Hints for conducting kup gradings

andyjeffries

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As I soon hope to be of a level able to conduct Kup gradings (and technically Dan gradings, although I'm not planning on it just yet), I wonder if anyone has any tips on conducting kup gradings.

The sort of thing I'm looking for is a description of the sort of standard you expect at each level, what your tests consist of, examples of specific items to look for*. If you have a publicly available syllabus or testing structure, I'd appreciate a link.

Obviously I feel fairly confident judging others technical skill (if not I surely shouldn't progress to a master-level grade) but I wonder if I'd grade too harshly. It's also obviously a new area and while I'll get advice from my master and grandmaster, I'm interested in any hints so I can either use them, modify them or ignore them - more information is always useful.

* An example of this is during the forward section of Taegeuk 5, ensuring the inward blocks are a different height to the backfist front strikes. It's a common error in lower grades and easy to see.

Any tips from the group?

On the other hand if anyone has any side thoughts on what it means to be a master (I know that's a bit more abstract) I'd be interested in hearing them too. Advantages (e.g. being able to recommend to the Kukkiwon, conduct Kup gradings), specific behavour/etiquette tips.
 

StudentCarl

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I'm still kup rank, but help regularly as a class assistant with lower kup rank students. One thing my master emphasizes with me is that we expect different levels of skill with different ranks, not just additional techniques but better execution of the basic ones.

While I recognize that you treat students as individuals, my advice, respectfully given, would be to try to define the progression you expect to see as a student builds, for example, a rear-leg round kick. What's the minimum, and then what do you look for as it improves in terms of: hip turnover, knee movement/height, posture/shoulder location, speed/power, kick height, follow-through, etc.

I hope you get the idea, as I suspect you already do that when you teach. But trying to say it or write it down may help you consider what's okay in testing for a green belt vs. a blue or red belt.

With respect,
Carl
 

granfire

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well, start with the simple things:
Form and sparring. Bread and butter.
The you can add drills on hand held targets, step sparring if you do that in class and board breaking. To round it out you can ask question to the theory of things.

It looked something like this for me:
white and yellow:
form for the rank, and the specific set of one steps drills for the rank
Green:
form and sparring
Blue:
form, sparring and target drills
purple:
form, sparing and 3 step drills
red & black:
form, sparring and breaking.

at any time one of the judges could have asked us questions to the subject. (but they never did, the evening was long enough without extras)

I understand that some like to throw in stuff like running and pushups etc, especially for BB tests, but everybody wants to get home at some time, so I like to leave that on the mat during class.
 

troubleenuf

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#1 most important thing. NEVER be afraid to fail someone who needs to be failed.
 

granfire

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#1 most important thing. NEVER be afraid to fail someone who needs to be failed.

THIS!


I think it does lend credibility to a program when people not up to snuff don't advance. I was not unhappy when my kid flunked a couple of times. builds more character than winning!
 

igillman

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You will get what you test for. In other words, if you want your black belts to be good at sparring then make sparring part of testing. If you want your black belts to be good at poomsae then make that part of testing. Whatever you teach but do not test will get lost.

The problem is that if you want everybody to do everything perfectly to pass then you will have a lot of failures and a lot of people will be put off because they are not so good at one aspect of training. You might want to implement a grading system for each section you test for (A, B, C etc..) and then say that in order to pass you need 1A and 3B's or something like that.
 

dancingalone

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Do any of you test different grades at different times, or do you let the lower ranks leave first if they have finished their exams prior to the more advanced students?

When do you announce the results of the test? Right away? One week later?

I can see the advantages in either approach. If you want to make it a family occasion where grandma etc can come watch the test and film it, there almost seems to be a climatic demand where the students are passed (hopefully) and congratulations and belt awards can be made. At the same time, delaying the results can lend more of a feeling of gravitas to the proceedings like term finals in school.

I generally like testing everyone together regardless of belt ranks and requiring the lower belts to observe the rest of the test as it is another learning opportunity for them.
 

troubleenuf

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Depends upon how many you have testing and space available. If you are testing 80 students in one night then let them go when they are done testing. If you are only testing 20 then I like to keep them until everyone is done.
We reward new belts (except Black Belts) right away as soon as everyone in their level is done testing.

Do any of you test different grades at different times, or do you let the lower ranks leave first if they have finished their exams prior to the more advanced students?

When do you announce the results of the test? Right away? One week later?

I can see the advantages in either approach. If you want to make it a family occasion where grandma etc can come watch the test and film it, there almost seems to be a climatic demand where the students are passed (hopefully) and congratulations and belt awards can be made. At the same time, delaying the results can lend more of a feeling of gravitas to the proceedings like term finals in school.

I generally like testing everyone together regardless of belt ranks and requiring the lower belts to observe the rest of the test as it is another learning opportunity for them.
 

granfire

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it depends.

We tested 3 ranks at a time, 3 mats. they finished and were dismissed then the next 3 ranks started.

Usually the results were a matter of 'don't call us, we call you - if you flunked - you know by Saturday/Sunday'


But it depends on your setup. we used to rent a gym for that night, combined 3 schools of the same organization (made for better sparring, miss those days)
 

Earl Weiss

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Since I have Park district programs we are limited to the time we have the floor. Guess what? No one like 3 hour testing if they are only on the floor for a third of the time or less. Fortuneately the space is large and I have Black belts helping. So, we test the groups simultaneously on different areas of the floor.

10-9th gups with one person 8-7th gups with another etc. If the forup is large we may have 2 people working that group. Each group is dismissed when finished.

Disadvantage is not being able to see what more advanced students due. Except that juniors generaly finish sooner and can stay and watch seniors.

Advantage . 25 students from white to red can be done in 50 minutes with 5 seperate groups being dne simultaneously.

Some people brag "Oh, my xxx test took 3 hours." I think more often than not the test of everyone took that long, but the active time on the floor for anyone student was probably less than 30 minutes.

Black belt candidates are tested seperately.
 

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