Frequently Asked Questions about our grading structure for children at ZKS MA.
Mini assessments are a means of testing our young members and
giving them feedback on their progression.
We follow the academic year and run 3 assessments at the end of the school term. We hold assessments that both our online
members and normal class members can attend. Those that attend our
normal classes will then be awarded the tag at the next class and
opportunity to work on the feedback from the mini grading. For our
online members will get the tag posted to them.
Those three mini assessment s can take about an hour each and cost approximately £15 for in class members. A student’s mini assessment results are then combined for the annual Grading Award or the Grading Competition which are held in July. This entitles the member to recieve the next belt at the end of the academic year.
In class mini assessment s are held in Aylesbury and Watford to ensure everyone can make them and you can opt to attend at another venue if you cannot make your local one. Students are asked to grade in groups in front of a panel and will not be expected to grade on their own. Lower belt students will be given demonstrations on what to do before they are graded. We feel it is important you know this, as many students panic that they do not remember certain drills and we want to alleviate any anxieties they are having before the event. We also offer online content via ZKSMA Online where we offer both prerecorded material and live online classes.
If members are not able to make the dates we have available then we now offer the chance for the mini assessment to be completed at home via our ZKSMA Online.
Our mini assessment panel.
A student working on a online assessment. 
At the end of their mini grading, students will be given 'tags' to iron onto their belts showing the tag th ey have completed. The result of each grading, with comments for improvement and/or praise can be found by logging onto your child’s student page via your members account.
You can then print off the certificate for the event. If your child receives a distinction, this means they have done exceptionally well and will be given the opportunity to ‘double grade’ at the Grading Competition in July if they deceide to attend.
Because our junior members (age 5 and over white belts) enrol with us all through the year, we say there is a mandatory requirement for the child to do at least ONE mini assessment in the white belt stage if they want to aim for yellow belt. After that, (after the grading award is attended in July) we insist on yellow belt and above attending ALL mini assessments. The fact that some children (who join in September‑November) will attend all mini assessments in the white belt stage is fantastic as this is what we always encourage for overall success and of course for a stronger martial artist! Failure to attend any mini assessments means your child will be unable qualify for the grading award. Failure to attend the grading award each year means your child will always be recognised as a white belt and may not progress through their martial arts. This could mean your child bores of their training as they will not be able to learn anything new. .
White belts and beginners need to do at least one mini grading.
If you need to reschedule a mini assessment then we need you to do the following. We are unable to do this for you and it is a simple process to do online.
If you wish to cancel your booking completely and it falls before the booking end date, we can cancel your booking and issue a refund if you have already paid. To inform us that you wish to cancel it is best to go online to our members area and use the SmallShout messaging function and inform us of the event.
If you cancel after the booking end date or simply not attend the event and do not inform us then we will not be able to issue a refund.
You should have received a document when you enrolled online called ‘Save The Date’ – this lists all future grading dates running in December, March, June and July (not catch up events, they are announced in May) but if you have not received this document please email admin@zksma.co.uk to get a copy emailed to you or check your Smallshout message bank. Or alterntively click here.
The Grading Competition is a competition event we hold just once per year where each child will compete against their peers in order to grade up to the next belt. However, if they grade well, and win a competition medal on the day, they have the chance of double grading up to Orange belt. Our main grading events is our biggest event, run just once per year and failure to attend this event will mean white belt students will be unable to move up through the belts.
The Grading Competition is the final part of what they have already achieved in their mini gradings through the year which is why they cannot enter for the main grading without first having attended a mini grading. It's a 3-4 hour long event attended by between 50-90 children roughly the same age, and the kids love it, as they get to compete in 2 events (sparring and grappling) for gold, silver, bronze and runner-up medals. There is an awards ceremony and fantastic demonstrations from our Leadership team to inspire them in how great they can become with hard work. The event ends with an awards ceremony where students will collect their belts, certificates, plaques and any medals won that day.
For some children, the thought of competing at a main grading can feel like too much. If this is the case, you can opt for them to attend the main grading to collect the belt and commemorative plaque without the child having to compete on the day. Doing this will secure the next belt, but the student will not qualify for any double grade. You will pay the same price for doing this, but instead of attending for the whole event, you and your child will be invited to the awards ceremony at the end of the event to collect the belt and some other goodies. We do this as it is important that your child feels a sense of occasion when they collect their belt. They may not be ready to compete, but we want them to know they have put in the hard work through the year by training each week and attending their mini gradings so they are still entitled to that belt. .
Learning to work under pressure is an important life skill.
Learning about winning and losing.
All students start at white belt and progress through yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple, purple tag, brown, brown tag then black belt.
Senseis argue the longer the journey, the better the martial artist and that the focus should be on the journey and not on the enticing 'black belt' status. However, rough estimates could indicate roughly 7 years from white to black with hard work and commitment, but this is not guaranteed. A shorter journey to black belt can only be achieved with hard work and we see this consistently from our students who are attending 2 or more classes per week.
At each mini assessment event the children are graded as a pass, merit or distinction. Those who gain a distinction at a mini grading will also be offered the option of double grading at the Grading Competition in July (for current white belts this would mean skipping yellow belt up to orange belt). So, very simply, the more they do the better chance they have to double grade and be more prepared at our annual Grading Competition . As mentioned above, we would strongly recommend any white belt student attends all their mini assessment s, but of course if someone joins in April then they will only have one chance to grade in June before they qualify for the main grading in July.
We will not chase students if they do not attend mini assessment s or grading award as gradings are not compulsory. .
