From beginner up to 1st Dan, the level of competence of a practitioner is shown by the colour of the belt they wear. Practitioners below 1st Dan are known as KYU or "Student" grades. Those above KYU grade are all DAN grades and all wear a black belt.

The list of grades shown here are those used by our club. Other styles vary from this, some have additional grades and others have less. Our black belt grades only go as high as 5th Dan because that is the level given to Sensei Harada by his Sensei Gichin Funakoshi.

Unlike many other styles of karate where you have to "fight for your belt", assessment for a new grade is a continual process carried out by our club's chief instructors. Attendance at practices plays a large part of how quickly you progress through the grades - if you're not here, you can't learn anything. Obviously, If you only practice 1 hour a week you will not advance at the same speed as someone who is there and learning 4 hours a week.