The Journey....   

Why Grade?

• Gradings are a part of Karate and other martial arts alike. That said, not everyone has to grade.
• It is perfectly fine to just train, however most will want to progress through the belts and ultimately obtain the highly coveted black belt.

When and Where are the Gradings?

• Gradings are held every 3 months and are normally the 2nd Sunday of the month concerned. That said, speak to your club instructor, go to our events page or check the ESKA website (www.eska.org.uk) for exact dates/times.
  
• The venue for gradings is at the Stevenage Honbu (Headquarters) Dojo located inside Stevenage Lifestyles Leisure centre underneath the Gordon Craig Theatre.  Address: Stevenage Lifestyles, Lytton Way, Stevenage SG1 1LZ

How many Belts are there?

• This depends on if you are an adult (14 belts) or junior (19 belts).  For Adults (ages 16+) there are slightly less belts but the gradings are more difficult. 
• You can find details of all of the belts and what you need to do in order to pass your grading, in the ESKA Grading Syllabus. This can be purchased from your club instructor.
• At ESKA beginners wear a white belt, after the student has learnt the initial basics, they are then graded to 10th Kyu (Blue Belt).

2.   Correctly Licenced

• You must have an up-to-date ESKA Karate licence. Your licence is proof of your insurance and you need to ensure you have renewed your licence for the current year. Speak to your club instructor if you are unsure.

3.  Know your Grading Syllabus

• You must know everything you will be asked to perform at your grading. Initially gradings will be conducted in English, but as you progress the examiners will move to Japanese without guidance.

4.  Have your instructors permission

• This is the most important point. You must have your instructor’s consent to grade. They are experts in Karate and will know if you are likely to pass or not based on how you are performing in the class. Yes mistakes and problems happen on the day, but if you are consistently delivering a good standard of Karate then you should be fine.

So What’s the Process?

What happens at the Grading?

• There is no need to sign in at the grading, just arrive slightly before your start time and depending on your grade, you will be called for a warm up.
• Once the warm-up has finished you will be split off into your belt colours for grading and an examiner or instructor will walk you to your grading table.  The Sensei leading the grading will lead the session.
• Ensure you listen carefully and show great spirit “OSS!”