|
The BJA considers those
6th, 7th and 8th Dans who wear the red and white belt and the
9th and 10th Dans who wear the red belt to signify their grade
to be their ‘high grades’.
Grades of 6th Dan and above are considered
to be the highest qualifications an individual can get within
judo and the awarding of these grades by the BJA is something
that is taken very seriously. In fact, Charles Palmer OBE former
President of BJA (now sadly no longer with us) is the only person
to have been awarded 10 th Dan by BJA and, to date, only four
9 th Dans have ever been awarded.
It is a common misconception
that these high grades are honorary grades awarded for long services
to judo i.e. awarded to a judoka upon retiring, a bit like getting
a gold watch and perhaps hinting recipients are past it. Nothing
now days could be further from the truth as honorary grades are
hardly ever awarded anymore and on the very odd occasion that
they are they are always to non-judo people e.g. Duke of Edinburgh,
Princess Anne etc.
It is expected that the
holders of these high grades are the “Fountains of all Judo Knowledge”.
Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but holders of these
high grades will have a vast knowledge and experience of all aspects
of judo. In fact the BJA criterion for these grades is that the
judoka must be “qualified by experience”.
It should be noted that
all high grades awarded by the BJA are submitted to and are ratified
by the European Judo Union and the International Judo Federation.
The verification process
prior to any high grade being awarded is very stringent and the
history of all possible recipients is thoroughly researched. There
is no application process as an automatic review process in place
which flags up any 5 th Dan who may be in line to be considered
for promotion.
Let’s look at some the
criteria:
1. To
be considered for promotion to a 6th Dan and above is that the
individual must be of good character.
2. A minimum
competitive grade of 3rd Dan is the second requirement
The experience gained
in becoming a competitive grade of 3rd Dan is generally only
achieved after many years of dedicated training over an extended
period lasting on average 8-10 years. The competitive 3 rd Dan
will have participated in many hours of competitive randori
and will have participated in a programme of competition.
A great many 3 rd
Dans have been in National Teams and Squads. The experience
of fighting for grades to 3rd Dan and above gives a unique and
deep understanding of judo which can not be gained any other
way but through competing.
Most of our current
high graded judoka were actually competitive 5th Dans. They
have passed the competitive theory syllabus which requires significant
amount of technical knowledge. Many of our high graded judoka
are also BJA National Senior Examiners and Technical Dan Grade
Assessors and are generally very much involved with the technical
development of judo.
3. Activity
asa 5 th Dan is the third requirement. A period of activity
of between 6 and 15 years (depending on your level of activity)
is about average.
The average judoka
promoted to 6th Dan has been involved in judo for over 25 years;
the higher grades of 7th Dan and above for a average 40 years
plus. Some of the high grades are former World Olympic and European
Champions and/or medallists. Many have been members of the British
Team and have participated in highest levels of international
competition.
Others have (and still
do) coach players to the highest performance standards, some
are former or current IJF World Class referees. Some have been
working within their Clubs/ Areas and nationally for decades
and produced many National players and Dan Grades (the bedrock
of the BJA).
I hope that you can see
these high grades are not retirement gifts as a reward for long
service. They are awarded in recognition of the technical expertise
and experience gained by the individual after many years of involvement
and study.
So if you come across one
of these high grades bow low (some of them can still be dangerous)
and remember they fully deserve your respect. Listen to their
advice, you never know you could become a high grade yourself
one day — the pathway is there for everybody, it just takes time
and dedication.
Just had a thought, it
will be another 12 years before I can be considered for my 9 th
Dan. Still I’ll have another 12 years more experience.
Roy Inman OBE 8 th
Dan
Chairman Promotion
& Education Commission
BJA Director
|