Official Grading Syllabus of the World Taiji Boxing Association.
Syllabus in use as of February 25th 2023.
Introduction:
Grading in the WTBA is based on the foundation content of what we train.
Therefore, only the most important areas of training are focused on in your grading, to make sure your focus is on skill development with well-rounded skills, rather than how many forms and drills you know.
Grading is recommended to everyone but is not mandatory unless you wish to teach.
The “Extra” forms and training methods are there for people who want to specialise in a particular area, for their own personal reasons.
Also, these extra methods are often recommended to a particular student by their teacher, if they are struggling to understand a certain principle, seeing that principle taught from a different training method can sometimes help you out.
We recommend you stay focused on the grading content, until other things are recommended by your teacher.
Or, if you really feel you want to learn something extra, perhaps a weapon form, you should ask your teacher for advice on this.
Chapter 1. How the grading works:
Grading is split into 3 areas of practice.
1. Form and Qigong.
2. Martial Training Methods.
3. Practical Combat/Self-defence.
The best way to train is to practice all three areas, however, we understand that some people may only want to practice Form and Qigong,
or they may only want to do the martial training.
Therefore, a student can choose which of the areas they wish to train/grade in.
What you are graded in is what you are permitted to teach once you reach the first instructor rank.
For each grade, you can grade in all three areas together,
or you can grade each one separately.
Non-Martial Option.
Areas 1 and 2 have the option of a non-martial grading.
For example, if you only want to practice and/or teach for the purpose of movement and health, you can learn and grade in the non-martial way.
Forms would be done without explosive moves, drills, applications and pad work would be done in a gentler manner.
Your certificate will have “Non-Martial” written next to your grade, you would not be permitted to teach for the purpose of self-defence, since you would not have trained it yourself.
Extra Curriculum Grades.
For anything that is not covered in the main grading, you can get a separate grade on this.
Either for yourself to know you’ve got it right, or if you wish to teach it.
For example, you might want to teach the Taiji Stick Form, or the Bagua Pole Form.
Only one level is given for an extra curriculum grade, it should be done in line with your current main grades. Your level in this would automatically go up as a by-product of your main training.
You can also take something from the main grading curriculum and do it as an extra.
Example, you are only doing Form and Qigong, you have no interest in the martial, but you would like to teach push hands.
You can do push hands as a separate grade to add to your forms.
Bagua or Taiji.
In the WTBA we have always trained a mixture of these two arts, as they complement each other so well, plus a few other bit and pieces from other styles, such as the grappling arts.
This doesn’t mean you should learn them both at once though.
The forms should be learnt separately, get one to at least Student Grade 4, before starting the other.
Which one is totally up to you, if you would like more info on the differences between the two, please click here, or get in touch with any questions you have.
For Martial Training Drills and Combat grades, there is a mixture of Taiji and Bagua already in them, this is how it’s always been in the WTBA.
Erle Montaigue, our founder, took the best drills he found from each.
So, your grade will show for example,
“Student Grade 1 (Taiji Form and Qigong)” Or “Student Grade 1 (Bagua Form and Qigong)”
Chapter 2. How and when to go for a grading.
You will have a grading booklet for each grade, listing everything you need to do.
As you progress through your training, when you or your regular teacher, (if you have one)
feels you are performing a certain section of the grade correctly, you can put a pencil tick in the box for that part. Once you have ticked off all required sections within a grade, you should then book in for a grading. If you pass, you’ll be given feedback on what you should work on next.
If you do not pass, you’ll be given feedback on what you need to improve on.
Some things like forms can be graded via video, other things like partner work needs to be in person.
Gradings are all done by the WTBA Global Chief Instructor.
Currently Eli Montaigue.
Where and cost.
For gradings in person, you need to find a place where Eli is teaching.
Either come to him in the UK or attend a workshop at one of the many locations around the world.
Video gradings are done via Skype video call.
The cost of a grading, you only pay for a grading if you don’t pass.
That’s right, if you pass your test, there is no fee, since we want to encourage people to progress.
If you do not pass, we have to charge a fee of £20 for student grades and £40 for instructor grades.
