Zanshin Martial Arts has 15 junior grades and 10 senior grades, followed by black belt (Dan) grades. We have structured it this way to help you get the most out of your training.
We also have a recommended age guide for grades, to help students receive appropriate training for their physical and mental development. Most age limits are a guide, you can be older or younger for all but a few of the grades. Our aim is to help you enrich your training and not rush through.
Junior White and Red Belts
At this grade, students should aim to grade around 3 times a year. Don’t feel like you need to grade every single grading. It’s important to take the time to learn your techniques properly. Lesson requirements are the minimum required to grade, feel free to do more.
Junior White belts are required to be 5 years old to grade. Students can train at 4 years old, but they will be unable to grade.
The following age guidelines are recommended for White and Red belt grades:
White 1: 5 Years 4 Months
White 2: 5 Years 8 Months
Red: 6 Years
Red 1: 6 Years 4 Months
Red 2: 6 years 8 Months
Junior Purple, Orange and Yellow Han Belts
At this grade, students have extra lesson requirements and an increasingly complicated curriculum. We recommend students grade every 6 months on these grades to take the time to properly learn the techniques.
Yellow Han 2 will not be able to grade to senior class until they are at least 11 years old. Any junior student older than 12 should consider moving up to the Senior class. You can ask your instructor about the process. Students older than 13 must attend Senior grading.
The following age guidelines are recommended for higher Junior grades:
Purple: 7 Years
Purple 1: 7 Years 6 Months
Purple 2: 8 Years
Orange: 8 Years 6 Months
Orange 1: 9 Years
Orange 2: 9 years 6 Months
Yellow Han: 10 Years
Yellow Han 1: 10 Years 6 Months
Yellow Han 2: 11 years
Senior Grades
Young senior students between 11 and 13 years of age should be looking at the following guidelines for gradings:
Yellow Belt – 12 years old
Green Belt – 13 years old
Blue Belt – 14 years old
This is a guideline; there are two grades on each belt. Younger students should be aiming to grade every 6 months instead of every 3 months.
Age limits apply for Brown (15 Years) and Black Belt (16 Years) grades due to the intensity of the training, you will not be able to apply for those grades without meeting the age requirements.