Grading in Judo

The rank (or grade) of a judoka is indicated by the colour of the belt he/she wears. It signifies the stage in the nationally approved syllabus that the judoka has successfully demonstrated in a formal examination, and is awarded by certified Grading Masters of the appropriate level and approved by the National Body – Judo South Africa.

The colours ‘darken’ as the judoka advances upwards, making it theoretically possible to dye the belt over the previous colour, with black from 1^st Dan to 5^th Dan.

6^th Kyu         White belt

5^th Kyu          Yellow belt

4^th Kyu            Orange belt

3^rd Kyu           Green belt

2^nd Kyu            Blue belt

1^st Kyu             Brown belt

1^st Dan           Black belt

2^nd Dan          Black belt

3^rd Dan            Black belt

4^th Dan            Black belt

5^th Dan            Black belt

6^th Dan           Red and White blocked belt   (worn only for demonstration or ceremonially)

7^th Dan           Red and White blocked belt   (worn only for demonstration or ceremonially)

8^th Dan           Red and White blocked belt   (worn only for demonstration or ceremonially)

9^th Dan           Red belt                                 (worn only for demonstration or ceremonially)

10^th Dan         Red belt                                (worn only for demonstration or ceremonially)

From 1^st Dan upwards, candidates must, in addition to their demonstration of Judo in a formal examination by a panel, have contributed to Judo as a Referee, Technical Official and other service. With dedication and regular training, 1^st Dan typically takes 5 – 6yrs to attain.

Currently, the highest grade in South Africa is 7^th Dan, approved by the African Judo Union and the International Judo Federation.