1. The Provincial Technical Panels, hereinafter referred to as the Panels, shall be responsible for the management and control of all technical matters pertaining to the Province and it’s affiliated members through the auspices of the Technical Board of the South African Ju-Jitsu Council.
2. The Panels shall consist of at least three (3) members. Membership of the Panel shall be by invitation of the Provincial Council, the minimum grade requirement for which shall be Sandan (3rd Dan) in Ju-Jitsu. Members of one grade lower may be accommodated by special dispensation at the discretion of the S.A. Council.
3. Gradings – Members of Provincial Ju-Jitsu Affiliates
Provincial Panels shall determine which kyu grade levels, if any, shall be Club gradings. The Panels reserve 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 up to and including Nidan (i.e. 2nd Dan grades) shall be provincial gradings, 7 days notice of which (inclusive of the names of the provincial grading panel members) is required. The elapsed time between Dan grades is nominally 1 year per next Dan grade. In the case of dedicated and/or exceptional contribution to Ju-Jitsu this period may be reduced by up to 1 year at the discretion of the Provincial Technical Board in consultation with the Provincial Executive (i.e. a Shodan may be considered for Nidan after 1 year, although the nominal elapsed time is 2 years. It should also be noted that the nominal elapsed period is not limited upwards, and depends on continuous involvement in Ju-Jitsu.). The S.A. Technical Board reserves the right to appoint an official observer to attend provincial 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. Provincial Panels/Councils shall submit their lists of applicants, with the date of last grading, in writing 1 month prior to the gradings. The S.A Technical Board shall appoint a 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, subject to the above provisions and limits.
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 National Technical Board, 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 bases.
c. Elapsed time between grades (refer National Technical Board rules).
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 Panels. Rejection of such arrangements by the applicant may, however, result in that grading being delayed.
Special gradings from Shodan to Nidan 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 Provincial Technical Panel, who will appoint a grading panel as defined in clause 3.2 above. In remote or distant areas, the Panel 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 16 years old at the time of the grading. The student will be required to grade for senior Shodan on reaching 18 years of age (senior level)
Gradings conducted outside of this Panel while a member of the Council.
a) Locally : The Provincial Panel shall, on receipt of written advice of the proposed grading at least one (1) month in advance, advise the Provincial Council concerned 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 Panel 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 Panel.
b) Abroad : The Provincial Panel shall, on receipt of written advice of the proposed grading at least one (1) month in advance, advise the Provincial Council concerned regarding the acceptability of the proposed grading. The Panel 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 Panel.
Any gradings conducted without any prior notification and sanction will not be recognised by the Provincial or National Councils 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 Ju-Jitsu Related Martial Arts.
All such gradings of Shodan upward, or their equivalents, shall be the responsibility of the Administrators and Technical Controllers of the Ju-Jitsu related 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 in Ju-Jitsu and other Martial Arts shall be held to broaden knowledge and to raise and maintain standards.