They don't have to. Boxers shadow box, hit heavy bags, and practice refining technique. Nobody is foolish enough to tell them that those parts of a training regimen are pointless.

We need to bring back true karate. It has become too relaxed, too feelings oriented. The idea of do or die is all but gone.

I totally agree. I am brown belt and I think even I can do much better. Our grading was brutal. And no one is allowed to record

I had 2 sessions back in that dojo in London in mid 80's. I wasn't impressed. I had just come from Japan after 3 months training. It was stiff karate. Of course there were no videos so we cant be critical. Good on these guys for giving it a go. All power to them

3 years at least! But the correct time is 5 years!

If you want to be good at least 5 years. Don’t focus on time focus on quality. When I got my shodan I was mopping the floor with other dojo’s sandans etc. experience and intensity trumps rank

Everybody progresses at a different speed, so it really depends. Consistent training (also at home, not just at the dojo) within the major organizations, you are expected to progress and reach shodan level within 4-6 years. Many take longer, most quit…

There HAS to be some leeway due to the age of the karateka. Not everyone has started at 15 and continued without a break until middle age. Many people start late in life and practice very hard but their bodies simply can not do half of those who are young or started young and continued. If we didn't take age into account not one "late starter" could ever make it past Nidan - but they do have to be rewarded for their effort and spirit in some way. I suppose the only way to deal with this to keep everyone happy is to have some kind of "senior Dan grades" but it will never happen. Back in the 1980's when I started in a University JKA club there was a Nidan guy there in his fifties who just was not flexible at all and was slow and sluggish. Most of the high kyu ranks (remember this was a college dojo where most only train for 4 years so anything above Shodan was a rarity) were quietly making fun of this person, as their technique was sharper, faster, stances much lower than this man's. When he made Sandan we were all flabbergasted. Now, when I am approaching that age myself however I finally recognize how much effort it took for him to perform at the level that he did, and that his Sandan was primarily given to him for his effort and dedication. The key question is whether this dilutes the meaning of grades in any way? The answer must be "yes" if we believe that grades are solely reflection of skill; but if we think of them as reflecting such things as dedication to the art and effort, then we must be more generous.

@@thomaskwiatkowskiesq.328 I understand your point of view pretty good; in fact I have an injured/damaged body and have 50 years old and do not have elasticity however I train at my best possibility; no doubt that with a better understanding of what is going on than these guys in the examination. As you possibly know; is more important to know or perform couple of techniques the best that you can than trying to know lots but actually do not know anything. I know my limitations due my body but I try to train to have a strong punch and to still be somewhat fast and not to be one of many (most) fat lazy guy with a high rank but not so much knowledge nor training.

Dont say they passed

@Stephen Brown Same here.....I was going for Black after 7 years!!! First Kyu...1 1/2 year!!!

I trained in the 80's. Slow and stiff karate in the west. I think you are looking back with misty eyes.

probs even 4th honestly compared to my karate

It is the exact official syllabus as of the JKA Japan website at the date of training / grading. The syllabus has since changed and will be different today.

Global Fugitive ok thk

Its a grading. They are nervous. Jesus.

@@mikeodonovan9299 So you think all the comments here in the thread are wrong ?

Hi there, no that was Nakayama Sensei, who is an assistant Instructor for Naka Sensei. In order Senseis Naka, Mori & Nakayama.

+CARLOS ALBERTO Battista thanks for your comments, when you are a couple of years short of 50 and start posting some of your own videos, I might pay attention to your opinion.

+Benjamin Kwan well answered. Osu

Thank you for the suggestion. I actually bought that up at the seminars run just before the grading and to my surprise they commented that the stances not need to be so deep the higher you grade ... also my background is not form Shotokan as you could probably tell :) and I'm fairly stocky and my legs are short :( but no excuse, I do understand that most variations of Shotokan do have deeper and longer stances and it's something i try to work on.

You are a Kata snob..

Global Fugitive "The stances not need to be so deep the higher you grade"I do think I've heard this before from people at the JKA. I tend to note Naka Sensei tends to have high stances especially his zenkutsu dachi and kiba dachi. But I have to say I feel that the lack of emphasis on deep stances in higher grades seems due to the fact that older people tend to take higher dan shinsa more. The younger ones test for the lower ranks and due to their youth are more able to have deeper stances. Older people = more financially stable = more money for the JKA. It seems more a commercial move to me. Honestly I am a bit appalled at the quality of the kihon of Naka Sensei's students and examinees. As great a karateka as he is, he does not seem very bent on imparting strictly the Shotokan skills to his students, but prefers to have a large number of students and to do mass trainings.

David. Wright Nicholas Am I wrong? The Indian looking guy beside Benjamin was not as heavy as Benjamin, is young, and had no reason not to maintain proper stances.

Who cares... the easiest thing to do on this planet is find fault.. chill out.. are YOU perfect.. maybe you should put as much fault finding effort into your own katas.. to the point where, no matter how bad somebody else is, so what. Maybe they still enjoy it. Do your katas in the mirror