In Submission Arts Wrestling, only the “Founder” and the “Daihyo Shihan” can approve and give grades to students.
“As your grade is going up, you will be getting mentally stronger, attaining respect, good manners, kindness, and responsibility, etc, so growing into a nicer person.
The real meaning of a grading is not showing off that you are awesome or showing off because you are a black belt.
It’s for you to sharpen up your character by having short term goals and overcoming every obstacle, and also for motivation to go through a hard and long journey step by step with every grading.”
SAW Founder Shihan Hidetaka Aso
We have the traditional Japanese grading system of Dan (段) and Kyu (級) in Submission Arts Wrestling.
The rank of SAW practitioners is indicated by a coloured belt (帯 obi), awarded according to their practical proficiency and technical knowledge of the art.
It originally came from traditional Japanese culture like the SAMURAI ranking system, but grading has a lot more meaning than just showing which rank you are.
If you get a higher grading than the others, you become SENPAI 先輩(senior student), and junior student is called KOHAI 後輩.
KOHAI always respect and listen to SENPAI, that means SENPAI has got a lot of responsibility for their behaviour and acting well, and to keep training better than KOHAI, to be a respected person.
Because KOHAI always copy SENPAI not only in Martial Arts techniques but also SENPAI’s attitude etc, sometimes even personality too.
We learn respect and responsibility from this.
Gradings give you both short term and long term goals for training.
If you are not aiming for competitions, grading are good for you to aim for.
We have actual grading exams.
It is important to get over that nervousness and the challenging spirit through actual grading exams.
Even if you are aiming for competitions, grading would be a good test before you start competing, or for long term goals after having stopped competing.
Because we always need goals, and challenges to improve ourselves.
Sometimes you can’t tell your own improvement in Martial Arts, but If you pass a grading, that means you are definitely improving, and building your knowledge.
There are so many techniques you have to learn in Martial Arts.
In addition you will learn not only fighting skills but also philosophies and mindset too.
It is hard to learn all of them randomly, so you can learn better step by step with the grading system.
The Journey of learning Martial Arts is very long way, so grading gives you good guidance.
You might fail a grading sometimes, but you have to learn the never give up spirit and try again.
It means a lot to you, passing each grading after all of your hard work.
You are achieving a big thing.
It makes you proud of yourself, and gives you confidence.
