Grading News and Reminders

1^st to 2^nd Poom Grading

With effect from July 2009 grading, 1^st to 2^nd poom candidates will be graded with members of their clubs. They will no longer be required to take the grading on Saturday with the seniors.

This change is in response to numerous suggestions from coaches who felt that the young candidates were not able to perform well because they were intimidated by the grading environment.

Please note that the grading for 2^nd to 3^rd poom candidates will remain unchanged. They will continue to take their grading with the other senior candidates.

Medical Leave

Candidates with medical certificates are allowed to take their next grading without paying any fees. However, if they could not take their grading twice consecutively because of medical reasons, they would have to pay the required fees for their next grading.

Safety Equipment

Groin guard is compulsory for all male candidates who have to do sparring. Candidates without groin guard will not be allowed to spar. It is the responsibility of coaches to ensure that their candidates wear the guard. Examiners will perform random check. Any candidate found without the guard will be disqualified from the grading.

Accessories

It is common knowledge that students in ‘dobok’ should not have any accessories on them – for example, watches, necklaces, rings, earrings, hair ornaments, etc. Candidates with any accessory on them will automatically fail. Coaches are advised to have a check list to ensure that the candidates will not be penalized because of their students’ and their oversight.

Certificates

Coaches are reminded to attach a photocopy each of the following certificates if their candidates have them.

• Grading Preparation Workshop Certificate
• Unarmed Combat Workshop Certificate

The certificates are to be submitted with their grading applications and not during the grading.

Other Information

During the submission of grading applications for promotion to 1^st poom or dan and higher to the Secretariat, coaches are encouraged to highlight important and relevant information – age, disability, medical conditions, etc – about the candidates so that the examiners can give them a fairer assessment.