This is to make people do not book in for gradings before they are ready.
Please note, if you do not pass, Eli will take some time with you to show what you need to work on, so the fee is really paying for a class.
How strict is the test.
The test is very strict, you are not only grading to know how well you are doing, when you grade you represent the wtba at that level.
The WTBA has a very high standard nowadays.
Error allowance:
Minor Error X 10
A minor error is where a mistake is pointed out to you, and you are able to correct it on the spot without guidance. Or where you realize the mistake yourself and correct it.
Medium Error X 5
A medium error is where a mistake is pointed out, you are unable to fix it yourself and need guidance to get it right. Please note guidance will be minimal, more like a reminder, not a lesson.
Major Error X 0
A major error is where a mistake is pointed out and the student is unable to correct it within a reasonable time frame.
The number of errors pertains to each of the 3 areas of a grade.
Example, 5 medium errors for area 1, also 5 medium errors for area 2 and so on.
Certain exceptions will sometimes be made for people with physical disabilities who cannot perform certain criteria. For example, a leaping movement cannot be done due to a long term knee injury. Must be genuine, not an excuse.
Grading Requirements.
Everything you need to know for each grade, is covered in the MTG videos for that grade.
(Please Note this is a working progress and some videos might not be available yet.)
For example, Student Grade 1, there are three videos, one for Forms and Qigong, one for Martial Training Drills, and one for Combat.
Everything you’ll need are in those three videos.
Higher grades have more content so often have more videos.
Your teacher should also know what you need to be learning for each grade, but it’s always good to have the videos as well for practice as home.
Chapter 3. The grades.
For more details on each section of each grade, you can click here for the Stages Breakdown.
Please note, if you practice YCF Taiji form rather than YLC, which is included here in the grades, you can use the YCF form as well, even though it is no longer part of the WTBA grading syllabus.
Anywhere you see something in a grade showing YLC form, you can instead practice YCF form, of course only in the non martial sense.
Please note also, the new videos on YLC form will follow the grades exactly, making it very easy to know what you should be learning, where is the YCF form will not have any new videos.
YCF form back in the 80s and early 90s was taught first, but from around 1999 this was changed by Erle, all students from then on where taught YLC from the start, this proved to work far better.
There are only a few exceptions where we might still teach the YCF form today.
Grading Booklet.
We will soon have available a grading booklet to help you track progress, watch this space for updates.
Student Grade 1. (Novice) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 1, 1st palm change, plus slow applications.
Or Taiji YLC form stage 1, up to Double Peng, plus slow applications.
Standing Three Circle Qigong, 5 minutes.
Area 2.
Single Push Hands stage 1.
Chee Sau Stage 1.
Small San Sau, stage 1, up to Double Peng.
Bag/Pad Work Stage 1.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 1.
Student Grade 2 (Intermediate Student) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 1, up to end of 2nd palm change, plus slow applications.
Or Taiji YLC form stage 1, up to Arn, plus slow applications.
Standing Three Circle Qigong, 10 minutes.
Area 2.
Single Push Hands stage 2
Chee Sau Stage 2.
Small San Sau, stage 1, up to first Arn application.
Dragon Prawn Boxing Mix Stage 1
Bag/Pad Work Stage 2.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 2.
Student Grade 3 (Senior Student) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 1, up to Black Bear Turns Back in 3rd palm change, plus slow applications.
Or Taiji YLC form stage 1, up to Stalk Spreads Wings, plus slow applications.
Standing Three Circle Qigong, 15 minutes.
Area 2.
Single Push Hands stage 3
Chee Sau Stage 3.
Small San Sau, stage 1, up to Sit Back Ready.
Partner Circle Walking Stage 1.
Bag/Pad Work Stage 3.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 3.
Student Grade 4 (Assistant Instructor) Requirements:
An assistant instructor can only teach on their own under certain circumstances.
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 1, first three palm changes, plus slow applications.
Or Taiji YLC form stage 1, full first third, plus slow applications.
Standing Three Circle Qigong, 15 minutes.
Area 2.
Single Push Hands stage 4.
