BRITISH  JUDO  ASSOCIATION   JUNIOR  MON  GRADE  PROMOTION  SYLLABUS     

GRADING  FEES
The  BJA  charges  a  grading  fee  of  £5.00  for  all  gradings  (including  transfers).  This  fee  is  used  for  the  administration  and  development  of  the BJA’s  grading  schemes  and  must  be  forwarded  to  the  BJA  along  with  the  completed  Grade  Registration  Sheet.   

The  BJA  recognises  that  organisers  of  gradings  may  require  to  add  a  surcharge  to  the  £5.00  grading  fee  to  cover  additional  costs  such  as  venue hire,  examiner’s  expenses  etc.  The  BJA  recommends  a  surcharge  of  £5.00  but  recognises  that  grading  organisers  may  charge  more  or  less depending  on  circumstances.  Any  surcharge  should  be  retained  by  the  grading  organiser  and  not  sent  to  the  BJA.  

AUTHORITY  TO  GRADE
The  following  may  conduct  examinations  in  accordance  with  the  Memorandum  and  articles  of  the  association  and  Bye-;Laws  of  the  association. They must  have  either  a  current  valid  coach  or  examiner’s  card,  hold  current  individual  membership  and  are  the  only  ones  authorised  to  submit  a completed  grading  sheet:- 

Novice  to  18th  Mon
BJA  Senior  Examiners,  BJA  Examiners, BJA  Senior  Coaches, UKCC  Level  2  Coaches, UKCC  Level  3  Coaches, BJA  Club  Coaches  

TIME  REQUIREMENTS/FREQUENCY  OF  PROMOTIONS

Novice  up  to  and  including  6th  Mon  ages  5-7
Candidates  may  be  promoted  one  Mon  every  3  calendar  months.   

Novice  up  to  and  including  6th  Mon  —  ages  8-17
Candidates  may  be  promoted  one  Mon  every  calendar  month.  

This  allowance  for  ages  8-17  is  because  it  is  known  and  accepted  that  at  this  age  range  young  people  have  a  greater  capacity  for  learning  and therefore  mre  able  to  undertake  examination  at  shorter  interval.   

From  7th  Mon  and  above  —  all  ages
Candidates  are  limited  to  one  promotion  every  two  calendar  months.  

The  recommended  minimum  time  period  between  attempts  at  any  promotion  for  7th  Mon  and  above  is  four  weeks,  however,  there  is  no  limit to the  number  of  attempts  to  gain  promotion.  A  month  is  a  calendar  month  e.g.  a  candidate  can  be  examined  any  date  in  January  and  then any date  in  March.  This  means  a  candidate  can  enter  a  maximum  of  six  gradings  per  year,  following  a  learning  pathway  of  continuous  progress however  it  is  anticipated  they  would  go  up  1  belt  colour  per  year  

NOTES  ON  THE  TECHNICAL  REQUIREMENTS
For  promotion  to  all  grades,  candidates  are  required  to  know  the  common  English  names  and  meaning  of  all  Japanese  terminology  used  for  the grade  and,  where  appropriate,  must  be  able  to  discuss  with  the  examiner  the  reasons  for  their  choice  of  technique,  grip  etc.  

Techniques  must  be  demonstrated  in  an  appropriate  practical  situation  and  is  intended  that  the  exam  process  should  be  become  grater  in depth  as  the  candidate  progresses  through  the  grades  and  acquires  greater  knowledge  and  understanding  of  Judo  

Some  terminology  has  been  included  in  the  earlier  grades  to  ensure  that  the  candidate  is  conversant  with,  for  example,  the  main  terms  used in  refereeing.  

From  7th  Mon  (juniors)  and  above  there  is  no  specific  Ukemi  requirement.  The  candidate  may,  however,  be  required  to  act  as  Uke  and  must be able  to  demonstrate  the  level  of  Ukemi  required  by  the  grade.  

Male  and  female  candidates  may  be  examined  together  as  can  candidates  of  different  ages  and  physique.  

Candidates  achieving  18th  Mon  can  convert  to  1st  Kyu  after  the  age  of  14.  They  must  have  a  record  of  contest  activity  on  at  least  2 occasions within  the  last  24  months  recorded  in  their  BJA  record  boo  under  "Record  of  Judo  Events  Attended”  before  entering  a  competitive Dan  grading  and must  be  a  minimum  age  of  15.  

Although  there  are  no  specified  requirements,  the  candidate  must  understand  and  observe  the  simple  regulations  and  terminology  governing randori,  including  the  correct  method  for  signalling  submission.  

QUALITY  CONTROL
Club  gradings  may  be  subject  to  visits  from  the  Area  Director  of  Examiners  to  ensure  a  consistent  application  of  the  examination  criteria. These visits  will  be  selected  on  a  random  basis  as  a  means  of  sampling  a  percentage  of  the  clubs  within  the  area  

Areas  and  Club  gradings  may  be  visited  by  the  National  Director  of  Examiners,  again  to  ensure  consistent  application  of  the  exam  criteria.  

PERSONAL  CHOICE
For  each  grade  there  is  an  element  of  personal  choice.  This  element  has  been  included  to  encourage  originality  and  to  assist  the  judoka  in developing  a  personal  style  which  is  suitable  for  their  physique  and  personality.   

TERMINOLOGY  AND  SUPPLEMENTARY  KNOWLEDGE
There  is  a  limited  amount  of  supplementary  knowledge  required,  the  main  emphasis  on  the  use  of  the  correct  Japanese  terminology.  For promotion  to  all  grades,  candidates  are  required  to  know  the  common  English  names  and  meaning  of  all  Japanese  terminology  used  for  the grade and,  where  appropriate,  must  be  able  to  discuss  with  the  examiner  the  reasons  for  their  choice  of  technique,  grip  etc.   
Click here for Japanese / English Terminology translations

CONVERSION  TO  THE  SENIOR  KYU  GRADE  SYLLABUS
Judoka  of  14  years  of  age  and  above  who  hold  a  junior  (Mon)  grade  may,  if  they  wish,  convert  to  the  Senior  (Kyu)  grade.  The  following  table will be  used  for  all  junior  (Mon)  grade  conversions.  It  may  appear  that  the  junior  is  converting  to  a  lower  level  of  examination;  however  this  is to allow for  a  period  of  assimilation  into  the  Kyu  grade  system.  Judoka  holding  a  junior  (Mon)  grade  will  be  converted  to  the  senior  (Kyu) grade  on reaching 18  years  of  age.