1st Dan Technical Examination.

Set by British Judo Association.

The BJA technical route to 1st Dan: twenty set techniques in their traditional form, prior learning chosen by the examiner, and performance skills in combination, counter and transition. Every section is passed at 80 per cent. The promotion also requires a BJA kata certificate in Nage-no-kata at Level 2, examined separately from this examination.

Pass marks and requirements
---------------------------
Every demonstration is scored from 0 to 10 in whole marks against the BJA's published criteria, where 10 is a close-to-perfect execution, 7 is a competently executed technique meeting all basic expectations, 6 lacks effective kuzushi, tsukuri, kake or core elements, and 0 is an omitted or unrelated technique. Sections 1 and 2 are demonstrated in the Kodokan canonical form with traditional grips; variations and unorthodox grips are permitted in Sections 3 to 5, discussed with the examiner first. The pass mark is 80 per cent of every section and of the whole, which is the difference from the competitive route rather than the content.

Promotion to 1st Dan: pass mark 272 of 340.
  fundamental-skills: All twenty techniques set for the grade. Pass mark 160. (200 marks)
  prior-learning: Not examined at 1st Dan. (0 marks)
  nage-waza-performance: Three nage-waza, candidate's choice, each shown as a renzoku-waza, a renraku-waza and a kaeshi-waza. Pass mark 72. (90 marks)
  katame-waza-performance: Three katame-waza, candidate's choice, each shown as a combination, an escape or a complex entry. Pass mark 24. (30 marks)
  transitions: A nage-waza into osaekomi-waza and a into kansetsu-waza or shime-waza. Pass mark 16. (20 marks)

Also required for this promotion
--------------------------------
  BJA Kata Certification: Nage-no-kata
    https://wazabook.com/exams/bja-kata-certification/#kata-by-grade

Examined on its own terms and need not be taken on the same day.

Section 1: Fundamental Skills
-----------------------------
Twenty techniques set for the grade, demonstrated in the Kodokan canonical form with traditional grips. A technique the syllabus marks as dangerous must not be applied: it is explained only so far as the examiner can judge that the candidate understands it.

Te-waza
-------
  1. Seoi-nage
  2. Tai-otoshi
  3. Uchi-mata-sukashi

Koshi-waza
----------
  1. O-goshi
  2. Harai-goshi

Ashi-waza
---------
  1. De-ashi-harai
  2. O-soto-gari
  3. Uchi-mata
  4. O-soto-otoshi

Ma-sutemi-waza
--------------
  1. Tomoe-nage

Yoko-sutemi-waza
----------------
  1. Tani-otoshi
  2. Soto-makikomi
  3. Yoko-wakare

Osaekomi-waza
-------------
  1. Kesa-gatame
  2. Kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame

Shime-waza
----------
  1. Nami-juji-jime
  2. Kataha-jime
       in this reference: Kata-ha-jime
  3. Sankaku-jime

Kansetsu-waza
-------------
  1. Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame
       in this reference: Juji-gatame
  2. Ude-hishigi-waki-gatame
       in this reference: Waki-gatame

Section 2: Fundamental Skills, Prior Learning (examiner's choice)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
No prior learning is required for 1st Dan.
  1. No Prior Learning is required for 1st Dan.

Section 3: Performance Skills, Nage-waza
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Select three different nage-waza from the whole dan grade syllabus, including at least one from Section 1. Use each with any other nage-waza from the syllabus to show a renzoku-waza, a renraku-waza and a kaeshi-waza.
  1. Renzoku-waza
  2. Renraku-waza
  3. Kaeshi-waza

Section 4: Performance Skills, Katame-waza
------------------------------------------
Select three different katame-waza from the whole dan grade syllabus, including at least one from Section 1. Use each to show a combination, an escape, or the technique with a complex entry.
  1. Combination
  2. Escape
  3. Complex Entry

Section 5: Performance Skills, Transitions
------------------------------------------
From the whole dan grade syllabus, demonstrate a nage-waza into osaekomi-waza and a nage-waza into kansetsu-waza or shime-waza.
  1. Osaekomi-waza
  2. Kansetsu-waza or Shime-waza
       in this reference: Kansetsu-waza, Shime-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.
  1st Dan, Dan grades: https://wazabook.com/grades/bja-competitive-dan/1st-dan/

Transcribed from: 1st Dan Grade TECHNICAL Mark Sheet, read October 2025.

Flashcards
----------
Drill exactly what this paper names: an Anki deck of this form's techniques alone, rather than the whole grade behind it:
https://wazabook.com/decks/exam-bja-technical-1st-dan.apkg

From Waza Book: https://wazabook.com/exams/bja-technical-1st-dan/