British Judo Association
BJA Kata Certification
The kata examination every BJA dan grade promotion requires alongside the skills assessment, and the one part of a promotion that is examined on its own terms: one named kata for each grade, certified at Level 1 on the competitive pathway and Level 2 on the technical one. It need not be taken on the same day as the skills assessment, or in the same year.
Source: Kata Requirements for Dan Gradings, November 2025. Transcribed from the BJA kata requirements for promotions from 1 January 2026, with the rules on who may examine and when from the scheme's published questions and answers. The forms are the authority; where this page and a current BJA form disagree, the form wins.
Pass marks and requirements
The pass marks are percentages: 60 per cent for Level 1 and 65 per cent for Level 2. Level 1 is an entry level pass, and a candidate who has prepared properly, including a relevant BJA kata course, should reach it. Level 2 may be taken six months after a Level 1 pass; going straight to Level 2 is exceptional and needs the evaluation of a Senior Kata Examiner or higher. A BJA Senior Examiner, Kata Examiner or Senior Kata Examiner may examine kata. Attending a course does not exempt anyone: an attendance certificate is not a pass, and from 1 January 2026 attendance certificates are no longer issued.
| Promotion to | Pass mark | Maximum | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 60 | 100 | The kata each grade requires: The kata named for the grade being taken. Required on the competitive pathway.What Level 1 asks for: The correct techniques, in the correct order, with technical competence and the protocol that surrounds the kata. |
| Level 2 | 65 | 100 | The kata each grade requires: The kata named for the grade being taken. Required on the technical pathway.What Level 2 asks for: Everything Level 1 asks for, performed with the skill, timing and partnership a higher grade is expected to show. |
The kata each grade requires
One kata per grade, and only the one for the grade being taken: a candidate going for 4th Dan does not repeat the kata of the three grades below. The competitive pathway needs a Level 1 certificate in it, the technical pathway a Level 2.
Dan grades
- 1st Dan - Nage-no-kataKata (glossary)
- 2nd Dan - Katame-no-kataKata (glossary)
- 3rd Dan - Ju-no-kataKata (glossary)
- 4th Dan - Kime-no-kataKata (glossary)
- 5th Dan - Kodokan Goshin-jutsuKata (glossary)
Beyond 5th Dan
- For 6th Dan, in addition to the five kata above, a minimum BJA Level 1 certificate in Koshiki-no-kataKata (glossary)
What Level 1 asks for
A 60 per cent pass, and very much an entry level one.
- The correct techniques
- In the correct order
- With technical competence
- Including the "kata protocol" elements
What Level 2 asks for
A 65 per cent pass, taken no sooner than six months after Level 1. The same kata again, with everything sharper.
- Skill in technique execution
- Timing and opportunity exploitation
- Smoothness and fluidity
- Coordination between tori and uke
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.