• SHOMEN UCHI WITH GOOD KI-KEN-TAI
• OKURI ASHI (PASSING THROUGH ON THE CUT)
• SHOMEN SUBURI WITH BUKUTO AND SHINAI
• WRITTEN PAPER AND MINIMUM 12 WEEKS

• KOTE UCHI & DO UCHI
• RENZOKU SHOMEN SUBURI, LEADING TO KIRI-KAESHI (CUT ONLY)
• KATA NUMBER 1 & 2 (BOTH WAYS)
• OPENING TECHNIQUES, (ONE STEP CUTS)
• WRITTEN PAPER AND MINIMUM 12 WEEKS

• TONDE/HIYA SUBURI (DONE WELL)
• DO SUBURI USING HIRAKI ASHI
• KATA NO. 3 BOTH WAYS
• PUT ON OWN BOGU, AND KNOW SAFETY RULES WEARING IT
• GOOD BASIC KIRI KAESHI (CUT ONLY
• BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN ENJIN SHIAI
• WRITTEN PAPER AND MINIMUM 12 WEEKS

• KNOW TIMING FOR DEBANA WAZA
• KNOW KIRI KAESHI AS RECIEVER
• NIDAN WAZA AGAINST UCHI KOMI BO, USING TSUGI ASHI
• KNOW KATA NO.4 BOTH WAYS
• BE ABLE TO DO UCHI KOMI GEIKO, KEEPING GOOD BALANCE
• CORRECT CUTTING INCLUDING NIDAN WAZA
• EXPERIENCE AT LEAST ONE MAJOR SHIAI AS A KYU GRADE
• WRITTEN PAPER AND MINIMUM 20 WEEKS

Part 1

(pre-requirement before taking exam away from dojo)

• KIRI-KAESHI MUST BE GOOD
• BE ABLE TO TAKE SEMPAI POSITION WITH ALL COMANDS
• BE ABLE TO TAKE WARM UP SENSIBLY
• DO KAKARI-GEIKO, (CLOSED TARGET) IN GOOD BALANCE
• CORRECT CUTTING POSTURE
• KNOW KATA NO.5 BOTH WAYS
• GENERALLY BE UP TO SHODAN LEVEL MINUS 3-4 MONTHS EXPERIENCE
• NO WRITTEN PAPER TO BE ADVISED WHEN READY BY SENSI

• ALL ITEMS FOR PREVIOUS GRADE PLUS:
• HOW TO PLACE SWORD ON THE FLOOR BY THE DOJO WALL
• INFORMAL STANDING TOREI, KAMIZA NI REI INCLUDING CHANGE OF HANDS, ANGLE AND TIMING OF BOW, POSITION OF EYES
• IMPROVED MOVEMENTS FOR BOTH TOREI
• KNOW JAPANESE TERMS USED IN THIS PART OF THE SYLLABUS
• KNOW AT LEAST FIVE PARTS OF THE SWORD
• KEITO SHISEI, HASSO NO KAMAE, MIGI AND HIDARI JODAN NO KAMAE, NUKITSUKE (KATATE YOKO GIRI), YOKO CHIBURI, NIDAN AND SANDAN SHOMEN
• BE ABLE TO PERFORM FORMS 1-5 (MINIMUM), GENERALLY ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE LARGE, FRONT FOOT AND CUT TIMING SHOULD BE TOGETHER, FORMS 1-3, CORDINATING OF KNEELING WITH NOTO

