How Gradings Work

How Gradings Work – At Function First Martial Arts

Every now and then a student will ask about gradings. Or why there are people in an advanced group and they are not. We figure if one is asking then many more are thinking the same. So we feel we’re not getting the message across well enough.

Heres an attempt to address that

How Gradings Work – Process

Grades are every three months

Year 1 = Yellow – Red – Orange – Green Grades

Year 2 = Blue and above grades

Little Vipers age 5-8. This is nice and simple, we don’t pressure the kids at this age too much. Vipers need to complete twelve classes, so once a week between grades.

Cadets aged 9-14.

Year one is like the little vipers. Once a week meaning twelve classes between grades is sufficient.

Year 2. Now we ramp up the pressure a little. In year two cadets really need to be training twice a week and averaging 24 classes between grades. Kids who train once a week at this level struggle to retain the information so we grade them every 6-9 months. Unfortunately they fall behind a little, and this often develops into a defeatist attitude. They often seem to lose interest and leave. If we look at all our year three cadets virtually 100% of them train two or more times a week. Those who stick with it the longest are the ones who experience the growth and benefits.

Adults. All adult classes require a minimum of 2 classes a week to grade.

It is worth pointing out that those that train twice a week develop the skills at a much faster rate than those who train once a week. We have some kids that train 6 hours a week and compete, I think it goes without saying. Their confidence and attitude are unlike other kids of their age. They are formidable capable young people who walk shoulders back and head held high.

How Gradings Work – What counts?

Class attendance is important as it develops good habits. Though this alone is not enough, we grade on attitude and work ethic.

In year one for all our students, we are fairly relaxed. We want you to figure out if this is something you wish to take seriously. The work becomes more complex in year two and one class a week is no longer sufficient to remember the work.

Now we understand that some simply cannot make it in more than once a week. If it’s other hobbies getting in the way or were getting in the way of other hobbies. Then we advise picking one and studying deep as the benefits are profound if you allow them to be.

Of course one hour a week is better than none, though two hours a week is a 100% improvement. Twice the growth in a year, well actually it’s like compound interest. It exponentially develops so you end up accelerating your learning at a much faster rate over time.

Exactly the same as if you put £100 a week into a savings account and I put £200 in. After one year I would have more than double because of interest, over time this makes a massive difference.

A £10,000 investment with a 20% return each month over 3 years earns you over £20,000,000 yes 20 million pounds.

Martial arts repetitions are exactly the same.

How Gradings Work – Don’t grade?

So if you don’t grade then you stay in year one of our syllabus and repeat the same work. This, of course, is fine, it just means you never get to progress to the more complex work and close quarter clinch work of the kickboxing for example.

Once you have completed all four grades you move into the next group and cover the more advanced work from the syllabus.

Its an old cliche but there is some truth to it. Jack of all trades master of none.

Master one and you have insight into the self that others do not. You grasp concepts and see patterns that give you an edge in life.

Off The Mats As On

OTHER RAMBLINGS

• GRADES ARE GOALS
• PARENTS SUPPORT
• MARTIAL LIFE
• OUR CLASS