Sterling Martial Arts

Rank Testing

Rank Tests for under purple belt occur approximately every 3 to 6 months, depending on the progress of the students, who must attend a minimum of 20 classes (about 2x/week) in order to be eligible. They are held in front of a promotion board which includes Shihan Mello and Hanshi Almeida. Students must be in proper uniform to promote. There is a promotion fee which includes the new belt. After a student attains a yellow belt, he or she will be given an AIKA Pass Book which contains specific requirements for each rank beyond white belt. The Pass Book must be brought to each subsequent promotion in order for the student to test. Students are tested on their required basics and kata for their rank, as well as their technique and control with sparring. Equally as important is that the students show spirit and a positive attitude at all times during the promotion, especially when something is particularly difficult. There are additional testing requirements beginning at 4th kyu purple which are outlined in the Shodan Promotion Requirement form that is given to each student upon achieving this rank.

There are 10 rank levels, called kyus, which are represented by colored belts.

10th White
9th Yellow
8th Orange
7th Blue
6th Green
5th Green-purple stripe
4th Purple
3rd Brown
2nd Brown-one stripe
1st Brown-two stripes
Shodan Black