Kyu Test Requirements

The number of hours and weeks required at each level are counted from the last testing date (or the date the student first began practicing). Students qualify for testing only after both the number of hours and weeks are met.

A record of your practices will be kept at the Dojo. This record will list the date of your last promotion (or the date you started practicing), your current rank, and the number of practice hours and weeks since your last promotion. As you near the minimum hour and week limits required for your next evaluation you should approach Sensei and inquire about that promotion. Sensei will then schedule a time to discuss the exact requirements for that evaluation with you, and to plan necessary practice and review sessions.

Sensei will also give you an evaluation checklist, which will detail the skills that you will be asked to demonstrate at your evaluation. As you progress in rank you will add your own "student selected" arts to this checklist, having an opportunity to show those skills you like the best or feel the most proficient at.

In this way no promotion is ever overlooked or forgotten, nor is any evaluation a surprise. Properly followed this procedure ensures that you will have more than adequate preparation for each test, making that experience more a demonstration of your current knowledge than a experience that you feel you will "fail". Your evaluation is also a chance for you to reaffirm your growing skills in Aikido in front of your fellow students, friends, and family. It is a time to be happy in your success, and visitors are especially encouraged to come to class on evaluation days!
The running record of practices is obtained from the weekly sign-in rosters available at each class. For this reason it is vitally important that you sign in each and every time you attend an Aikido practice. If you forget to sign in at a class, or believe that the information on this running record may be incorrect, be sure to bring it to Sensei's attention immediately.

Guidelines for All Levels

Evaluations consist of the items from the following twelve elements. While specific arts, kata, and exercises are particular at each level a student may also be asked to demonstrate any (or all) of the requirements from a prior level during their test. In this way Aikido is viewed as a cumulative process, not simply a procedure of studying for a single test. The twelve elements are:

-Specific Aikido arts at each level
-Instructor selected arts from any of the prior levels
-Student selected arts
-Demonstration of Ukemi (safe rolling and falling)
-Jo and Bokken Kata (specific Kata required at particular levels)
-Ryokata Tori Exercise (number of repetitions by level)
-Rondori Exercise (number of persons and repetitions by level)
-Blunt Object, Tanto, Jo, and Tachi Tori (number and type by level)
-Teaching Skit (Ikkyu and above only)
-Ki Tests (including Aiki Taisos and Kokyu Dosa Exercise)
-Selected arts from Swari Waza (both attacker and defender kneeling) and   Hanmi Handachi (attacker standing, defender kneeling)
-Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific guidelines for each level are given on the following pages. The numbers next to each set of items on these pages correspond to the twelve categories listed above. Students should be aware that these lists are for practice and training purposes only. Since each individual's abilities, personality, and desires from training vary it is only natural that each individual's evaluation may likewise vary. These pages are only intended to provide a listing of what abilities and knowledge are typically mastered at each level. It is between each individual student and Sensei to determine what that student's particular evaluation for any given rank will consist of and how (and when) it will be conducted.
Note: All arts are to be demonstrated (if possible) both Irimi and Tenkan. All Kata are to be demonstrated (if possible) from both left and right sides.

Specific Guidelines for Gokyu

Specific Arts
Katate Tori Ikkyo
Kata Tori Nikyo
Katate Tori Sankyo
Yokomen Uchi Shiho Nage
Mune Tsuki Kote Gaeshi
Shomen Uchi Kokyu Nage
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Tenchi Nage
Ryote Tori Fune Koge Nage
Katate Tori Ikkyo
Katate Tori Ryote Mochi Katate Otoshi
No instructor selected arts from prior levels (no prior levels)
No student selected arts
Forward roll
Five Count Jo Kata
No Ryokata Tori Exercise
No Rondori Exercise
One Blunt Object Tori; One Tanto Tori
No Teaching Skit
Instructor selected Ki tests
No Swari Waza, No Hanmi Handachi
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific Guidelines for Yonkyu

