The web site contains elements of the Karate mudansha syllabus, if you would like to know more about the Kobujutsu and Iaido syllabi, please get in touch with Phil.
Karate
The junior syllabus is focused for students in the age range from 5 years up to 11 years old, and is designed to stimulate the students with a variety of activities which help to build essential skills and techniques required later on in their training; when they move on to the senior class.
To ensure there is continuity for students moving up from the junior class to the senior class; a number of elements are common between the two syllabi, these include Kihon, many of of the mudansha kata and a number of the basic drills.
The senior class syllabus is aimed at developing the student’s technical skills still further; with emphasis on the three K’s, 1) Kihon, 2) Kata and 3) Kumite. The syllabus allows for less traditional training methods to be included within lessons for our teenage students to maintain interest during their transition through the teenage years.
As a student gets into the upper teen age range they will be required to develop mentally and focus more and more on traditional Karate methods of practice. This will prepare the student as they move on and cover the Kamishin Ryu and Goju Ryu elements within the syllabus where training gets more demanding.
Student’s in the senior class are of an age where the body’s skeletal structure has completed its growing capacity, therefore students can undertake conditioning drills to help prepare the body for potential confrontation.
As an adult a student will have gained a great deal more life experience, this allows a them to appreciate the tactical aspects of confrontation. It is at this point a students Karate training becomes more alive and generally more effective.
There are a number of must read texts for students to read and study, these being: 1) Sun Tzu – The Art of War, 2) Miamato Mushashi – Go Rin no Sho “The book of five rings” and 3) The Bubishi, there are a number of versions published by several authors. These books cover essential principles for combat.
Above all else, Karate training can be applied to all areas of life, since a student is taught key core values; self respect, self discipline, patients and compassion all of which are necessary qualities in daily life.
Karate Mudansha Syllabus
The mudansha (without dan level i.e. not blackbelt) syllabus is not fully listed on the web site, the essential elements are highlighted to provide an idea of what a student is required to work on to progress through the levels. The dojo lessons contain many drills and prearranged fighting drills to further aid a student understanding.
Sho Dan (first black belt level) should be viewed as the completion of karate basic training where the fundamental techniques and principles of Karate have been assimilated by the student.
Shodan is the beginning of the journey to the deeper understanding of Karate; as students progress through the Yudansha syllabus (black belt grades) the training will become more personalised to better fit the physical, mental and spiritual attributes of each student.
From Godan (fifth black belt) on wards a students development will be through personal discoveries as they continue training and exploring Karate, this will lead their Karate to becoming their own style, based on the principles taught to them.
The time required to reach Sho Dan will vary from student to student, but as a general rule of thumb a student would be expected to train twice a week for approximately 4 to 6 years. The more time and effort a student affords for their study the quicker their development.
Progress through the Dan grades (Yudanshan syllabus) is purely a result of a students ability to understand and apply their Karate, the more time spent training the quicker the understanding and the more effective the application of karate becomes.
As a guide the minimum time requirements between gradings is highlighted below, these guidelines help a student mentally prepare for the training.
Time Between Gradings
| Beginner- 8th Kyu | Minimum 3 months | 45 hours |
| 8 Kyu – 7 Kyu | Minimum 3 months | 45 hours |
| 7 Kyu – 6 Kyu | Minimum 3 months | 50 hours |
| 6 Kyu – 5 Kyu | Minimum 3-6 months | 60 hours |
| 5 Kyu – 4 Kyu | Minimum 6 months | 60 hours |
| 4 Kyu – 3Kyu | Minimum 6-9 months | 80 hours |
| 3 Kyu – 2 Kyu | Minimum 6-9 months | 80 hours |
| 2 Kyu – 1 Kyu | Minimum 9-12 months | 100 hours |
| 1 Kyu – 1 Dan | Minimum 12 months | 180 hours |
| 1 Dan – 2 Dan | Minimum 12 months | 250 hours |
| 2 Dan – 3 Dan | Minimum 24 months | 400 hours |
| 3 Dan – 4Dan | Minimum 36 months | 600 hours |
| 4 Dan – 5 Dan | Minimum 48 months | 800 hours |
Note:
- Time and effort are the keys to making progress.
- Karate is not about belts! It is about self discovery, self discipline and humility.