Grading information for cadets

Boys and Girls aged 12 to 15 years Inclusive

Until reaching their 16th birthday, boys and girls aged between 12 and 15 inclusive, shall be titled Cadets and are governed by the following rules within the regarding grading.

All cadets applying for their relevant grades from 8th Mon to 1st Kyu will be applying for a Mon grade and after attaining their Mon grade and only after passing Mon grade then be eligible to take the next grade a Kyu. The system works like this; 8th Mon and then 8th Kyu; 7th Mon and then 7th Kyu; 6th Mon and then 6th Kyu all the way up to taking 1st Mon and then 1st Kyu and on to junior Black Belt.

In exceptional cases, and only at the discretion of the examiner, cadets may be awarded a Kyu instead of a Mon upon grading. Again, it is stressed that these are outstanding cases which reflect remarkable progress thus enabling the award to be made, the examiner’s decision is final and no discussion regarding the applicant shall be entered in to with the examiner, no matter what the circumstances. Should a cadet be awarded a Kyu grading after applying for a Mon, the award is a one of merit at the time of application and if the cadet student is not deemed up to standard at his or her next grading the same rules will apply and a Mon grade shall be awarded or the cadet student can fail, as the standard of Karate technique within the shall be maintained.

Beginners do not have to have 24 stamps (ask your instructor for advice).

All other criteria governing the eligibility to grade shall apply: for example if a cadet student passes a Mon or Kyu the minimum time period before they can apply to grade again whether they are applying for a Mon or a Kyu grade is twelve (12) weeks and a statutory minimum of 24 training stamps or more is required before the student is qualified to grade again. It cannot be stressed enough that progress through the grades needs a deeper level of commitment the higher the grade being sought, the deeper the commitment, especially after 6th Mon and above; for results to be achieved, twice weekly training or more is highly recommended.

A grading is an examination for which the cadet student must be fully prepared: knowing what is required is fundamental and learning all aspects of the syllabus is essential, as a student that does not know the syllabus should not be taking the exam; the result will be a failure. Reading the syllabus book will help. The club Instructor should advise as to the students suitability to grade but the Instructor cannot be held liable if the student makes mistakes during the exam.

If a cadet student fails, it is because he or she is not fully prepared to take the grade applied for, the student must go back to their syllabus and prepare suitably. The minimum time period allowed to retake a belt after failing an exam is 4 weeks, but this can vary from student to student; some students need a great deal more time to absorb the technical points. Advice and guidance from the club Instructor is essential with regard to the individual’s performance, if it is the same as last time the result will also be the same.

There is no substitute for training as students should train regularly and if possible attend all the courses to train, irrespective whether they are grading or not.

Please note that beginners do not always need 24 training stamps, consult your instructor.