GRADING POINTS

MAE…BODY UPRIGHT, BACK FOOT STRAIGHT, NUKITSUKE HORIZONTAL, STABLE POSTURE WHEN STANDING ON CHIBURI

USHIRO…SAME AS 1. PLUS CORRECTION OF RIGHTN FOOT POSITION ON NUKITSUKE

UKE NAGASHI…METSUKE WHILE DRAWING, STANDING POSITION IN RELATION TO OPPONENT

TSUKA ATE…STRIKE AT CORRECT HEIGHT, FOOTWORKON BOTH TURNS, TSUKI TO CORRECT PLACE

KESA GIRI…KEEP BODY AND BACK FOOT STRAIGHT, KEEPBACK HEEL OFF THE FLOOR

• WRITTEN PAPER (POSSIBLY) AND MINIMUM 12 WEEKS

• ALL ITEMS FOR PREVIOUS GRADE PLUS:
• CORRECT HAND AND EYE MOVEMENTS IN TOREI OPENING AND CLOSING TOREI SHOULD NO LONGER BE CONFUSED
• KNOW THE JAPANESE TERMS USED IN THIS SECTION OF THE SYLLABUS
• KNOW AT LEAST 10 PARTS OF THE SWORD BLADE  AND 5 PARTS OF THE FITTINGS
• TEITO SHIZEI, GEDAN NO KAMAE, WAKIGAMAE
• FURIKABURI (FROM NUKITSUKE)-KIRIOROSHI, AYUMI ASHI SEME-KIROROSHI
• BE ABLE TO PERFORM FORMS 1-7, (MINIMUM), KNOW THE NAMES OF THE FORMS. DEMONSTRATE SAYA BIKI ON ALL NUKITSUKE AND NOTO, DEMONSTRATE TENOUCHI/SHIBORI, CORRECT SHISEI ON YOKO CHIBURI AND O CHIBURI, DEMONSTRATE ZANSHIN AFTER KIRIOROSHI

GRADING POINTS

MAE…PERFORM NUKITSUKE AND KIRIOROSHI WITHOUT LEANING FORWARD, EFFECTIVE CHIBURI

USHIRO…TURN ADEQUATELY TO CUT NUKITSUKE, KEEP BACK FOOT ALLIGNED FO NUKITSUKE AND KIRIOROSHI

UKE NAGASHI…EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF UKE NAGASHI TECHNIQUE, CORRECT HAND POSITION FO NOTO

TSUKA ATE…EFFECTIVE STRIKE, CORRECT HAND POSTIONS AFTER TSUKI, RIGHT KNEE POSITION DURING TSUKI

KESA GIRI….ANGLES OF THE CUTS, DEMONSTRATE ZANSHIN WHILE MOVING BACK TO HASSO NO KAMAE, FOOTWORK (ASHI SABAKI)

MOROTE TSUKI…CORRECT ANGLE OF NUKITSUKE, EFFECTIVE CUT. PREPARATION AND TSUKI WITHOUT HEAD MOVING UP AND DOWN, CORRECT FOOTWORK ON TURNS

SANPO GIRI…ASHI SABAKI ON NUKITSUKE AND ON TURNS, UKE NAGASHI ACTION ON 2^ND TURN

• WRITTEN PAPER (POSSIBLY) AND MINIMUM 12 WEEKS

• ALL ITEMS FOR PREVIOUS GRADES PLUS:
• KNOW JAPANESE TERMS USED IN THIS SECTION OF THE SYLLABUS
• HIRAKI ASHI SHOMEN, AYUMI ASHI YOKO MEN
• BE ABLE TO PERFORM FORMS 1-10 (MINIMUM), ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE LARGE, STRONG AND FAST, DEMONSTRATE SAYA BANARE IN ALL FORMS, DEMONSTRATE ZANSHIN THROUGHOUT, INCLUDING AWARENESS AS YOU SIT TO START, LESS PAUSE WITH KIME, (CONTINUOUS FORM RATHER THAN STOPPING TO THINK)

GRADING POINTS

GAN MEN ATE…CORRECT ACTION FOR GAN MEN STRIKE, CO-ORDINATE BODY TURNS WITH SAYA BIKI, STRAIGHT BACK FOOT BEFORE TSUKI, ADEQUATE WITHDRAWL OF BLADE DURING FINAL TURN

SOETE TSUKI…CORRECT TARGET FOR CUT, CORRECT FOOTWORK FOR TURN TO TSUKI.

