The Three As of Grading Selection

As it is grading selection time again, I thought it would be a good time to detail the process that we use to reach our decision. I refer to it as the three As; Attitude, Attendance and Ability; and I rank them in that order. Let me explain:

Attitude

This is ranked first, and is therefore the most important quality that we are looking for from our students. Attitude is what separates the good martial artist from the great one, and becoming a great martial artist is highly achievable if you just put your heart and mind into it. Be courageous, be dedicated, and be positive.

Training with the wrong attitude is not only disrespectful to your instructors and fellow students, but is also not being true to yourself. If you find yourself making excuses to miss training, or dreading every session that you do attend, then it is better for everyone concerned if you stop training and seek an alternative activity.

With the right attitude, your instructors and fellow students feel compelled to interact with you and help you develop, and everyone will notice the enthusiasm you have for your training. However, having a great attitude is not enough, which leads me on to:

Attendance

Attendance has always played a large part in grading selection. Since the club began, there have been specific session requirements that had to be achieved before grading selection could be considered. However, just completing the required number of sessions never guaranteed selection, especially if the target had been reached over a long period of time.

In previous blog entries I have highlighted the benefit of regular training, so I will not go over it again here, although regular is the important word. I expect all students to attempt to train at least once a week, and twice a week for senior grades. I say attempt, as it is inevitable that things will get in the way such as holidays, work commitments, illness etc.

Not training once a week has an obvious outcome. Our lesson schedule works on a four week rota of kata, sparring, self-defence and impact. If a student trains once a fortnight, then half of the sessions, and therefore half of the syllabus, will have been missed, leaving large gaps in the student’s training.

For senior grades, I refer you to the NAKMAS guidelines for Dan grade selection, which I have to confirm you have satisfied. They are located in the Criteria section of the National Register of Qualified Black Belts, or ask the existing Dan grades what was and still is expected of them.

I will not chastise students for poor attendance, but in return I expect students not to be disappointed if they are not selected for grading as a consequence. If we assume that students have the desired attitude and attendance, then the final A is:

Ability

There is no getting away from it, having a great attitude and attending every available session will not guarantee that you will develop the ability to progress to your next grade. However, I hope you can appreciate that ability coming after attitude and attendance shows that it is the least important factor in our decision. The most naturally gifted martial artist with a shocking attitude and sporadic training record will never progress, and certainly not in our club.

We, as grading examiners, have to decide whether our students possess the ability to be able to uphold the grade they are hoping to achieve. It is not an easy decision, and often we have to decide whether the student is performing to the highest standard that they will ever achieve, i.e. are they doing the best they can, and will they ever get any better.

With the correct attitude and regular attendance ability will improve, but we all have to understand that karate (like many other things in life) comes easier to some than others, and age, illness and injuries can and do take their toll!

So…

As you hopefully now appreciate, grading selection is not the simple task that it may have first appeared.

Excelling in some areas will not make up for the shortfall in the others. Having a great attitude and good ability will not make up for poor attendance, the same as training regularly and demonstrating good technique will not compensate for a poor attitude.

However, I firmly believe that every student can influence their own attitude and attendance, and ability will definitely improve as a result.

Sensei Damon Cooper 4th Dan
Chief Instructor