Guidelines for Kyu and Shodan Exams
Remember these are guidelines - use them to aid your practice.
On a test, you may be asked to demonstrate techniques which are not on this list.For that, the only preparation is to train regularly.
5th kyu (white belt):
- suwari-waza shomen-uchi ikkyo
- (standing) shomen-uchi ikkyo
- (standing) shomem-uchi irimi-nage
- (standing) katate-dori shiho-nage
- several variations from basic attacks: (katate-dori, aidori, ryote-dori, morote-dori, tsuki)
- kokyu-ho (kokyu-dosa)
- ukemi (forward and backward rolls)
4th kyu (blue belt):
- suwari-waza and standing:
- shomen-uchi ikkyo and nikyo
- kata-dori ikkyo and nikyo
- standing:
- shomen-uchi irimi-nage
- yokomen-uchi shiho-nage
- tsuki-kotegaeshi
- several variations from basic attacks (add ushiro ryote-dori, shomen-uchi and yokomen-uchi to 5th kyu attacks)
- jiyu-waza (one person)
- take ukemi from one partner
- kokyu-ho
3rd kyu (blue belt):
- suwari-waza and standing:
- shomen-uchi ikkyo thru yonkyo
- kata-dori ikkyo thru yonkyo
- standing:
- shomen-uchi irimi-nage
- tsuki irimi-nage
- shomen-uchi kotegaeshi
- tsuki kotegaeshi
- ryote-dori shiho-nage
- yokomen-uchi shiho-nage
- variations from all basic attacks
- jiyu-waza (one person)
- randori (two people)
- ukemi (including sutemi)
- kokyu-ho
2nd kyu (brown belt):
- suwari-waza and standing:
- shomen-uchi ikkyo thru yonkyo
- kata-dori ikkyo thru yonkyo
- hanmi-handachi:
- katate-dori shiho-nage
- ryote-dori shiho-nage
- shomen-uchi irimi-nage
- tsuki kotegaeshi
- standing:
- shomen-uchi / tsuki / katate-dori
- irimi-nage
- kotegaeshi
- kaiten-nage
- shomen-uchi / tsuki / katate-dori
- koshi-nage from several attacks
- variations from all basic attacks
- jiyu-waza (one person)
- randori (two or three persons)
- ukemi (including sutemi)
- kokyu-ho
1st kyu (brown belt):
- suwari-waza and standing:
- shomen-uchi ikkyo thru yonkyo
- yokomen-uchi ikkyo thru yonkyo
- kata-dori ikkyo thru yonkyo
- hanmi-handachi:
- several variations from basic attacks
- (including ushiro waza)
- standing:
- shomen-uchi / tsuki / yokomen-uchi
- irimi-nage
- kotegaeshi
- kaiten-nage
- shomen-uchi / tsuki / yokomen-uchi
- variations from all basic attacks including ushiro ryote, hiji, kata-dori, and kubishime
- koshi-nage from all basic attacks
- tanto-dori
- jiyu-waza (one person)
- randori (three persons)
- ukemi
- kokyu-ho
1st dan (shodan, black belt):
- same requirements as for 1st kyu, but greater skill required
- watch video from an actual black belt exam (5.6MB)