SHIHO GIRI…CORRECT ANGLES FOR ALL OPPONENTS, OPEN HAND ON KOTE UCHI, ASHI SABAKI ON TURN AND TSUKI, UKE NAGASHI POSTURE ON 90 DEGREE TURN, MOVE THROUGH GEDAN-WAKIGAMAE IN PREERATION FOR FINAL CUT

• WRITTEN PAPER (POSSIBLY) AND MINIMUM 12 WEEKS
• PERFORMANCE… 5 FORMS 2 MAY BE SHITEI WAZA, SHITEI WAZA WILL BE SELECTED FROM FORMS 1-7

• ALL ITEMS FOR PREVIOUS GRADES PLUS:
• TO SHOW A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF ALL IMPORTANT POINTS OF SAHO AND REIHO
• TO KNOW THE JAPANESE TERMS USED IN THIS SECTION OF THE SYLLABUS
• BE ABLE TO PERFORM ALL 12 FORMS, ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE LARGE, STRONG, FAST AND SMOOTH, (DAI KYO SOKU KEI), DEMONSTRATE SAYA BANARE IN ALL FORMS, GOOD SHISEI THROUGHOUT, SHARP ACTIONS WITH POSITIVE KIME, DEMONSTATE INNER CALM, HOWEVER BUSY, (SEI TO DO), DEMONSTRATE CORRECT USE OF LEFT THUMB, AND LEFT TO RIGHT HAND TAKE OVER AT THE START OF THE DRAW (KOI KUCHI NO KIRI GATA)

GRADING POINTS

SO GIRI…STEP BACK ADEQUATELY, BUT NOT TO FAR TO RECEIVE UKE NAGASHI, MAKE OKURI ASHI SHARP, WITHOUT DRAGGING THE BACK FOOT, ENSURE EACH CUT IS MADE AS THE FRONT FOOT MOVES INTO PLACE, (AVOID STEP ON LIFT, CUT ON BACK FOOT STYLE)

NUKI UCHI…ENSURE RIGHT ARM IS PULLED BACK TO AVOID INCOMING CUT, STEP CORRECT DISTANCE FORWARD TO  CUT SAME APPONENT, STEP BACK AYUMI ASHI WITH YOKO CHIBURI, CORRECTLY MOVE FORWARD TO ORIGINAL STARTING PLACE

• WRITTEN PAPER (POSSIBLY) AND MINIMUM 20 WEEKS
• PERFORMANCE… 5 FORMS 4 WILL BE SHITEI WAZA, SHITEI WAZA WILL BE SELECTED FROM FORMS 1-12

• ALL ITEMS FOR PREVIOUS GRADE PLUS:
• BE ABLE TO PERFORM ALL 12 FORMS TO GOOD STANDARD
• ALL ACTIONS SHOULD BE LARGE, STRONG, FAST AND SMOOTH, (DAI KYO SOKU KEI)
• DEMONSTRATE SAYA BANARE IN ALL FORMS, GOOD SHISEI THROUGHOUT, SHARP ACTIONS WITH POSITIVE KIME
• CUTS CONTROLLED FROM HIPS (AWARENESS OF HARA AND TANDEN)
• ALL SPECIFIC FORM POINTS LISTED FOR PREVIOUS GRADES SHOULD BE DEMONSTRATED CONSISTANTLY
• CONCENTRATE PARTCULARLY ON ENSURING THAT THE BACK FOOT IS STRAIGHT AND BACK HEEL IS OFF THE FLOOR.
• NUKITSUKE ACTIONS SHOULD BE EFFECTIVE
• MINIMUM 20 WEEKS
• PERFORMANCE… 3 FORMS OF THE CANIDATES CHOICE
• GENERALLY BE UP TO SHODAN LEVEL MINUS 3-4 MONTHS EXPERIENCE
• NO WRITTEN PAPER TO BE ADVISED WHEN READY BY SENSEI