Approach to grading

[aurik]

Our road to the dan level grading is much tougher than the grading itself.  Before the grading, candidates must attend an extra class per week for a minimum of 12 weeks.  That class focuses only on the required elements on the test.  The instructor runs the class as a perfectionist; he (or she) will provide frequent corrections which the candidate is expected to quickly incorporate prior to being approved for testing.  The classes are nominally an hour each, but they frequently run to 1:15 or 1:30, depending on the number of students.

Assuming the students pass the prep cycle (some wash out due to being unable to keep the 12-week commitment), the test itself is pretty straightforward.  The candidates demonstrate their techniques in rank order -- the most senior candidates will demonstrate last.  The test starts with sanchin and the candidates' rank kata, individually.  Next the candidates will demonstrate their yakusoku kumite, kote kitae, and bunkai in pairs.  The candidates then perform hojo undo as a group and then have an oral exam.  Finally, the candidates will be paired off for one or more sparring rounds.

As a general rule, black belt tests will take about 2 hours, possibly a bit longer if candidates have to re-demonstrate multiple times (occasionally an instructor will ask a candidate to re-demonstrate a technique).