Junior Grades
The junior grading system is split into Kai (5-7yrs) and Mon (8-15yrs) grades. Gradings are not competitive in any way and are a measure of a judoka’s experience, knowledge and understanding, as opposed to fighting ability. All junior grades can be tested within the club by suitably qualified coaches.
Kai
The 9 kai grades apply to juniors from ages 5 to 7. A kai grade belt is white with a coloured stripe along its length. Upon turning 8 years old, kai grades can transfer into the mon grading system at a higher level than they would do starting from scratch.
| Grade | Belt Colour |
|---|---|
| 1st kai | White with red stripe |
| 2nd kai | White with yellow stripe |
| 3rd kai | White with orange stripe |
| 4th kai | White with green stripe |
| 5th kai | White with blue stripe |
| 6th kai | White with purple stripe |
| 7th kai | White with brown stripe |
| 8th kai | White with black stripe |
| 9th kai | Red with white stripe |
1st to 3rd Kai Promotion Syllabus.pdf
4th to 6th Kai Promotion Syllabus.pdf
7th to 9th Kai Promotion Syllabus.pdf
Mon
The 18 mon grades apply to juniors from ages 8 to 15. There are 6 coloured belts and 3 grades within each colour. Coloured tabs at one end of the belt indicate the specific grade.
| Grade | Belt Colour | Number of Tabs |
|---|---|---|
| 1st mon | Red | 1 |
| 2nd mon | Red | 2 |
| 3rd mon | Red | 3 |
| 4th mon | Yellow | 1 |
| 5th mon | Yellow | 2 |
| 6th mon | Yellow | 3 |
| 7th mon | Orange | 1 |
| 8th mon | Orange | 2 |
| 9th mon | Orange | 3 |
| 10th mon | Green | 1 |
| 11th mon | Green | 2 |
| 12th mon | Green | 3 |
| 13th mon | Blue | 1 |
| 14th mon | Blue | 2 |
| 15th mon | Blue | 3 |
| 16th mon | Brown | 1 |
| 17th mon | Brown | 2 |
| 18th mon | Brown | 3 |
Transfer from a mon to a kyu (adult) grade can happen from ages 14-16 and normally results in the same colour belt. The exception being brown belts who must achieve their 18th and final mon grade in order to be awarding their adult 1st kyu brown belt grade. This allows them to enter competitive Dan (black-belt) gradings, but a Dan grade can only be awarded from the age of 15.
Mon Grade Promotion Syllabus.pdf
The following posters neatly squeeze all the theory requirements for each belt colour into handy single page pictorial guides.