Examinations

Shinseido uses the kyu/dan grading structure common to many oriental martial arts. Please see the Syllabus page for more details on this. The grades have no real significance in themselves, they are merely milestones along the way. They also serve to give structure to the learning process.

Training in Shinseido is a personal journey. To some degree a student’s grade is a measure of their skill in the martial art, in absolute terms. But equally it reflects how far the student has come on their personal training journey.

In the Leeds Shinseido dojo we do not have set dates for conducting examinations. Instead the teacher and student agree when they both think the student is ready to grade. Examinations are then conducted within the course of a normal lesson. Kyu grade students can expect to grade roughly twice a year.