3. Gradings – Members of Provincial Ju-Jitsu Affiliates
All gradings up to and including Nidan (2nd Dan) shall be Provincial gradings, 7 days notice of which (inclusive of the names of the provincial grading panel members) is required. The Board reserves the right to appoint an official observer to attend such gradings for control and ratification purposes. Such observer may be a member of the Provincial grading panel.
All gradings from Sandan to Yondan shall be national gradings, and shall be held annually, normally in October/November. Provinces shall submit their lists of applicants, with the date of last grading, in writing 1 month prior to the gradings. The Board shall appoint a national grading panel or panels of at least 2, usually 3 members each to officiate at these gradings. Grading panels so appointed shall be empowered to grade up to one grade below the lowest graded member of the panel.
Note: Copies of individual club syllabi shall be provided prior to each grading. Such syllabi shall comply with the minimum standard requirement for the relevant grade as defined in Part 2 of this Procedure.
Gradings of Godan and above are international gradings and will be held when required by the full Technical Board Executive, which is empowered to award such grades based on the following criteria:-
a. Proven practical ability (may be accepted fully or in part from previous grades).
b. Contributions to Ju-Jitsu on Provincial/National/International on an administrative and/or technical basis.
c. Elapsed time between grades. This is nominally 1 year per next Dan grade. In the case of dedicated and/or exceptional contribution to Ju-Jitsu (refer sections a. and d.) this period may be reduced by 1 year at the discretion of the Technical Board in consultation with the Council Executive. (e.g. a Sandan may be considered for Yondan after 3 years, although the nominal elapsed time is 4 years. It should also be noted that the nominal elapsed period is not limited upwards, and depends on continuous involvement in Ju-Jitsu.) For grades of Rokudan upwards, an absolute minimum elapsed time of 5 years shall be applied.
d. General attitude and conduct. This includes self-development as well as development of Ju-Jitsu as an art.
Further, the Board may, during local or overseas visits, arrange Dan gradings by international masters, subject to acceptance by the applicant and in conjunction with the Provincial Panel concerned. Rejection of such arrangements by the applicant may, however, result in that grading being delayed.
Special gradings from Sandan to Yondan may be held at any time, subject to 72 hours notice, in exceptional circumstances only. The merits of each case shall be decided by the Technical Board Executive, who will appoint a grading panel as defined in clause 3.2 above. In remote or distant areas, the Board may authorise only one (1) representative to constitute a grading panel. In this case, however, only grades of up to two (2) grades below that of the grading panel may be awarded.
Junior Black Belt gradings will be conducted under the following conditions only:-
Special written motivational reasoning for the grading containing syllabus details, training information and dates/details of previous grades shall be submitted 3 months prior to the grading. The student shall be at least 13 years old at the time of the grading. The student will be required to grade for senior Shodan on reaching 17 years of age (senior level)
Gradings conducted outside of this Board while a member of the Council.
a) Locally : Below Sandan (3rd Dan) these are the responsibility of the Provincial Grading Panels, and are dealt with under those procedures.
For Grades of Sandan and above, the Board shall, on receipt of written advice of the proposed grading at least one (1) month in advance, advise the provincial body concerned in writing regarding the acceptability of the proposed grading. On acceptance the panel shall appoint a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of three (3) observers to attend the grading for control purposes. The Board further reserves the right to demand full Ju-Jitsu particulars of the proposed grading master(s) prior to final acceptance. A signed copy of the grading sheet shall be submitted to the Board.
b) Abroad : Below Sandan (3rd Dan) these are the responsibility of the Provincial Grading Panels, and are dealt with under those procedures.
For Grades of Sandan and above, the Board shall, on receipt of written advice of the proposed grading at least one (1) month in advance, advise the provincial body concerned in writing regarding the acceptability of the proposed grading. The Board further reserves the right to demand full Ju-Jitsu particulars of the proposed grading master(s) prior to final acceptance and to appoint an observer to attend the grading. A signed copy of the grading sheet shall be submitted to the Board
Any gradings conducted without any prior notification and sanction will not be recognised by the Council and will be subject to full re-grading or ratification assessment by the Panel at its discretion.
4. Gradings obtained outside of this Council prior to affiliation.
Such gradings will be assessed by the Panel subject to receipt of the relevant documentation, which shall furnish proof of all such grades including dates and grading master(s). The Panel reserves the right to demand details of grading master(s) and/or to require a ratification assessment at its discretion.
5. Gradings – Members of Related Martial Arts (not Ju-Jitsu).
All such gradings of Shodan upward, or their equivalents, shall be the responsibility of the Administrators and Technical Controllers of the martial art concerned. The Panel shall require at least one (1) month prior advice of such gradings and may appoint an observer, who shall be at least one (1) Ju-Jitsu grade higher than the highest grade being attempted, to attend the grading(s)
Panel representatives attending gradings shall observe for control and standard purposes only, and shall not interfere with the gradings in any way. Any irregularities observed shall be reported to the Panel for action.
6. Referees & Judges.
Courses shall be provided in order to raise and maintain standards and to provide instruction in accepted forms of competition.
7. Courses and seminars.
Courses and seminars in Ju-Jitsu and other Martial Arts shall be held to broaden knowledge and to raise and maintain standards.
8. Belt Colours
The belts for Dan grades shall be as follows:
Shodan (1st Dan) Black belt with 1 red stripe on one end of belt
Nidan (2nd Dan) Black belt with 2 red stripes
Sandan (3rd Dan) Black belt with 3 red stripes
Yondan (4th Dan) Black belt with 4 red stripes
Godan (5th Dan) Red and Black sectioned belt
Rokudan (6th Dan) Red and White sectioned belt
Shichidan (7th Dan) Black belt with red centre stripe along length
Hachidan (8th Dan) Red belt with black centre stripe along length
Kudan (9th Dan) To be advised
Judan (10th Dan) To be advised