Grading Selection - Is is just a numbers game?

First published Wednesday 23rd June 2010

It is normally around the time of the pre grading kata course that I get asked about session count and attendance requirements for grading selection.

To clarify, a student must reach, or be able to reach before the grading assessment, a prescribed number of attended sessions to be eligible for selection. This expectation rises as the student progresses through the grades, and is designed to keep pace with the increasing commitment that dedicated students demonstrate.

For the junior grades, normally regular attendance of one session per week, combined with the monthly courses, should be enough to see the requirement met and grading selection confirmed. For the intermediate and senior grades, attendance will need to increase to make sure of selection at every grading, although it is recognised that some students cannot make another session due to other commitments, and so continued attendance of one session per week is likely to result in selection for every other grading assessment.

However, as the title of this post questions, is it just a numbers game?

Does hitting the attendance requirement guarantee a place at the grading assessment?

Does missing the attendance requirement guarantee non selection?

The answer to all three of these questions is no! The session attendance requirement is just one of the factors for grading selection, and should not be considered on it's own.

For instance, consider two separate students each requiring 24 sessions for selection that have both only completed 20. One has taken twelve months to reach this figure, while the other has taken four. One has been ill or injured and still attended sessions even though they cannot participate, while the other has simply been absent. One has attended every course, while the other has decided that Sunday mornings are better spent in bed. Does either of these students deserve to attend the grading assessment? I'll leave it to you to decide.

I think you will probably now understand why, as much as a good indication of dedication and commitment a session count is, it cannot be used to make the grading selection decision alone. It is merely a tool to compare an individuals attendance against an expected benchmark, and does little to indicate whether that student is ready to attempt their next grade.

However, and this is a big however, the more sessions a student attends, the more chance they have of improving their technique, and ultimately passing their grading assessment with flying colours!

Until next time,

Sensei