Belt Rank Examinations in Martial ArtsBelt tests in traditional martial arts such as Taekwondo, Karate, and so forth are necessarily different depending on the style, school, and instructor. However, examinations will (as a rule) go by the technical syllabus required by the style and/or dojo. The material on the syllabus will also generally be divided up into sections by belt rank. At Johnston Karate, our karate classes are geared towards personal development, self defense, traditional karate kata (forms), and physical conditioning. As such, our karate belt rank examinations are highly technical. We generally go by the following examination process.We begin with warmups and stretches for a minimum of 15 minutes. This is followed by the opening ceremony, as performed in every karate class. The kihon waza (basic techniques) are drilled after the opening ceremony. The kihon waza are drilled by counts (performing a repetition of a technique per count), then line drills (moving back and forth along the floor in a line while performing prescribed techniques or combinations). We will frequently required the use of padwork during line drills. Kata (or forms) are drilled after that, as well as karate sparring drills. Students must demonstrate all of the karate techniques, kata, and drills required up to the rank that they are testing for. The physical, technical, and mental requirements for each successive belt rank is more difficult than the last. Time allowing, we perform the award ceremony immediately after the karate belt rank examination. It is our belief that students who have worked hard in our karate classes and learned the material should be recognized, and suitably rewarded with the belt rank they deserve. Feel free to view our own Karate Syllabus as well as our One Step Sparring - Karate Drills.--------------------This article is included in our karate student guide book, which you may read for free below:Understanding Karate-do: A Guide to Unity of Body, Mind, and Soul (free online pdf book)Martial Arts Thoughts and Articles - free online pdf bookThis book serves as a supplement to Understanding Karate Do.Printer friendly PDF version of this article on belt tests -Johnston Karate - Belt Rank Examinations

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