Grading Syllabus
We follow a standard Shotokan karate grading/belt colour system.
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10th Kyu / White Belt – (Beginner)
9th Kyu / Orange Belt
8th Kyu / Red Belt
7th Kyu / Yellow Belt
6th Kyu / Green Belt
5th Kyu / Purple Belt
4th Kyu / Purple Belt with White Stripe
3rd Kyu / Brown Belt
2nd Kyu / Brown Belt with White Stripe
1st Kyu / Brown Belt with 2 x White Stripes
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1st Dan / Black Belt
2nd Dan / Black Belt
3rd Dan / Black Belt ……
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If you have trained previously with another club, you are welcome to wear the last belt you graded to. We will work with you to begin preparing for your next grading. However, if it has been a while since you last trained, you may choose to repeat some earlier gradings to bring yourself back up to speed.
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Beginner-level gradings occur every 3–4 months. Higher-level gradings occur every 6 months. Grading fees vary depending on the amount of time involved in the grading. However, we understand that for many—especially families with several members training or grading—costs can mount, so we keep grading fees to a minimum.
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Gradings are an exciting time for the club—a celebration of progress. We will not put you forward to grade unless we have prepared you thoroughly. However, anyone can have a bad day and may need to quickly repeat a specific part of a grading—this does happen. You only pay for a grading once; if you need to redo any part of that grading, you don't have to pay again.
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Sport karate clubs typically promote students to black belt faster than self-defence-based karate clubs, as they focus on competition and train in a narrower range of point-scoring techniques. We are not a sport karate or competition club—we focus on practical application in real-world scenarios. We explore the full breadth of karate techniques, including close-quarter combat, ground defence, joint and limb control, weapons defence, dealing with multiple attackers, and psychological preparedness.
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Developing this breadth and depth of understanding takes time. In our club, with consistent training, you can expect to reach 1st Dan in about five years. Please note: the times in the table below are minimum times.
