Gradings

Guidelines for Hosting Black Belt Gradings

By Mr Duncan Styles, Paul M Glendowie

NB Don't let this very comprehensive checklist put you off hosting a black belt grading :-)

People and the Relationships
Equipment
Bases to Cover
Set-up - Friday Evening
The Big Day -Saturday
The Second Big Day - Sunday
Claim Expenses

People and the Relationships

Emails and Communication

Examiners

The examiners are your seniors
They are probably Masters
They are usually extremely busy
Start emails with Dear Sir
End with Regards
Think about what you are saying, is that question covered here. Can your instructor help out?

Breaking Team
Set-up - Friday Evening

They are saving you countless hours
Do exactly what they ask
Thank profusely

Marshals

Ask nicely to sign the registration
Greet warmly and remember they are your senior (mostly)

Instructors

as per Marshals

Spectators

Instruct where to sit
Welcome them
Remember some are parents of candidates are are more nervous than the candidates
Ask them to leave when the grading is about to start - nicely

Venue Owner

Be nice
Get dates and confirmation in email if you can

At the grading

The grading is a formal event and you should be showing your best formal behaviour. Everyone at the grading is being graded in one way or another, from the examiners down.
Examiners

Sir is a great word
Mr is another
and Miss/Mrs
Attention and Bow is really good too
Your respect shows the candidates a good example

Breaking Team

Same goes here

Marshals

and here

Instructors

and here too

Spectators

Be firm
Be polite
stop people entering while the grading is in progress

Venue Owner

Thanks
Communicate
take notes during the venue meetings

Equipment

signs
marshals
stop watches

Catering

Plates
Jugs
Knives and forks
Paper cups
sugar
stirrers
milk
coffee maker (or handy cafe :))
Lunch
morning tea
afternoon tea

Fitness Test and Self Defense

Air Shields
Stop watch
mats (required for sit ups and Self Defense)

Find a set
Book for the grading date
Arrange Pick up
Arrange delivery for Friday night
Unpack and set up

Focus Pads

approx 1 between 2

Destruction - Boards

Space to set up piles
Boards, see examples for budgeting
Junior Boards
Breaking Machines - approx 1 per 15 candidates
Boxes for Over Head Kick
Chairs for holders for High Front Snap Kick
Floor protection for Breaking Machines
Floor protection for falling boards.

Destruction - Tiles

Floor protection
Clay roof tiles
Building blocks to support tiles
Big Tarp
2 Small tarps for each break station
Trailer for broken bits
Space to set up piles

Examiner

Table
Chairs
Coffee
Coffee
Sweets
Cups
Bowels for sweets
Grading kit Table cloth

Instructors

Chairs

Marshals

Chairs
Sign on list for examiners see examples

Candidates

Area for Bags, Drinks and Sparring gear
Male and Female Changing rooms
Ice for injury

Theory Test

Area for Lecture
Area for written exam (held after lecture)
Area for interviews (separate to exam)

Grading Saturday

Area for Form Up
Area for secondary training (Candidates are required to test in smaller groups during the afternoon)
Flag

Grading Sunday

Area for Form Up
Area for candidate seating- similar to Gup grading
Flag

Spectators

Seating
Parking
Crowd Control (late arrivals)

Bases to Cover

Venue

site check

Large enough for expected numbers
changing area
Parking
seating for spectators, marshals and instructors
tables for examiners
table for lunch/catering
seating for exam
desk and seats for interview

keys

pick up
drop off
gates
windows
class room keys

alarms

codes
arming
opening up
False alarms

Lights
instructions for chairs, basketball hoops , garages, bleachers, air con, ventilation.
parking

examiners
candidates
crew
spectators

location
wet weather contingency (oh dear I forgot, they got wet)

Emergency numbers

Hall owner or custodian

Emergency procedure

Fire
other like earth quake

Meetings

Organisation Review

Attempt to Schedule 1 month before
Get a peer or one of the examiners to sit down and review your progress.
They will hopefully pick up on any omissions

Crew

as required

Breaking Team

As required

Consumables

examiners

food
coffee
water
sweets

Candidates

Ice
bandages
First Aid
gloves

Destruction

Book Breaking Team if you can (Mr Meliesea in AKL)

advise candidate list
ask for help on Saturday for Over Head Kick and Flying High Front Snap Kick
buy boards and tiles
thank them profusely
advise times (Sat pm, Sun pm)

Boards

Estimate board requirements
Find Supplier (Timber World, East Tamaki in Auckland)
Order
Purchase
Pick up from supplier
deliver to venue
dump waste (find a fire place lover)
Board Spec:

Untreated Pine
19mm senior
16mm Junior (usually planed)
Clear - no knots
300mm (along grain) x 290mm (across grain)

