3rd Dan Technical Examination.

Set by British Judo Association.

The BJA technical route to 3rd 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 Ju-no-kata at Level 2, examined separately from this examination.

Pass marks and requirements
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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 3rd Dan: pass mark 448 of 560.
  fundamental-skills: All twenty techniques set for the grade. Pass mark 160. (200 marks)
  prior-learning: Five techniques from each grade below, chosen by the examiner: 10 in all. Pass mark 80. (100 marks)
  nage-waza-performance: Five nage-waza, candidate's choice, each shown as a renzoku-waza, a renraku-waza and a kaeshi-waza. Pass mark 120. (150 marks)
  katame-waza-performance: Five katame-waza, candidate's choice, each shown as a combination, an escape or a complex entry. Pass mark 40. (50 marks)
  transitions: Three nage-waza into osaekomi-waza and three into kansetsu-waza or shime-waza. Pass mark 48. (60 marks)

Also required for this promotion
--------------------------------
  BJA Kata Certification: Ju-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
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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
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  1. Seoi-otoshi
  2. Uki-otoshi
  3. Obi-tori-gaeshi
  4. Kibisu-gaeshi

Koshi-waza
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  1. Tsurikomi-goshi
  2. Hane-goshi

Ashi-waza
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  1. Sasae-tsurikomi-ashi
  2. Ko-soto-gari
  3. Ashi-guruma
  4. O-uchi-gaeshi

Ma-sutemi-waza
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  1. Hikikomi-gaeshi

Yoko-sutemi-waza
----------------
  1. Yoko-gake
  2. Uchi-mata-makikomi
  3. Ko-uchi-makikomi

Osaekomi-waza
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  1. Ushiro-kesa-gatame
  2. Tate-shiho-gatame

Shime-waza
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  1. Kata-juji-jime
  2. Ryote-jime

Kansetsu-waza
-------------
  1. Ude-hishigi-ashi-gatame
       in this reference: Ashi-gatame
  2. Ashi-garami

Section 2: Fundamental Skills, Prior Learning (examiner's choice)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Five techniques from each of the 1st Dan to 2nd Dan fundamental skills, 10 in all, chosen by the examiner rather than the candidate. This is what makes the technical route broader as it goes up: nothing already passed stops being examinable.
  1. Five techniques from the 1st Dan fundamental skills
  2. Five techniques from the 2nd Dan fundamental skills

Section 3: Performance Skills, Nage-waza
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Select five 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
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Select five 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
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From the whole dan grade syllabus, demonstrate three nage-waza into osaekomi-waza and three 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.
  3rd Dan, Dan grades: https://wazabook.com/grades/bja-competitive-dan/3rd-dan/

Transcribed from: 3rd Dan Grade TECHNICAL Mark Sheet, read October 2025.

Flashcards
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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-3rd-dan.apkg

From Waza Book: https://wazabook.com/exams/bja-technical-3rd-dan/