Unified grading system

[JL.]

Gassho!

Does anyone know whether the grading system (kyu-grades, mainly) will be unified, too? As far as I know there are several different systems around the world, i.e. multi-coloured belts vs. white-brown-black, 3 to 5 kyu-grades and so on and so forth. This can get pretty confusing when training internationally.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Casey Raiford]

gassho;

Cheers all; I started studying SK a few months ago and have been lurking here for a bit. I'm glad someone asked this, it has had me pretty baffled for a while. I had no idea there were different grading systems. At my branch (western US) we go from white to brown (3rd kyu), thence 2nd and 1st kyu; ulitmately to 1st dan and onward.
I recently got a copy of the video that the UK and French organizations put out in 1996, though, and although the color is a little goofy at times it seems like I can see a veritable rainbow of belts. Blue and green I'm fairly sure, and ....yellow?
In any event, it all just got me wondering: how many systems are there and is one more prevalent?

Casey Raiford

[JL.]

Gassho Casey-san!

Welcome to eBudo and to Shorinji Kempo! :)
All I can say about this topic is that coloured belts are originally (=in Japan) only for children. Only for children, did the British Kenshi here that?! For children! (just kidding)
Your system is that original one and it's used over here, in Germany, too. Only three kyu-grades, all brown belt. We do have an additional pre-sankyu exam, though, which cannot be failed but has to be taken, i.e. to see how fit someone is for the real thing, I suppose.
The coloured belts (usually yellow, green and blue for yonkyu through nikyu and brown for ikkyu) are the children system in Japan and also used in some other countries. And there are those who have more than three kyu-grades but nevertheless use only white and brown belts. See here: http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showpost.php?p=366112&postcount=39

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Anders Pettersson]

The coloured belts (usually yellow, green and blue for yonkyu through nikyu and brown for ikkyu) are the children system in Japan and also used in some other countries.
Not quite.

In Japan (and many other countries) they have 8 kyu ranks for children. 8-7 kyu they wear yellow obi, 6-4 kyu they have green, and for 3-1 kyu they have brown just as the adults. SO there is now blue belt for the Shonenbu.

As for adults (ippanbu, 13 years and older) in Sweden, and many other countries in Europe, we have chosen to have different coloured belts for each kyu rank, instead of brown for all kyu ranks as used in Japan, and also add a rank for adults for 4th kyu.
The 4th kyu is more or less half of the 3rd kyu kamoku. However, at least in Sweden, we don't give any certificate for 4th kyu, so that rank is very unofficial, one could see it more as a pre-test.

Some people also sometimes refer to "5th kyu" when talking about minarai (beginners), but it is more correct (in my opinion) to use minarai/beginner since they have never done any test to take a rank. Never heard anyone in Japan talk about "4th kyu" adults, they are just minarai.

And finally, basically we don't have different grading systems in different countries around the world. It is just that some countries have "pre-tests" before 3rd kyu, and that we sometimes uses a different colour to indicate the kyu rank.

Everyone has to do the same technical test for each rank in all branches around the world.
There is one thing that differs from Japan and other countries though, and that is the minimum time between ranks, but this will hopefully be unified soon.

/Anders

[Casey Raiford]

Gassho Anders;

Sorry for all the simple questions, but what are the differences in minimum times between belts/levels?

cheers;

Casey

[Anders Pettersson]

Sorry for all the simple questions, but what are the differences in minimum times between belts/levels?
Hi Casey.

One learn by asking question, no problem even if you think they are simple.

I am at work right now and don't have any kamoku at hand.

But there is a little shorter minimum time and number of needed practice attendances between each rank in Japan compared to what we have outside of Japan.
If you want details I have to look in the Japanese kamokuhyo and compare to a non-Japanese kamokuhyo (I don't have the time between each rank in my head).

/Anders

[Gary Dolce]

A recent letter from WSKO to Branch Masters indicated that the Hombu was looking at a curriculum revision to occur next year which might result in an increase in the number of kyu levels for adults. While I am not in favor of adding more colors, I have come to believe that there is just too much material from minarai to 3-kyu for most beginners to easily digest. Adding at least one more level might make the initial learning curve just a little less steep.

Whatever is decided, I hope it is adopted worldwide - I agree with Jan that it causes confusion when different countries use different belts and names to designate progress.

[Ewok]

http://users.on.net/~tjapple/photo/kempo/kids3.JPG

Theres some of the colors. They also have cool little chevrons which I dont quite understand (or more likely I've forgotten).

Cracked out my japanese copy of the kamokuhyo (still cant find the back cover) and it states the follow lengths-
三級か目表の全科目を修了し実習参坐日数二十七日（かつ二ヶ月）以上の実績を有する者
Roughly a minimum of 2 months with at least 27 days of actual training.

二級拳士の考試に合格後二級目表の全科目を修了し実習参坐日数二十四日（かつ二ヶ月）以上の実績を有する者
Roughly a minimum of 2 months with at least 24 days of actual training.

Same for 2->1 and 1->shodan.

Saying that from beginner -> shodan is normally spread out over a year for Japanese high school students. Now remember thats training 5-6 days a week for 2-4 hours a session.... :p

[Anders Pettersson]

Theres some of the colors. They also have cool little chevrons which I dont quite understand (or more likely I've forgotten).
For an explanations of the Shonenbu (Childrens group) sode-sho (arm-badges) you can look at this page (http://www.shorinji-kempo.org/articles/sodesho/sodesho.html) (you need to scroll down a bit).


Cracked out my japanese copy of the kamokuhyo (still cant find the back cover) and it states the follow lengths-
三級か目表の全科目を修了し実習参坐日数二十七日（かつ二ヶ月）以上の実績を有する者
Roughly a minimum of 2 months with at least 27 days of actual training.

二級拳士の考試に合格後二級目表の全科目を修了し実習参坐日数二十四日（かつ二ヶ月）以上の実績を有する者
Roughly a minimum of 2 months with at least 24 days of actual training.

Same for 2->1 and 1->shodan.

Saying that from beginner -> shodan is normally spread out over a year for Japanese high school students. Now remember thats training 5-6 days a week for 2-4 hours a session.... :p
For WSKO this is 3 months and minimum 30 practice sessions from minarai to 3 kyu and between each kyu rank. From 1 kyu to shodan it is minimum 6 months and 50 practice sessions.
For kyu ranks I still think that the minimum requirements for WSKO is short, but we should have the same both in Japan and outside of Japan.

For dan ranks there is also differences like this. From shodan to nidan in Japan is minimum 10 months and 120 practice sessions, and for WSKO it is 18 months and 150 sessions, etc.

/Anders