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Martial Arts Grading Path

A style and club chosen well, the full syllabus in hand, training logged against attendance minimums, gradings prepared week by week, and a route from first belt to black belt, competition and coaching.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Martial Arts Grading Path, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

Before you start: this plan is general information, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting a new training programme, especially if you have a health condition, are pregnant or are coming back from an injury, and stop if you feel pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

193

Starter tasks

🏋️ Fitness & Sport

Martial Arts Grading Path

Progressing through belts and gradings in karate, judo, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu or another martial art, with training logs and competition prep.

  1. Choosing a martial art and a club to train with
  2. Checking a club's affiliation, insurance and safeguarding
  3. Getting the full belt syllabus and grading rules
  4. Association licence and membership set-up
  5. Telling your instructor about injuries and health conditions
  6. Buying a first uniform that fits after shrinking
  7. Dojo etiquette and belt tying basics
  8. Weekly class timetable you can keep
  9. Martial arts training log set-up
  10. Baseline fitness and flexibility test against the syllabus
  11. Class attendance count toward grading minimums
  12. Twice-weekly home kata and pattern practice
  13. Friday read-back of the week's class notes
  14. Monthly syllabus readiness check
  15. Daily kicking flexibility routine
  16. Uniform, belt and skin hygiene routine
  17. Grading stamina conditioning sessions
  18. Quarterly progress talk with your instructor
  19. Yearly martial arts budget for fees, gradings and kit
  20. Grade record book and certificate archive
  21. Breakfalls and safe landings for throws and takedowns
  22. Learning a new kata or pattern in six weeks
  23. Terminology and theory questions for the next grade
  24. Controlled sparring for grading assessments
  25. Randori and rolling with a purpose for grappling grades
  26. Self-defence techniques on the syllabus with a partner
  27. Monthly video review of your own technique
  28. Stances and footwork drilled to examiner standard
  29. Fixing your weakest syllabus item
  30. Deciding whether to put yourself forward for grading
  31. Bouncing back from a failed or deferred grading
  32. Adding a second martial art without stalling your grades
  33. Moving clubs or associations without losing your grade
  34. Private lessons before a key grading
  35. Sparring protective equipment for gradings and competition
  36. Six-week countdown to your next grading
  37. Grading day kit bag and timings checklist
  38. Grading day debrief and examiner feedback record
  39. First club tournament or inter-club competition
  40. Seminar or training camp with a visiting instructor
  41. Starting as an adult beginner in a class full of children
  42. Training and grading alongside your child
  43. Keeping grading on track around shift work and travel
  44. Returning to training after years away from the mat
  45. Grading as an older student with adapted requirements
  46. Competition weight category and weigh-in planning
  47. First dan black belt preparation year
  48. Writing the dan grade theory essay
  49. Assistant instructor hours and a first coaching award
  50. Refereeing or judging qualification for your style

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Choosing a martial art and a club to train with

Karate, judo, taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, aikido and kung fu grade very differently: some test you every three months in front of a panel, others promote quietly when the coach decides you are ready. Choosing the style and the club together, after trying two or three classes, decides how often you will grade, what you will be tested on and whether you enjoy the room enough to keep turning up.

First tasks

  • List three martial arts clubs near home or work with their beginners class times
  • Book a trial class at each club on the shortlist
  • Ask each club how often gradings run and who examines them
  • Choose a club and write your first class date in the calendar

Checking a club's affiliation, insurance and safeguarding

A belt earned at an unaffiliated club may not be recognised anywhere else, and a club without insurance leaves you exposed if a throw goes wrong. Before paying for a year, confirm the club belongs to a recognised governing body or association for its style, that instructors hold current coaching and first aid qualifications, and that safeguarding checks are in place for any junior classes you share a mat with.

First tasks

  • Ask the club which association or governing body it is affiliated to
  • Check the association's public list of member clubs for this club's name
  • Ask to see the head instructor's coaching and first aid certificates
  • Read what the club insurance covers for injuries in training and gradings

Getting the full belt syllabus and grading rules

Most students learn what is on their next grading a few weeks before it, from whoever happens to be next to them in the line. Getting the written syllabus for every grade up to first dan, with the minimum time between gradings, attendance requirements and fees, turns the belt path into something you can plan rather than guess.

First tasks

  • Ask your instructor for the written syllabus for every grade to first dan
  • Note the minimum months between gradings for each belt
  • Write down the grading fee and belt cost for the next three grades
  • Check the association website for syllabus changes @recurring(yearly)

Make it yours.

Install Martial Arts Grading Path, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.