All “Little Dragon’s” and “Young Samurai’s” will progress through 7 different coloured belts before achieving black belt status for their appropriate age group.
In order to pass their next belt, they must earn 4 black tips on their previous belt.
For example, as a beginner they will be issued with a (FREE) white belt. Their aim is to learn and perfect 4 different tasks. Each task completed earns them a black tip. Once they have 4 black tips, they can attempt their yellow belt and so on.
Upon joining the club, all “Little Dragon’s and “Young Samurai’s” are issued with a professionally made booklet which is a permanent record of their progress. It is also their guide as to what techniques they need to practice and perfect for each tip or full grade. This is an excellent tool for the student’s and their parents to know exactly how they are progressing. It is also the perfect way for the Karate teacher (Sensei) to know exactly where each individual student is at in their progress. These grading booklets are exclusive to Zenshin Karate and are the result of many years of development and research into how students of various age groups learn and progress. We are proud to say that we are one of the few Karate clubs in the UK to have implemented a separate grading system for children and adults. After passing each tip (or belt) the Sensei puts a proposed date in the book for their next grading. This way every student has a defined goal to achieve.
Zenshin Karate Club operates three specific grading systems each tailored to a specific age group.
Each Syllabus is laid out in an easy to follow fashion in a language aimed directly at the relevant age group
All three systems overlap, so a "Little Dragon" can progress through to a "Senior" student seamlessly, building confidence and skills as they go.
4 to 8 Year Olds
9 to 13 Year Olds
14 Years and Older
FOR MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE ADULT SYLLABUS PLEASE CLICK ON THE RELEVANT BELT COLOUR ABOVE
To help with your understanding of the system here is a basic explanation of how it works.
Adult students also start off as a white belt but have 10 grades to pass before earning black belt status. Upon joining the club, they are also issued with a syllabus booklet. Like the chidlrens booklets, it outlines what techniques they need to practice and perfect for their next grade and has a proposed date for their next grading, so they have a defined goal to achieve. Where as the childrens grades are broken down into tips, the senior grades are not. They have a full listing of all the techniques they are required to show to achieve their next grade.
1) All attendance by every student is tracked on a weekly basis.
2) Students are listed for tips gradings based on whether they train once a week or if they train multiple times per week .There is no difference for students training twice a week to students training 3 or 4 times a week. The system we use categorises students into once a week, twice (or more) a week or somewhere in between the two. It then uses this average to decide on time frames suitable for grading.
3) The grading tip list is produced as a suggestion for students to grade and are entered in a student's book. These dates are in no way absolute. The date in the book is essentially a date that the student could tip in class if they continue to train at the level they are currently training at. If they miss a class or two this will move the date backwards in time. Obviously we cannot keep changing the books each week so the book date is for a guide only. Furthermore if a Sensei does not feel a student is ready for that tip grading on the date then they do not grade the student and they will have to wait for the next week or two. The date does not mean the child is ready or has the ability for passing that tip. That is up to the child to prove to the Sensei at class.
4) As the students move through their grades the time between tips and full belts gradually increases to allow them to adjust to what lies ahead in the more advanced systems and hopefully by then they appreciate the skills they are learning not just the rewards via tips and belts.
5) The difference in technique of someone training twice a week to someone training three or four times a week is not so great but their understanding and knowledge of the techniques will be better and will become a great benefit once a student has passed their black belt.
We discourage parents to try to push their children through the grades, doing so will put too much emphasis on the grades rather than the new stuff they can learn and they will become poor or average black belts, not the best black belts, which ultimately is what we all want our children to be.