Jikishin Syllabus - The Belt System - Coloured Belts (Kyu Grades)

The coloured Belt grades are the "Student" Grades (referred to as Kyu Grades), and the Black Belts (Dan Grades) are considered "Expert" Grades. This is not to say that the Dan Grades know all there is to know.  There is a truism in Ju Jitsu; "Once you attain your Black Belt, you will really start to learn Ju Jitsu.", this maxim has a lot of veracity, in as much as once the student becomes an expert, it only then starts to become clear how much more there is to learn.

This is not to say that the skills that the student will learn up to Brown Belt are insufficient, but rather that Ju Jitsu is almost limitless in it's scope for self defence, and combinations of defences and attacks. Of course it takes dedication and practice to achieve the coveted Black Belt. It is a monument to the Jikishin syllabus that so many have taken the path, and continued on to 2nd Dan, 3rd Dan, 4th Dan, and beyond. The syllabus is tough, but anything worthwhile getting, is worth working hard for.

Grading

Gradings take place every three months for Kyu Grades and every 6 months for Dan Grades.  Those attending the Grading, will have completed the work to the standard required within the Dojo in which they regularly train, they will be assessed by their instructor (Sensei- means: teacher) on the progress made to date and a decision will be reached as to the competence and level of skill and fitness of the student to attend the Grading.  The object of the Grading is not to fail students, but to assess the ability of each student, given their profile (age, sex etc.) and ensure that each student can perform the individual techniques, in each grade, to the required standard.  Students who are not deemed fit to attempt the Grading by their Sensei, will simply grade at the next opportunity.  There is no pressure to move onwards and upwards within the grades, and no student will be required to attend a Grading, if they do not wish to do so.

Junior Syllabus

Juniors are usually taught at a separate class from the adults, and the syllabus adjusted to account for the particular needs of children. Some of the techniques that are taught to adults are not taught to the children as they are not considered mature enough to be able to understand the dangers of such techniques.

 

Senior Syllabus Timeframes

The senior syllabus has a number of minimum time scales for each belt, and these represent not only the time spent learning, but also the minimum number of training session attended in order to be eligible for Grading. The attendances are eligible only at the club at which the student is registered. In this way the Instructor can monitor the progress of each student and assess whether the student has attained the standard expected to pass.