Black Belt Applications 2026

Examination 1 – 22nd March 2026

Adults (16+):

Applications must be agreed and submitted in full by Thursday 28th August 2025.
Pre-grading phase begins 1st September

Cadets/Juniors (<15):
Applications must be agreed and submitted by Thursday 27th of November 2025.
Pre-grading assessment phase is December->February
Final Submissions will be due no later than Sunday 5th March

Examination 2 – 20th Sept 2026

Adults (16+):

Applications must be agreed and submitted in full by Thursday Feb 26th, pre-grading phase begins 1st March

Cadets/Juniors (<15):
Applications must be agreed and submitted by end of Thursday 28th May. Pre-grading assessment phase is June-August.
Final Submissions will be due no later than Thursday 3rd September 
It is essential that potential black belt candidates have studied the black belt handbook. A PDF version is available to download on this site, and a printed version is available on request.

Black Belt Candidate Status (Black / Red belt)

Please remember there are additional requirements for those looking to move to Black Belt Candidate status, notably that they are required to submit an essay with their application, and should be able to demonstrate all their patterns etc.

Please refer to the “Notes for Black Belt candidates” document on the members site for full details.

Important Note: – if you’re looking to test for black belt, we expect YOU to take the initiative and be pro-active about your application etc. We don’t expect to have to chase up black belts!