Black belt

You have come a long way. Brown belt is an advanced rank, with the skills to rival any black belt. Up to this point, you have probably been focussed on yourself; on building your skills and customising them to your needs. The path to black belt heralds a bit of a shift in focus. As mention in the path to brown belt, in addition to continuing to hone your own skills, you will need to broaden your horizon and consider how other people might develop their fighting skills differently. This is an essential quality in an instructor, but also will deepen your own defensive and fighting skills. The path to black belt is about research, reducing any residual weakness and maturing as a person and a martial artist. You’ll also start a deep dive into Hakkoryu Jujutsu for more sophisticated self defence options.

Standing	Clinch	Ground	Self defence	Partner drills	Solo forms
			Hakkoryu Jujutsu Level 1	Locking drill	Bassai Dai
			Hakkoryu Jujutsu Level 2	Nage no kata (1 -3)	Aragaki Seisan
			Hakkoryu Jujutsu Level 3	Nage no kata (all)

Stripe 1

Hakkoryu 1

初段	1st level syllabus
八光捕	Hakkodori
手鏡	Tekagami
合気投	Aikinage
膝固	Hiza gatame
腕押捕	Udeosaedori
胸押捕	Muneosaedori
打込捕	Uchikomidori
横片手押捕	Yoko katate osaedori
きざ諸手押捕	Kiza morote osaedori
八光攻	Hakkozeme
立ち当	Tachiate
引投	Hikinage
立ち手鏡	Tachi tekagami
片腕押捕	Kata ude osaedori
片胸押捕	Kata mune osaedori
両腕押捕	Ryo ude osaedori
両胸押捕	Ryo mune osaedori
打込捕	Uchikomidori
後攻落とし	Ushiro zemeotoshi
首〆捕	Kubishimedori

Locking drill (Kansetsu waza)

This drill combines numerous arm and wrist locks in a flow form to help the learner understand options for escape and combinations.

1. Finger locks
2. Pressure points in arm and grabs pectoral muscle
3. Uke clears arm and grabs lapel
4. Spit, flick groin and strikes to face/head
5. Grab throat 
6. Uke peels hand off & folds into hongyaku
7. Trap hands with left hand, strike with right shuto uchi
8. Twist wrists to right, backfist, punch inner bicep, and ‘butterfly wings’ wrist lock on chest
9. Uke headlocks. Head-butt, bite, under to sankyo 
10. Extend arm, press elbow, kick & knee face
11. Stomp on foot and gooseneck wrist locks 
12. Mochimawari with kakushite
13. Step behind arm bar and collapse knee
14. Switch hands, juji armlock
15. Switch hands reverse gooseneck
16. Stomp on foot, extend arm, shred face, grab groin, 3 kicks
17. Gedan barai, chinte arm lock, strike face, elbow lock
18. Switch hands, over the top armbar
19. Juji wristlock
20. Stomp on foot & fig 4 armlock
21. Behind neck armbar
22. Over the shoulder armbar
23. Shihonage and grab throat
24. Handshake grip, spin uke
25. Spinning back fist to wrist lock
26. Gakun
27. Hongyaku x 2
28. Kotegaeshi
29. Uraken to chinte armlock
30. Morote uchiuke armlock
31. Nukite, teapot lock
32. Haito, head in teapot lock
33. Gedan barai, elbow, reverse guillotine choke
34. Uke escapes to over the top armbar (start of shimewaza).

Bassai Dai

This is a popular traditional karate kata meaning to ‘destroy a fortress’. See the video for details.

1. Bow
2. Left holds right fist, drop hands then explode forward with a reinforced uchiuke in kosadachi
3. 180o turn, left uchiuke in zenkutsudachi and right uchiuke in motodachi
4. 180o turn, left sotouke in zenkutsudachi and right uchiuke in motodachi
5. Step back into 90o turn with right leg, scooping with right hand
6. Step forward with right leg into nekoashidachi, right sotouke & left uchiuke
7. Kamae
8. Left hammerfist, right bicep bump and (uchiuke) choke, repeat on left
9. Step forward in nekoashidachi with gedan shutouke x 3
10. Step back with kakeuke
11. Pull and stomp
12. Shutouchi in nekoashidachi x 2
13. Break grip as stepping up into heisokudachi
14. Double leg takedown (morotegari)
15. Sukuinage
16. 180o turn and simultaneous scoop and gedanbarai
17. Step over armbar gedanbarai
18. 180o turn and hammerfist
19. Crescent kick, elbow, choke x 3
20. 90o turn, double punch x 3
21. 180o turn with scoop x 2
22. 45o angle shutouke to right and left
23. bow.

