates?

During the grading what is your favorite part of it? As in you like the kumite the most or kata or whatever else you have to test students.

Also what is your least favorite part of gradings aswell?

Personally my favorite is a tie between kata and kumite, as i specialize in kata at my dojo and i love kumite as an instructor (and as a student as well) because i can really pressure students into working their absolute hardest.

Our instructors (all of them) roam making sure students are performing the techniques the best they can, and to ensure they aren't slacking off at all.

my least favorite part of the grading is the combinations because it can be tedious to think of combinations that are hard enough to really test students but also easy enough for them to manage

[jaypo]

Our Master Instructor conducts the exam up front while an assistant instructor sits behind the table. We're a small(ish) club, so we don't have the personnel to have multiple people roaming. So he does that himself, and an assistant does the "paperwork" part of it!

[Nidan Melbourne]

Thats nice and easy there jaypo! I'd so prefer being on the mat interacting with the participants

[wayneshin]

We always have many Black Belts in attendance but I normally run the majority if the grading myself.

I also prefer to be up and interacting with the students but I will occasionally allocate one of my Instructors to take portions so I can take a load off. Grading days are long!

My favorite part. I love seeing the new white belts. And of course Kumite!

[devil dog]

I do both. I roam during kata, bunkai, oyo and Kihon and sit and observe during kumite and covering terminology.

[FangPwnsAll7]

My instructor sits behind a table with three other instructors and runs a belt test.

[Nidan Melbourne]

We always have many Black Belts in attendance but I normally run the majority if the grading myself.

I also prefer to be up and interacting with the students but I will occasionally allocate one of my Instructors to take portions so I can take a load off. Grading days are long!

My favorite part. I love seeing the new white belts. And of course Kumite!

Kumite is always a fun one to watch. When I see advanced students fight I anticipate what they will do with their opponent. I wish to see some form of takedown or throw.

[sensei8]

What I speak about now, has been born in me for such a long time. So long now, that I forget about the modern world that we all live in. My ways, are my ways, but there's a lot of Soke and Dai-Soke inside of me, and this includes how I run a testing cycle.

Barbaric, at times, but effective! Barbaric? How so? Well, everything is covered during any testing cycle no matter the rank, and I mean everything. Every stance, punch, block, strike, kick, posture, every nook and granny, EVERYTHING, no exceptions.

I sit at the center of any given table. With some exceptions. If I'm visiting a Shindokan dojo, I'll sit just to right of the center position; yielding the center to the hosting CI. At the Hombu's annual testing cycle; Greg and I share the center by taking turns during the two week cycle. Greg's our Kancho [Vice-President] as well as the Hombu's CI, I'm the Kaicho [President].

Our table accompaniment usually consists of no less than 3, but I usually will sit 5 at the table plus myself; at my dojo, those at the table must be no lower than Sandan, at minimum. The more eyes, the more is seen. Only I can halt any testing cycle before it's completed; rare, but its happened before.

Anyone testing for Godan and above must test at the Hombu, no exceptions!!

Testing for Godan requires 5, at minimum, at the testing table, plus Greg and/or myself. Rokudan and Nanadan, 7, at minimum, at the testing table, plus Greg and/or myself.

Both at the Hombu, as well as my own dojo, we've a sprinkle of Dan level's walking around, known as "seconds". They're job is to aide anyone on the floor with any technique and/or application requiring demonstrations or whatever else is required.

Neither the Hombu or my own dojo run groups! It's one testing candidate at a time, no matter how long it takes. Time isn't an essence!!

Anyone and everyone's welcomed, once their request of testing has been approved, to test at the Hombu's annual testing cycle in June/July. Rank testing up to Godan are broken-down up into as many "rings"/area's as necessary in order to cover the large amount of testing candidates; we average over 250 for the entirety of the cycle annually. However, Godan and above, are tested in one "ring"/area, and either Greg or myself must be at the center table. "Seconds" are available no matter the ranks testing; we accomplish that because we've a ton of BB in the pool to pull from.

My favorite is the Tuite portions; always interesting in the Oyo rounds because I never know what I'm going to see.

My least? Well, I don't really have a least. I suppose, if I'm nailed down for an answer, it might be, well, whenever I have to fail someone, at it happens at every testing cycle. That's the brutality and reality of any testing cycle!!