Tiles

Estimate Tile requirements
Find Supplier (MacMillan Slaters and Tilers in Auckland)
Order
Purchase
Pick up from Supplier
deliver to venue
dump waste

Breaking Team

Protect the Floor from falling boards!!!
Protect the floor from breaking machines!!!
For each Machine:

Leader
Holder 1
Holder 2
Sweeper
Spares
List of Candidates

Measure for all breaks on Saturday after run
Have boards in piles as per form up
Multiple machines

Each break is performed separately
all machines are reset at the end of all breaks

Tiles

have at least 4 stations
1 towel per station
get the ice ready
set up each station simultaneously
Use 2 small tarps per station to collect waste
remove all waste to outside trailer after each break
Protect the FLOOR!!!

Overhead Kick

per station (2 or 3))

Cardboard boxes approx height of kneeling person
2 holders
1 sweeper
1 pile of boards
Candidates can be asked to hold

Flying High Front Snap Kick (2 or 3)

per station

2 chairs
2 holders
Sweeper
Pile of boards
Candidates can be asked to hold

Fitness

Sit ups

mats required
Timed for 2 minutes - a cell phone is OK for this

Press-ups

No requirements for timing.

Map a 2.4km run (mapmyrun.com is good start)
The run can be street, running track, a loop or out and back.
Think of:

road crossings
start area
end point
other things happening at that time (like end of rugby game)
turn around cone/marshal

Try to keep the route flat (ish )
Test the run using live candidates
Have some signs for turns, turn around etc

Power Test

1 air shield is between 2
stop watch (examiners have cell phones so usually covered)
Borrow air shields if your club has insufficient
Ensure you organise pick up, rental payment and return

Documentation

Form Up

Form-up Document

A Mechanism is required to share the form up document with the principle examiner (i.e. google Docs)
If not using Google docs maintain a version number in the name i,e, Form_up_v1.4.xls
Not everyone is into google so you may need to cater for them
not everyone has office or office 2007 so ensure you cater for them too
be prepared to spend some time on this document - it's important
There will be several changes - cope with it
Be prepared for drop-outs due to sickness or injury
A final printed version is required for the candidates to view on Saturday am
Layout

Black Belts on front Row
Red Strips behind

Taller candidates at rear

Candidate pairing

Some request Pairing for 1 Step
keep them together
keep the pairings together if there are changes
Pairing needs to be in lines 1/2, 3/4. These lines turn and face each other.

Destruction Form Up

Breaking machine(s) - Sunday Only

Arrange so size is approx the same for each machine
Ensure space to note breaking height and board quantity
Have a copy for the Breaking Coordinator
A copy for each Breaking Machine Leader
supply a copy for the examiners

Overhead -Saturday

Split group into groups for each station
supply a copy for the examiners

High front snap kick - Saturday

Split into groups for each station
supply a copy of the groups for the examiners

Free Form (III Dan)

Note Candidates
If possible ask the candidate what they require for the break
Note and pass onto the examiners

Signs

quiet - exam in progress
Male/Female for changing rooms {if single gender school)

Marshal Sign on form
Map for candidates (published on ITFNZ site) - see examples

Set-up - Friday Evening

Enlist helpers to:

Set up seating
Assemble mats
Deliver breaking material
Clean floor if required
Organise basketball hoops
Display signs

The Big Day - Saturday

Arrival and Form Up

Form up is usually 0830.
Candidates will arrive from 0800
Set up food and beverages
Ensure the senior candidate is ready to start and take the warm-up
Greet the examiners when they arrive
Ensure cars are parked in designated spaces
all doors are unlocked
Alarms are off
Lights are on
Remind all to turn off cell phones
Ask parents and spectators to leave before the grading starts

Morning

Ask examiners when they would like coffee/morning tea
Keep spectators away - their day is Sunday afternoon

Afternoon

Assist with breaking as required
Ensure mats are ready if required for Senior Self Defense
Assist with fitness test as required
Instruct your run assistants to man their stations
Be ready to explain run course to candidates
Assist breaking Team with measuring heights for Sunday's breaking

Finish

Clean up food and catering
Clean floor if required
lights off and lockup

The Second Big Day - Sunday

Morning

Open up and lights on at 0800
Set up Lecture/exam and interview areas
Set up catering

Afternoon

Public will start arriving from 1230
Grading commences at 1300
Introduce Examiners
Ensure public/instructors/marshals are seated
Ensure Breaking Team ready to go at approx 1400
Have ice ready
Control late spectator entry to ensure least disruption

Finish

Return all seating and equipment to original locations
Clean up and remove all rubbish
Ensure examiners have all notes
Lock up and you're finished.

Claim Expenses

Keep receipts
Ask your club to pay the big expenses