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    British Judo Association

    2nd Dan Competitive Examination

    The BJA's competitive dan grade assessment for 2nd Dan, in five sections: the twenty Kodokan fundamental skills set for the grade, five more from each preceding 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 326 of 450, 72.5 per cent.

    Source: 2nd 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 2nd Dan is 326 of 450, 72.5 per cent, and the mark sheet sets a pass mark for each section as well.

    Promotion toPass markMaximumRequirements
    2nd Dan326450Fundamental Skills: All twenty techniques set for the grade. Pass mark 145. (200)Fundamental Skills, Prior Learning: Five techniques of the candidate's choice from each of 1st Dan. Pass mark 36. (50)Performance Skills, Nage-waza: Four nage-waza, candidate's choice, each with a renzoku-waza, a renraku-waza and a kaeshi-waza. Pass mark 87. (120)Performance Skills, Katame-waza: Four katame-waza, candidate's choice, each with a combination, an escape or a complex entry. Pass mark 29. (40)Performance Skills, Transitions: Two throws into osaekomi-waza and two into kansetsu-waza or shime-waza. Pass mark 29. (40)

    Section 1: Fundamental Skills

    The twenty techniques set for 2nd 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

    Five techniques of the candidate's choice from each preceding grade's Section 1 set, five in all, named in advance on the candidate's supplementary exam sheet. Each is scored from 0 to 10 for 50 marks.

    • 1st Dan

    Section 3: Performance Skills, Nage-waza

    Four 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 12 demonstrations scored from 0 to 10 for 120 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

    Four 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. Four demonstrations scored from 0 to 10 for 40 marks.

    • Combination
    • Escape
    • Complex Entry

    Section 5: Performance Skills, Transitions

    Standing judo into groundwork: two nage-waza carried into an osaekomi-waza and two 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. Four transitions scored from 0 to 10 for 40 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.

    The promotions that require this

    This form does not examine a grade; it is required alongside the one that does. Each promotion below asks for its own part of it.