Blue belt

You are now halfway to black belt! As an intermediate level student, the way you will be tested from now gradually change from prescriptive to descriptive. This means that rather than just demonstrate knowledge, you will also now be tested on your ability to apply the lessons you have learned. While you will continue to learn new skills, your actual fighting ability is of increased importance.

Standing	Clinch	Ground	Self defence	Partner drills	Solo forms
Combos	Judo set 4	Guard submissions	Random attacks	Side to side ground drill
Counters	Shoots & defences	Back control	Multiple attackers	Defence drill 5	Heian godan
Catching kicks	Strike & throw combos	Mount control	Stick attacks & defence	Knee and elbow drill

Stripe 1

Combinations

Continue to develop your standing combinations, which ought to be far more practised and polished than when previously tested. You will have tried them in sparring with some success. You will be starting to developing different combination sets for left and right-handed opponents.

Judo set 4

Add at least two throws from the fourth go-kyo set. Consider self-defence applications for the throws you have learned. You should have at least one throw by now that you regularly use in sparring.

• Corner throw (sumigaeshi)
• Valley drop (taniotoshi)
• Spring wind-up (hanemakikomi)
• Scoop throw (sukuinage)
• Shifting hip (utsurigoshi)
• Big wheel (oguruma)
• Outside wind-up (sotomakikomi)
• Floating drop (ukiotoshi)

Guard submissions

By this stage, you already know a bunch of submissions. From this level, you will continue to develop sophisticated entries into submissions and defences to the same. Junior students will only learn a selection of the safer submissions. Examples of guard submissions include:

• Collar choke
• Triangle choke
• Sleeve choke
• Guillotine choke
• Thrust choke
• Cobra choke
• Loop choke
• Gogoplata choke
• Armbars
• Armlocks
• Omoplata
• Wrist locks

Random attacks

This section will test your ability to quickly address a broad range of common acts of physical violence.

Side to side ground drill

1. Start in bottom side control
2. Escape to closed guard
3. Sweep from closed guard to mount position
4. Partner attempts to escape from mount position
5. Transition to side control to avoid mount escape.

Sparring (Kumite)

Testing authority choice: recommended at least one round of jiujitsu sparring.

Stripe 2

Counters

Students should start experimenting with simultaneous blocks and counters – the second level of counters.

1. Block and then counter (go sen no sen) – counter after the attack
2. Simultaneous block and counter (sen no sen) – counter at the same time as the attack
3. Anticipated counter (sen sen no sen) – counter before the attack.

Wrestling takedowns (shoots) and defences

There are numerous variations, but the basic patterns are:

• High double leg takedown
• Low double leg takedown
• High single leg takedown
• Low single leg takedown

Defences depend on the distance. From long distance, push the opponent’s head and move your feet in the opposite direction. From medium distance, sprawl. From close distance, face-lock and twist the neck*, use sumigaeshi, push the head down while turning and kicking leg free, kick out to back control or roll to omoplata (from a single leg takedown).

*Senior students only

Back control

Escapes:

• Scoot escape
• Hip escape
• Back roll escape

Submissions:

• Rear naked choke
• Sliding collar choke*
• Wing choke*
• Bow and arrow choke*
• Reverse triangle choke
• Armbar
• Armlock

*Senior students only

Multiple attackers

Self-defence is not an exact science, particularly when there are multiple attackers. This section will focus on your understanding of how to read the situation, how to position yourself in relation to the attackers, and what techniques are more effective in helping escape. You will demonstrate via the ‘hit and run’ exercise.

Defence drill 5 (ground n pound)

Starting with a simple quadrant drill including blocking strikes from your back on the ground, and culminating in tactics including using inside grips and legs against arms to minimise the chance of damage by strikes while off-balancing the opponent and searching for the 5s – stand, sweep, submit, strike and scramble.

Heian godan

Many of these techniques deal with attempted grabs of the upper body. See the video.

Sparring

Testing authority choice.

Stripe 3

Catching kicks

One of the best ways to neutralise the advantage of a great kicker is to develop catching skills. There are several common patterns to master:

• Front kicks – avoid the kick by moving your hips back and slightly outside the kick trajectory. Catch the heel/ankle of the kicking leg and underhook the knee with the outside arm. Place your ear on the inner thigh and off-balance the opponent using downward and circular pressure.
• Round kicks – move with the momentum of the kick to reduce impact and turn slightly to receive on the back muscle. Raise the arm high and overhook the kicking leg. Quickly off-balance the opponent.
• Side, back, hook kicks – move to the rear of the attacker and catch the kick with an underhook, using the other arm to control the hips. Lift and throw the opponent.

Strike and throw combinations

Following are an example of strike and throw combinations. Usually strikes set up the throws, but it is also possible to feint throws to set up strikes. Head butts are strictly only for seniors!

• Straight punches – inside leg kick – double leg takedown
• Punches – osotogari
• Knee – head butt – sasaetsurikomiashi – strike
• Front kick – ouchigari – knees
• Head butt – bicep bump – osotogari
• Elbow – hammerfist – haraigoshi
• Feint double leg takedown – uppercut or knee.

Mount control

Escapes:

• Bridging (upa) escape
• Elbow escape
• Backdoor escape

Submissions:

• Thrust chokes*
• Sleeve choke*
• Triangle choke
• Head arm triangle choke
• Cross collar chokes
• Guillotine*
• Armbars
• Armlocks
• Omoplata
• Footlocks

*Senior students only

Weaponry (stick)

Learn the 12 basic angles of attack and basic blocks using a single stick.

1. Downward
2. Backhand to temple
3. Forehand to temple
4. Backhand to ribs
5. Forehand to ribs
6. Backhand to hip
7. Forehand to hip
8. Backhand to leg
9. Forehand to leg
10. Inside high stab
11. Outside high stab
12. Stomach stab.

Elbow and knee drill (Hiji/hiza waza)

• Right uppercut elbow
• Left horizontal elbow
• Right diagonal elbow
• Left ridge hand to back of neck and push head down
• Left grab of left wrist, right uppercut elbow armbar
• Left elbow to figure-4 armlock
• Right elbow to over the top armbar
• Clear arms with right hand and neck clinch
• Left and right knee strikes
• Uke breaks clinch
• Head butt 
• Clear arms with thumb lock, 
• Right front kick 
• Left shoulder bump
• Right leg kick, left spinning backfist
• Uke checks backfist with kakeuke and starts drill

Sparring

Testing authority choice.

Blue belt test

Congratulations on getting this far. Blue belts have a lot of knowledge and may be asked to assist teaching others. Blue belts have very good skills in all ranges in fighting. Competitive fighting is not our main focus, however some blue belts may consider competing in a wide range of combat sports, including karate, kickboxing, boxing, Judo, BJJ, kudo or MMA.