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    British Judo Association

    1st Dan Competitive Examination

    The BJA's competitive dan grade assessment for 1st Dan, in five sections: the twenty Kodokan fundamental skills set for the grade, then performance skills, where the candidate chooses the techniques and shows them working as judo: throws linked into combinations and counters, groundwork combined, escaped or entered, and standing judo carried into groundwork. Every demonstration is scored from 0 to 10, and the pass mark is 238 of 340, 70 per cent.

    Source: 1st Dan Grade Competitive Mark Sheet, October 2025. Transcribed from the official BJA mark sheet. The section maxima, the rule on prohibited techniques and the marking scale come from the Competitive Dan Grade Scheme Assessment Guide, which the mark sheet summarises. The forms are the authority; where this page and a current BJA form disagree, the form wins. The Senior Examiner must be at least one grade above the candidate.

    Pass marks and requirements

    Every demonstration is scored from 0 to 10 in whole marks against the BJA's published criteria, where 7 is a competent technique meeting all basic expectations, 6 lacks effective kuzushi, tsukuri or kake, and 0 is an omitted or unrelated technique. Sections 1 and 2 are marked to the Kodokan form with traditional grips; Sections 3 to 5 allow the candidate's own variations and grips, discussed with the examiner first. Uke is expected to work with tori throughout, giving the reaction the technique needs and, in katame-waza, genuinely trying to escape. The pass mark for 1st Dan is 238 of 340, 70 per cent, and the mark sheet sets a pass mark for each section as well.

    Promotion toPass markMaximumRequirements
    1st Dan238340Fundamental Skills: All twenty techniques set for the grade. Pass mark 140. (200)Fundamental Skills, Prior Learning: Not examined at 1st Dan. (0)Performance Skills, Nage-waza: Three nage-waza, candidate's choice, each with a renzoku-waza, a renraku-waza and a kaeshi-waza. Pass mark 63. (90)Performance Skills, Katame-waza: Three katame-waza, candidate's choice, each with a combination, an escape or a complex entry. Pass mark 21. (30)Performance Skills, Transitions: One throws into osaekomi-waza and one into kansetsu-waza or shime-waza. Pass mark 14. (20)

    Section 1: Fundamental Skills

    The twenty techniques set for 1st Dan, one fifth of the hundred Kodokan techniques the scheme divides between the five dan grades. They are not the candidate's to choose: every one is demonstrated, to the Kodokan form and with traditional grips, showing kumi-kata, kuzushi, tsukuri and kake, and each is scored from 0 to 10 for 200 marks in all.

    Te-waza

    Koshi-waza

    Ashi-waza

    Ma-sutemi-waza

    Yoko-sutemi-waza

    Osaekomi-waza

    Shime-waza

    Kansetsu-waza

    Section 2: Fundamental Skills, Prior Learning

    Not examined at 1st Dan: there is no preceding dan grade to have been examined on.

    • No Prior Learning is required for 1st Dan.

    Section 3: Performance Skills, Nage-waza

    Three nage-waza of the candidate's choice from the hundred, at least one of them from Section 1 for this grade. Each chosen throw is the attack that starts the sequence, and each is linked into a renzoku-waza, a renraku-waza and a kaeshi-waza, so the section carries 9 demonstrations scored from 0 to 10 for 90 marks. In a combination the first attack has to draw a real response from uke. Variations and unorthodox grips are allowed here, provided the candidate can name the technique and explain the choice.

    Section 4: Performance Skills, Katame-waza

    Three katame-waza of the candidate's choice from the hundred, at least one of them from Section 1 for this grade, drawn from osaekomi-waza, shime-waza and kansetsu-waza in any mixture. Each is shown once, in one of three ways: combined into another katame-waza, escaped or countered, or reached by an entry more involved than settling straight into it. Combinations, escapes and counters start from the chosen technique; a complex entry finishes in it. Three demonstrations scored from 0 to 10 for 30 marks.

    • Combination
    • Escape
    • Complex Entry

    Section 5: Performance Skills, Transitions

    Standing judo into groundwork: one nage-waza carried into an osaekomi-waza and one carried into a kansetsu-waza or a shime-waza, every technique the candidate's choice from the hundred and the throw leading each time. The two halves need not use the same throws. Two transitions scored from 0 to 10 for 20 marks.

    The syllabus behind this form

    This page is what is asked on the day. The techniques set for the grade, with somewhere to tick off what you have learned, are here.