Chee Sau Stage 4.
Small San Sau, stage 2, up to Sit Back Ready.
Bag/Pad Work Stage 4.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 4.
Instructor Grade 1 (Basic Instructor) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 1, first three palm changes, plus fast applications.
Or Taiji YLC form at stage 1, full first third, plus fast applications.
Standing Three Circle Qigong, 20 minutes. (First 5 minutes in overhead position)
Area 2.
Single Push Hands stage 5.
Double Push Hands stage 1.
Small San Sau, stage 2, full form.
Dragon Prawn Boxing Mix Stage 2.
Partner Circle Walking Stage 2.
Chee Sau Stage 5.
Bag/Pad Work Stage 5.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 5.
Instructor Grade 2 (Intermediate Instructor) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 2, first three palm changes, plus fast applications.
Or Taiji YLC form at stage 2, full first third, plus fast applications.
Hold The Baby, stage 1, 2 minutes each side.
Bagua 8 Palms Standing, 4 minutes each palm.
Area 2.
Single Push Hands stage 6
Double Push Hands stage 2
Small San Sau, stage 3, full form
Partner Circle Walking Stage 3
Chee Sau Stage 6
Bag/Pad Work Stage 6.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 6.
Instructor Grade 3 (Advanced Instructor) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 3, first three palm changes, plus fast applications.
Or Taiji YLC form at stage 3, full first third, plus fast applications.
Hold The Baby, stage 2, 4 minutes each side.
Area 2.
Double Push Hands stage 3
Single Push Hands stage 7
Small San Sau Stage 4 full form.
Partner Circle Walking Stage 4
Chee Sau Stage 7
Large San Sau First Half, or, four of the Bagua Animal San Sau’s, (Smoothly)
Bag/Pad Work Stage 7.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 7.
Instructor Grade 4 (Senior Instructor) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 4, first five palm changes, plus fast applications.
Or Taiji YLC form at stage 4, first and second third, plus fast applications.
Hold the Baby, stage 3, 5 minutes each side.
Area 2.
Double Push Hands stage 4.
Partner Circle Walking Stage 5.
Large San Sau Second Half, or the next four of the Bagua Animal San Sau’s. (Smoothly)
Bag/Pad Work Stage 8.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 8.
Instructor Grade 5 (Complete Senior Instructor) Requirements:
Area 1.
Bagua Circular Form, stage 4, full form, plus fast applications.
Or Taiji YLC form stage 4, full form, plus fast applications.
Standing Qigong, 40 minutes. Either three circle or Bagua 8 palms.
Area 2.
Large San Sau Full Form, or all eight Bagua Animal San Sau’s. (Martial)
Bag/Pad Work Stage 9.
Area 3.
Practical Combat/Self-defence Stage 9.
Grade 5 is the last of the technical grades.
Grades 6 to 8 are about personal development.
From here on out, you will not be taught in the physical sense.
You know everything that can be explained and broken down, now you must keep training hard and allow what you know to develop and become a part of who you are, showing a true internal understanding for what you’re practicing.
Gradings from now on are not asked for, you do not perform for a grade, you simply keep practicing and training with your teacher, until you are given the next grade when you least expect it.
The main thing is that you keep showing up for training on a regular basis.
Recommendations of new things to learn:
Firstly, you have a lot in your repertoire, you can simply continue to go deeper into these areas.
The following grades do not require any more to be added, as long as there is personal progression in all that you train.
However, if you do feel like learning something new, here are some of the best things you could try.
Weapons forms, 12 Deadly Katas, 12 Qi Development Tools, Eight Bagua Power Qigongs, Wudang Qi Disruption Forms, Bagua Animal Forms, Dim-Mak Cornerstone Forms, YLC Root Methods, Bagua Linear Form.
Instructor Grade 6 (Professor) Requirements.
Must have past instructor grade 5 in all three areas, including martial elements of forms and training methods.
Should show good personal development.
Instructor Grade 7 (Junior Master) Requirements.
Further Personal development.
Instructor Grade 8 (Master Degree) Requirements.
Further Personal development.