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    British Judo Association

    Competitive Dan Grade Skills Examination

    The BJA's technical examination for promotion to 1st to 5th Dan: single techniques from the British Judo Gokyo, continuation and combination techniques, counters, groundwork chains and escapes, and kata, marked out of ten per technique with pass marks rising by grade.

    Source: Competitive Dan Grade Skills Examination Form (fillable), January 2020. Transcribed from the official BJA form. The form is 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

    Marking ranges from 0 to 10 points for each technique. In the kata sections each technique is demonstrated both right- and left-handed with the combined score recorded, plus a mark out of ten for presentation; a candidate holding a BJA Kata certificate may claim exemption at 65% of the marks. Section requirements are the examiner's choice of one technique from each set in Section 1, and the candidate's choice of sets elsewhere until all sets are required.

    Promotion toPass markMaximumRequirements
    1st Dan190270Gokyo (single techniques): Examiner's choice: one from each set (100)Renzoku-waza (continuation techniques): One set, candidate's choice (30)Renraku-waza (combination techniques): One set, candidate's choice (30)Kaeshi-waza (counter techniques): One set, candidate's choice (30)Renraku, Kaeshi, Nogarekata (groundwork chains, counters and escapes): One set, candidate's choice (20)Kata: One set of Nage-no-kata, candidate's choice (60)
    2nd Dan320440Gokyo (single techniques): Examiner's choice: one from each set (100)Renzoku-waza (continuation techniques): Two sets, candidate's choice (60)Renraku-waza (combination techniques): Two sets, candidate's choice (60)Kaeshi-waza (counter techniques): Two sets, candidate's choice (60)Renraku, Kaeshi, Nogarekata (groundwork chains, counters and escapes): Two sets, candidate's choice (40)Kata: Two sets of Nage-no-kata, candidate's choice (120)
    3rd Dan520670Gokyo (single techniques): Examiner's choice: one from each set (100)Renzoku-waza (continuation techniques): Three sets, candidate's choice (90)Renraku-waza (combination techniques): Three sets, candidate's choice (90)Kaeshi-waza (counter techniques): Three sets, candidate's choice (90)Renraku, Kaeshi, Nogarekata (groundwork chains, counters and escapes): Three sets, candidate's choice (60)Kata: Three sets of Nage-no-kata and one set of Katame-no-kata (240)
    4th Dan700900Gokyo (single techniques): Examiner's choice: one from each set (100)Renzoku-waza (continuation techniques): All four sets (120)Renraku-waza (combination techniques): All four sets (120)Kaeshi-waza (counter techniques): All four sets (120)Renraku, Kaeshi, Nogarekata (groundwork chains, counters and escapes): All four sets (80)Kata: Four sets of Nage-no-kata and two sets of Katame-no-kata (360)
    5th Dan8001020Gokyo (single techniques): Examiner's choice: one from each set (100)Renzoku-waza (continuation techniques): All four sets (120)Renraku-waza (combination techniques): All four sets (120)Kaeshi-waza (counter techniques): All four sets (120)Renraku, Kaeshi, Nogarekata (groundwork chains, counters and escapes): All four sets (80)Kata: Complete Nage-no-kata and complete Katame-no-kata (480)

    Section 1: Gokyo (single techniques)

    The British Judo Gokyo: throws in five sets, groundwork in five sets. The examiner chooses one technique from each set.

    Nage-waza, 1st set

    Nage-waza, 2nd set

    Nage-waza, 3rd set

    Nage-waza, 4th set

    Nage-waza, 5th set

    Ne-waza, 1st set

    Ne-waza, 2nd set

    Ne-waza, 3rd set

    Ne-waza, 4th set

    Ne-waza, 5th set

    Section 2: Renzoku-waza (continuation techniques)

    Two attacks in the same direction, the second continuing the first.

    1st set

    2nd set

    3rd set

    4th set

    Section 3: Renraku-waza (combination techniques)

    Combinations where the second attack exploits the defence to the first, usually changing direction.

    1st set

    2nd set

    3rd set

    4th set

    Section 4: Kaeshi-waza (counter techniques)

    1st set

    2nd set

    3rd set

    4th set

    Section 5: Renraku, Kaeshi, Nogarekata (groundwork chains, counters and escapes)

    1st set

    2nd set

    3rd set

    4th set

    Section 6: Kata

    Each technique demonstrated both right- and left-handed, combined score recorded, plus a presentation mark out of ten. A BJA Kata certificate claims exemption at 65% of the marks.

    Nage-no-kata, 1st set (te-waza)

    Nage-no-kata, 2nd set (koshi-waza)

    Nage-no-kata, 3rd set (ashi-waza)

    Nage-no-kata, 4th set (ma-sutemi-waza)

    Nage-no-kata, 5th set (yoko-sutemi-waza)

    Katame-no-kata, 1st set (osaekomi-waza)

    Katame-no-kata, 2nd set (shime-waza)

    Katame-no-kata, 3rd set (kansetsu-waza)

    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.