Karate syllabus & belt guide

A grading, or shinsa, is not an exam you cram for — it’s a checkpoint that confirms your karate has genuinely moved forward. This guide sets out the grading path we follow at KarateTTDI and the syllabus that sits beneath it, so you always know what you’re working towards and why. None of it replaces training on the floor with Sensei Zad; it’s a map, not the journey.

The grading path: kyu to dan

Karate ranks run in two stages. Coloured belts are the kyū (級) grades and count down towards black belt — 9th kyu is a beginner, 1st kyu is the grade just below black. Black-belt degrees are the dan (段) grades and count up — 1st dan (shodan) is the first rung, not the finish line. The modern kyu/dan system was adapted for the martial arts in the 1920s and remains the shared language of grade across styles today.

Below is the traditional colour progression used under the Malaysian Association of Shito-ryu Karate-do, the lineage KarateTTDI trains in:

Grade	Belt	Stage
9th kyu	White	Beginner
8th kyu	Yellow	Junior grades
7th kyu	Green	Junior grades
6th kyu	Blue	Intermediate
5th kyu	Purple	Intermediate
4th – 1st kyu	Brown	Senior (advanced)
1st dan onward	Black	Dan grades

Some dojos mark progress within a colour using stripes — for example, white tabs on the brown belt to separate 3rd, 2nd and 1st kyu, or gold bars on a black belt to denote degree. The belt is only ever a record of the work; it’s the karate it stands for that matters.

Belt expectations

Each grade carries an expectation, and it’s about more than the techniques on the sheet. As you climb the kyu grades you’re expected to grow in:

• Technical accuracy — cleaner stances, correct trajectory on every strike and block, and control of your own balance.
• Understanding — knowing the name of what you’re doing, why the mechanics work, and how a movement applies.
• Attitude and etiquette — focus, discipline and dojo manners that get sharper, not slacker, as you become senior.
• Fitness and stamina — the physical base to perform under pressure and hold quality across a whole grading.

Juniors are graded against what’s realistic for their age and stage; senior grades are held to a higher standard of precision and self-reliance. Sensei Zad will only put you forward for a grading when your everyday training already shows the level — the test simply confirms it.

How the syllabus is built

The KarateTTDI syllabus is organised into four working areas. Together they cover the whole of what a graded karateka needs: the basics standing and moving, sparring skills, forms, and the physical condition to carry them.

Kihon — static basics

Kihon (基本) is the foundation: the fundamental techniques practised from a fixed stance so you can build them correctly before adding movement. Static kihon is where you learn how the body actually generates and transfers power. Expect to drill:

• Stances (tachi-waza) — a stable, correctly measured base is graded before anything on top of it.
• Hand techniques (te-waza) — punches, strikes and blocks with correct structure on completion.
• Kicks (geri-waza) — clean trajectory, chamber and recovery, held in balance.

Kihon ido-shiki — moving basics

Ido-shiki (移動式) takes those same techniques and puts them in motion — stepping up and down the dojo, turning, and combining hand and foot. This is where the grader watches the order in which your legs, hips, arms and torso move, the height you keep your stance, and whether you can stop suddenly without wobbling. Moving basics are the bridge between static kihon and kata.

Kumite waza — sparring techniques

Kumite (組手) is trained progressively and safely. The syllabus builds from pre-arranged partner drills — where attack and defence are agreed in advance so you learn distance (maai), timing and control — towards freer exchanges for senior grades. What’s assessed is not aggression but judgement: the right technique, at the right distance, at the right moment, under control.

Kata — forms

Kata (型) is the living library of Shitō-ryū, and the style is known for carrying one of the largest kata syllabuses of any school. Each grade adds forms appropriate to its level, and you’re expected not only to perform the sequence but to understand its application (bunkai) as you become senior. Foundational forms such as the Juni no Kata and the Pinan series give way to more demanding kata as you progress towards advanced grades — Sensei Zad’s own tournament kata, Chatanyara Kūshankū, sits at the far end of that path.

Kata assessment

One of the most useful parts of the dojo guide is a clear framework for judging a kata — the same lens Sensei Zad uses so students can assess each other’s kata, and their own, as a route to self-learning. A kata is looked at across these points:

Element	What’s assessed
演武線 Embusen	Direction and angle of the performance line; correct techniques in the correct order.
手技・蹴技 Te-waza & geri-waza	Structure on completion, trajectory of the technique, power and speed.
立技 Tachi-waza	Stance structure and measurement, stability and balance, consistency throughout, use of the hips.
移動基本 Ido-kihon	Order of motion of leg, arm and torso; height of stance; speed and sudden stop; balance on stopping.
拍子 Hyōshi	Rhythm and timing — move with speed, but don’t rush.
着眼 Chakugan	Focus of the eyes at your own eye level; turning the head to look before you move.
Summary	Overall effort and confidence — and what to focus on next.

Learning to see a kata this way is worth as much as learning the kata itself: it turns every rehearsal into honest feedback instead of blind repetition.

Karate fitness

Technique without condition falls apart under pressure, so the syllabus includes a fitness component — strength, mobility and stamina built specifically to support karate. Good movement, deep stances and controlled kumite all demand a body that can hold form when it’s tired. This is trained steadily rather than crammed before a grading; it’s simply part of turning up.

Preparing for your grading

The best preparation is unglamorous: attend consistently, drill the basics with intent, and take correction well. Know the names of your techniques and kata, not just the movements. If you’re unsure what your next grade requires, ask — Sensei Zad will tell you exactly what to sharpen. When you’re ready, the grading is a chance to show it, not a hurdle to survive.

Adapted from the KarateDatu dojo guide.