Color Belt Curriculum Breakdown

[Montana]

As always, I'm the oddball in the group. I've taught hundreds of "kids" between 6 and 17 years of age. Classes ran 2 hours long, twice/week. No water breaks, bathroom only if they couldn't wait.

My curriculum was the same in both the adult class, and children's class, regardless if you were first day white belt, or 20 year black belt. We ALL did the same thing.

Essentially, the first 20 minutes consisted of basics, warmup exercises, and stretches. By the time we were done, you should be sweating pretty darn good! lol

Then we'd work on several things, from practical self-defense techniques, to 1 steps, 2 steps, combinations, etc.

Then we'd do kata, starting with our first kata, all the way thru the highest any of my students knew.

Lastly, we'd spar until class ended.

My students knew the routine, knew what was next, and worked hard. The only testing requirements I had as white belt, basic kicks, blocks, stance, walking and first kata. After that it was based on attendance, effort and skills improvement since their last test. They all knew what they needed more work on, and if they didn't fix it, they didn't test. Period.

That's the way my sensei taught us. That's the way his sensei did it in his dojo in Okinawa, and it's good enough for me.

I've always worked on the KISS method.

Keep It Simple Stupid

[Spartacus Maximus]

For some reason that isn’t quite clear, it seems like there is much less organized curriculum requirements in Okinawan dojos. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the number of belts/grades was very small before Sho Dan. White, blue, green, then brown.

Everyone was expected to learn the Naihanchi and Pinan within the first year and every one trained those according to their level of understanding of the bunkai/application. 

From Sho Dan onwards in no specific order each person learned Passai Sho/dai, Kusanku Sho/dai, Chinto, Seisan, Gojushiho and Teisho