Specific Arts
Shomen Uchi Ikkyo
Yokomen Uchi Nikyo
Kata Tori Ryote Mochi Sankyo
Katate Tori Shiho Nage
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Kote Gaeshi
Katate Tori Kokyu Nage Hantai
Mune Tsuki Irimi Nage
Ushiro Tori Kokyu Nage
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Sumi Otoshi
Kata Tori Ikkyo
Five instructor selected arts from prior levels
Five student selected arts
Backwards roll
All prior Kata & Thirteen Count Jo Kata
No Ryokata Tori Exercise
No Rondori Exercise
Two Blunt Object Tori; Two Tanto Tori
No Teaching Skit
Instructor selected Ki tests
No Swari Waza; No Hanmi Handachi
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific Guidelines for Sankyu
Specific Arts
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Ikkyo
Ushiro Ryokata Tori Irimi Nage
Mune Tsuki Nikyo
Shomen Uchi Kaiten Nage
Katate Tori Yonkyo
Ryote Tori Tenchi Nage
Mune Tsuki Gokyo
Katate Tori Ryote Mochi Sayu Nage
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Shiho Nage
Katate Tori Sumi Otoshi Hantai
Shomen Uchi Shiho Nage
Kubi Shime Hiji Otoshi
Yokomen Uchi Kote Gaeshi
Ushiro Kata Tori Ago Tsuki Age
Yokomen Uchi Kokyu Nage
Ten instructor selected arts from prior levels
Ten student selected arts
Running forward roll
All prior Kata & Eighteen Count Jo Kata; Eight Count Bokken Kata
Twenty-Five Ryokata Tori Exercises
One Person Rondori Exercise
Three Blunt Object Tori; Three Tanto Tori; Three Jo Tori; Two Tachi Tori
No Teaching Skit
Instructor selected Ki tests
Two arts from Swari Waza; Two arts from Hanmi Handachi
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific Guidelines for Nikyu
Specific Arts
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Sankyo
Mune Tsuki Kokyu Nage
Shomen Uchi Sankyo
Shomen Uchi Irimi Nage
Yokomen Uchi Yonkyo
Mune Tsuki Kaiten Nage
Kata Tori Gokyo Hantai
Katate Tori Tenchi Nage
Kata Tori Shiho Nage
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Juji Nage
Mune Tsuki Shiho Nage
Ryote Tori Sayu Nage
Yokomen Uchi Ude Osai
Yokomen Uchi Sumi Otoshi
Katate Tori Ryote Mochi Kokyu Nage
Fifteen instructor selected arts from prior levels
Fifteen student selected arts
"Low" forwards Ukemi (eg. from Kote Gaeshi)
All prior Kata & Twenty-One Count Jo Kata; Thirteen Count Bokken Kata; First, Second, and Third Bokken Suburi (Saito Method)
Fifty Ryokata Tori Exercises
One Person Rondori Exercise
Four Blunt Object Tori; Four Tanto Tori; Four Jo Tori; Four Tachi Tori
No Teaching Skit
Instructor selected Ki tests
Three arts Swari Waza; Three arts Hanmi Handachi
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific Guidelines for Ikkyu
Specific Arts
Kata Tori Shomen Uchi Ikkyo
Shomen Uchi Nikyo
Ushiro Katate Tori Kubi Shime Sankyo
Mune Tsuki Sankyo
Kata Tori Yokomen Uchi Shiho Nage
Ushiro Katate Tori Kubi Shime Kote Gaeshi
Shomen Uchi Kote Gaeshi
Yokomen Uchi Irmi Nage
Kata Tori Mune Tsuki Irimi Nage
Ushiro Kubi Shime Juji Nage
Ryote Tori Juji Nage
Katate Tori Koshi Nage
Mune Tsuki Sayu Nage
Katate Tori Kote Gaeshi
Katate Tori Hiji Otoshi
Ushiro Kata Tori Aiki Otoshi
Ushiro Tori Aiki Otoshi
Kete Tsuki Sayu Nage
Ushiro Katate Tori Kubi Shime Ago Tsuki Age
Mune Tsuki Ikkyo
Twenty instructor selected arts from prior levels
Twenty student selected arts
"High" forwards Ukemi (eg. from Juji Nage); "Low" backwards Ukemi (eg. from Shiho Nage); "Low" hip Ukemi (eg. from Koshi Nage); "Low" kick Ukemi (eg. from Kete Tsuki)
All prior Kata & Thirty-One Count Jo Kata (Suenaka Method); Fourth through Seventh Suburi (Saito)
Seventy-Five Ryokata Tori Exercises
Two Person Rondori Exercise
Five Blunt Object Tori; Five Tanto Tori; Five Jo Tori; Five Tachi Tori
Student Prepared Teaching Skit (five to ten minutes)
Instructor selected Ki tests
Four arts Swari Waza; Four arts Hanmi Handachi
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific Guidelines for Shodan
Specific Arts
Yokomen Uchi Ikkyo
Ryote Tori Kokyu Nage
Shomen Uchi Yonkyo
Mune Tsuki Yonkyo
Shomen Uchi Gokyo
Kata Tori Shomen Uchi Shiho Nage
Kata Tori Mune Tsuki Kote Gaeshi
Shomen Uchi Ude Osae
Ushiro Katate Tori Kokyu Nage
Katate Tori Kaiten Nage
Ryokata Tori Irimi Nage
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Kaiten Nage
Katate Tori Koshi Nage Hantai
Ryote Tori Koshi Nage
Kete Tsuki Aiki Otoshi
Katate Tori Sumi Otoshi
Kata Tori Sumi Otoshi
Yokomen Uchi Katate Otoshi
Ushiro Tekubi Tori Aiki Otoshi
Ushiro Katate Tori KubiShime Shiho Nage
Twenty-Five instructor selected arts from prior levels
Twenty-Five student selected arts
"High" backwards Ukemi (eg. from Aiki Otoshi); "High" hip Ukemi (eg. from Koshi Nage); "High" kick Ukemi (eg. from Kete Tsuki)
Thirty-One Count Jo Kata (Saito Method); All other Jo Kata, Bokken Kata, Bokken Suburi
One Hundred Ryokata Tori Exercises
Three Person Rondori Exercise
Six Blunt Object Tori; Six Tanto Tori; Six Jo Tori; Six Tachi Tori
Instructor Selected Teaching Skit (five to ten minutes)
Instructor selected Ki tests
Five arts Swari Waza; Five arts Hanmi Handachi
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy

Specific Guidelines for Nidan
Student is required to know all of the "90 Common Attacks and Arts" on the following alphabetical list. Instructor may select any number of these combinations for the student to demonstrate.
Student is required to complete an individual project chosen in consultation with the instructor. The exact nature of this project, and its evaluation, is left to the agreement of the student and the instructor.
Student is required to demonstrate comfort with Ukemi. Instructor may select any position (attack or movement) for the student to demonstrate.
All Jo Kata, Bokken Kata, Bokken Suburi
One Hundred Fifty Ryokata Tori Exercises
Four to Five Person Rondori Exercise
Student is required to demonstrate comfort with weapons attacks. Instructor may select any weapon and attack for the student to demonstrate.
Student is required to complete at least ten actual teaching experiences under the supervision of the instructor. Student and instructor will jointly plan each class session, student will conduct the class under the instructor's supervision, and instructor will provide student constructive feedback in preparation for the next experience.
Instructor selected Ki tests
Student is required to demonstrate comfort with arts done either Swari Waza or Hanmi Handachi. Instructor may select specific arts for the student to demonstrate.
Appreciation of Aikido Philosophy