Judoka seeking promotion to any  Dan grade may be graded over several sessions, covering Kyu gradings and normal training sessions.

Seniors grading to 1st Dan or above will be assessed by a panel of Dan grades

Judoka wishing to be raised to 1^st Dan must have held their last Kyu grade for a minimum of 12-months

All judoka seeking promotion to a Dan grade should show their commitment to Blackwater JC by

• holding a current 1st aid certificate,
• be able to referee at club level
• participate in teaching at club level
• assisted at club events
• be prepared to demonstrate and/or teach  any technique(s) from the Blackwater Syllabus
  • candidates who regularly compete at external Judo Competitions may, at Sensei’s discretion, be excused from some Kata elements.
• Either (1) hold a club coaching award (2) evidence of competition entry (3) evidence of high level teaching ability

In addition:

1st Dans – Full Nage-no-Kata

– also be required to demonstrate or show evidence of ability to teach Katame-no-kata and Nage-no-kata

– and 2 techniques not included in the Blackwater syllabus

– and present 2-weeks prior to the grading a 6-week training plain for both juniors and seniors

– and teach 1 club session from the 6-week training session picked by the Dan grade panel 1-week prior to the formal grading

2nd Dans – will be required to show/teach 2 katas, Katame-no-Kata and Kaeshi-Kata

– and 4 techniques not included in the Blackwater syllabus

– and act out 2 scenarios as requested by the Dan grade panel

– teach 2-groups simultaneously as picked by the Dan grade panel 1-week prior to the formal grading

3rd Dans – will be required to show/teach 3 katas (to include either Go-no-sen or Ju-no-Kata)

– and 6 techniques not included in the Blackwater syllabus

– and explain the warm up and cool down processes and why they are carried out

– and take Mokosu

4^th Dans – will be required to show/teach 4 katas of the Students choice

– and demonstrate the Recovery Position

– and demonstrate the process of dealing with a potential broken clavicle

– and explain to the class of students the meaning and foundation of Judo

5^th Dan and above must show evidence of knowledge of additional Katas either demonstrating or teaching

5^th Dans – will primarily be raised based on the following criteria

–          has held the status of 4^th Dan for a period of no less than 3-years

–          written nominations from no less than 5-judoka of 1^st Kyu and above at least 2-weeks prior to the formal grading

–          provide a written paper on their career in judo of no more than 1 A4 side paper using font Times New Roman 12pt

–          be prepared to demonstrate/teach 10 techniques of the grading panels choice to a mixture of differing grades

–          demonstrate a kata not previously shown

6^th Dans and above – Recommendations and Nominations

–          has held the status of 5^th Dan for a period of no less than 3-years