Sparring (Kumite)

Testing authority choice: recommended several rounds of various types of sparring.

Stripe 2

Hakkoryu 2

2段	2nd level syllabus
松葉捕	Matsubadori
手鏡	Tekagami
腕押捕	Udeosaedori
胸押捕	Muneosaedori
木葉返	Konohagaeshi
綾捕	Ayadori
打込捕	Uchikomidori
半立前両手押捕	Handachimaeryoteosaedori
巻込	Makikomi
手刀締め	Shutojime
両手刀締め	Ryoshutojime
立ち手鏡	Tachitekagami
腕押捕	Udeosaedori
胸押捕	Muneosaedori
両腕押捕	Ryoudeosaedori
両胸押捕	Ryomuneosaedori
木葉返	Konohagaeshi
胸木葉返	Munekonohagaeshi
片手押綾捕	Katateosae ayadori
打込捕	Uchikomidori
前二歩投	Maenihonage
後二歩投	Ushironihonage

Nage no kata 1 – 3

Tewaza	Koshiwaza	Ashiwaza
Ukiotoshi	Ukigoshi	Okuriashiharai
Seoinage	Haraigoshi	Sasaetsurikomiashi
Kataguruma	Tsurikomigoshi	Uchimata

Aragaki Seisan

This kata starts with basic tegumi trapping techniques, progresses to dirty boxing, and combines escapes, strikes and grappling and sets up throws.

1. Bow
2. Slide back 45o to the left with kakeuke and pull the attacker into a RH palm strike
3. Repeat on the other side
4. Repeat on the original side
5. Ageuke and uppercut
6. 180o turn and push
7. 3x kakeuke and groin squeeze escape from bear hug
8. 90o turn to left with kakeuke, RH chudan gyakuzuki, rising punch (arm lock), maegeri and second chudan gyakuzuki
9. 180o turn and repeat
10. 90o turn and repeat
11. Defend hair grab, 180o turn with hammerfist and stomp
12. Step, kakeuke, maegeri, elbow strike, strike and lift, spring-loaded punch, wrist lock
13. 180o turn and repeat steps 11-12
14. 180o turn and repeat step 11
15. Step, kakeuke, mikatsukigeri (crescent kick) and hammerfist
16. Mawashiuke and push
17. Bow.

Sparring (Kumite)

Testing authority choice: recommended several rounds of various types of sparring.

Stripe 3

Hakkoryu 3

3段	3rd level syllabus
腕押捕	Udeosaedori
胸押捕	Muneosaedori
打込捕	Uchikomidori
手鏡	Tekagami
綾捕	Ayadori
横捕	Yokodori
諸手押捕	Moroteosaedori
後逆首〆捕	Ushirogyakukubishimedori
両胸押捕	Ryomuneosaedori
衣紋捕	Emondori
立ち手鏡	Tachi tekagami
打込捕	Uchikomidori
突身捕	Tsukimidori
片胸押持廻	Katamuneosaemochimawari
両手押持廻	Ryoteosaemochimawari
後攻捕	Ushirozemedori
後衣紋捕	Ushiroemondori
後帯引捕	Ushiroobihikidori
前帯引捕	Maeobihikidori
抜打捕	Nukiuchidori
突込捕	Tsukikomidori
後八光捕	Ushirohakkodori

Nage no kata

Tewaza	Koshiwaza	Ashiwaza	Masutemiwaza	Yokosutemiwaza
Ukiotoshi	Ukigoshi	Okuriashiharai	Tomoenage	Yokogake
Seoinage	Haraigoshi	Sasaetsurikomiashi	Uranage	Yokoguruma
Kataguruma	Tsurikomigoshi	Uchimata	Sumigaeshi	Ukiwaza

Sparring

Various sparring styles including judo, BJJ, boxing, kickboxing, Kudo and MMA.

Black belt test

Review and reflect. In preparation for the black belt test, you will need to write an essay about your journey to black belt addressing what you have learned, how you have changed, what martial arts has taught you (other than techniques of violence) and what the next step is for you. Have a good read through the syllabus, read through the leadership guide, ask questions, train hard and wait for an invitation to test for black belt!

And beyond…

Achieving your black belt is a very notable achievement, but it’s just the beginning. It symbolises that you have mastered the basics in each fighting range. You’ve also shown maturity and commitment to the dojo. Now is time to choose your path and develop specialist skills. You’ll also work on less violent defensive options, particularly Hakkoryu Jujutsu and Judo advanced kata.