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Gradings
at the
Wado Academy
are detailed below in terms of colour sequences and
average timescales. Before you look at those, it is important to
understand a little bit more about how the gradings work and the
principles behind why you must do them.
Firstly,
all gradings up to, but not including black belt, are done at club
level. This makes it easier for your instructor to give you dedicated
time and feedback after a normal class session and saves you having to
travel long distances to take them. Gradings up to and including 4th
Kyu (Purple belt) will be done by the club instructor at either the
Aldershot,
Farnham or
Haslemere clubs. Brown belt gradings will be done
at one of the above classes by
Sensei Hopkins, however the instructors
have all agreed that you MUST do at least one brown belt grading with a
senior Wado Academy instructor. This could either be with
Sensei
Shiomitsu when he is on a club visit, or at one of the Winter or Summer
courses.
Gradings are designed by their nature to be challenging and perhaps
stressful. The character you show to overcome these challenges and also your nerves, will help
you shape your karate character and spirit over the years that you study
the art. They will also provide you with timely goals and focus over a
regular period, thus giving you achievable aims as you study.
Passing is
of course the ideal, but you should not take a failure as a sign of weakness.
Therefore, you should adopt the attitude that you will come back stronger and
better than before. Should you give up, sulk or go elsewhere for an
easier grading after a failure, you have missed the point and are
showing the weaknesses your instructors are wanting you to overcome!
It should
be noted that the Wado Academy
Dan Gradings for the black
belts are not easy, neither are they designed to be. It has been noted
elsewhere on this website that if you want an easy black belt, then
perhaps you should train and look elsewhere. These gradings are taken exclusively
at the end of a weeks training, at either the Summer course (in
Bideford, Devon)
or the Winter course (in Guildford, Surrey). Many students at the
Aldershot, Farnham and Haslemere clubs have already successfully passed
their black belt examination with the Wado Academy and you can read one
of those persons thoughts and recollections of his experience
here.
The
Dan grading panel currently
consists of the following Sensei’s;
Grading in
front of such a distinguished panel after a whole weeks training ,which
lasts over four hours every day, (not including the early mornings
either!) is both physically and mentally demanding and the pass rate
averages around 30%, for those taking their grades for the first
time. However, if successful, what you will obtain is a black belt of merit, which you
have worked hard for and earned. You will also be awarded it by some of
the most respected karate instructors on the planet, thus making all the
hard work worthwhile. The Academy never give away Dan grades
without you having to put in the hard work and earn it, but remember, there’s no
real point in wearing a black belt if you haven’t done so!
The
following table is shown below to give you a guide of how long on
average; it will take you to progress through each grade. This is based
on an mid-range ability student, training a minimum of twice a week at
the clubs, of which the sessions will last one and a half, to two hours
at a time. You will also need to do additional training in your own
time, to consolidate what you’ve learnt in the lessons.
|
White Belt |
Grade |
An automatic grade when you first start
karate |
|
Red Belt |
9th Kyu |
Grading should be after your first 8-10 lessons
(within 2 months) |
|
Yellow Belt |
8th Kyu |
3 months |
|
Orange Belt |
7th Kyu |
4 months |
|
Green Belt |
6th Kyu |
5 months |
|
Blue Belt |
5th Kyu |
6 months |
|
Purple Belt |
4th Kyu |
6 months |
|
Brown Belt (1st) |
3rd Kyu |
9 months |
|
Brown Belt (2nd) |
2nd
Kyu |
9 months |
|
Brown Belt (3rd) |
1st Kyu |
12 months |
|
Black Belt |
1st Dan |
12/18 months |
As you
can see, it will take around 5 years of dedicated training at both club
level and at the Wado Academy courses, to even start contemplating
sitting your Dan grade exam. It should be noted that all Dan grading
applicants will also be expected to submit an essay, to supplement the
physical test.
You will be expected to grade
for your black belt (1st Dan) and thereon after, up until 5th Dan. From
this point onwards, the Dans are awarded on merit by
Shiomitsu Sensei
or
Grandmaster Ohtsuka.
The
current Wado Academy Dan grade syllabus can be found by clicking
here. |
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