Mon grades — intermediate youth gradings

What is Mon grades — intermediate youth gradings?

Mon grades are intermediate grades for youth judoka, visible as coloured tabs (stripes) on the belt.

How does Mon grades — intermediate youth gradings work?

A child sometimes takes eighteen months to go from yellow to orange belt — too long to wait for a success moment. That is why the Dutch youth system uses intermediate gradings: a tab in the colour of the next belt shows half the syllabus is achieved. Clubs implement this differently; ask at the trial class how the dojo's grading system works and what a grading costs.

mon grades in Amsterdam dojos

In Amsterdam dojos mon grades shows up as youth grades beside or before kyu. Coaches explain it with mon/tab policy per club, and mainly correct comparing children on mon speed. This page translates official frames (JBN/IJF/Kodokan where relevant) into class practice without lifting federation prose.

Meaning of mon grades

mon grades centres on youth grades beside or before kyu. Concretely on the mat: mon/tab policy per club. The idea is not separate from ukemi, gripping and respect — knowing only the definition misses how coaches place it in the syllabus. Historically and institutionally we point to Kodokan and/or IJF frames; for Dutch exams JBN leads. We summarise in our own words. After class write one sentence: which cue did you hear for mon grades? That sentence is homework — not a random YouTube compilation.

mon grades in the weekly class

A typical Amsterdam class builds mon grades in layers: short briefing, slow partner drill, pace, then apply in randori or an exam-like demo. Centrum groups have less running space; Zuidoost more often has longer lines — teaching adapts to the hall. For youth, repetition with game forms matters; for seniors, transfer into shiai or kata. Ask your sensei which block touches mon grades that week. Parents: stay sideline, do not photograph randori without permission, and discuss mon grades positively — mistakes belong to learning.

Competition, exams or etiquette around mon grades

Depending on the concept, mon grades touches shiai rules, kyu/dan requirements or etiquette. Check current IJF documents for scoring/penalties and JBN for graduations. Noord-Holland clubs translate that into pools and exam evenings on this site’s calendar. Separate ‘what is legal in contest’ from ‘what we practise in class’. Class intensity can be lower to learn mon grades safely. When unsure, the newest official source plus your sensei wins — not a forum thread.

Safety and misconceptions about mon grades

The biggest risk around mon grades is comparing children on mon speed. Say that aloud before you train harder. Safety is part of the concept, not an appendix. Misconception: that mon grades arrives ‘by itself’ after enough videos. Without feedback from a qualified coach you groove errors. Second misconception: that every child needs the same pace. Injury or fear? Cut volume and rebuild from ukemi and basic gripping before mon grades returns at full speed.

Choosing and deepening mon grades in Amsterdam

Use the dojo guide to find a club where mon grades sits seriously in the programme. Pair with calendar clinics and related knowledge pages. Sources below support claims; we do not copy them verbatim. Trial checklist: how they explain mon grades, how they correct, how safe the mat feels. Two trials beat ten landing pages. Keep returning to youth grades beside or before kyu — that is the through-line, not scoreboard stress.

Practice block 1: mon-graden

Week plan mon grades (youth grades): class 1 isolates tab policy; class 2 applies mon grades in a theme drill; class 3 you observe others and write three cues. Sunday: five-sentence reflection — no video binge.

Practice block 2: mon-graden

Sensei talk on mon grades: one question on youth grades and one on how tab policy fits your age/belt. Write answers verbatim as a monthly checklist.

Practice block 3: mon-graden

Risk card for mon grades: failure scenarios plus countermeasures, shared with a fixed partner. Update after near-misses. Safety is part of the concept.

Practice block 4: mon-graden

City guide: find an Amsterdam club/clinic that names mon grades explicitly, bring a notebook, compare cues to your club. Facts rest on sources below; feel comes from the mat.

Practice block 5: mon-graden

Misconceptions: video alone does not make mon grades; every child has a different pace; scoreboard stress is not pedagogy. Replace those myths with one measurable drill per week.

Practice block 6: mon-graden

Source hygiene for mon grades: pick JBN/IJF/Kodokan by relevance, rewrite claims, on conflict the newest official page plus your sensei wins. No copy-paste of federation prose.

Practice block 7: mon-graden

Deepening case for mon-graden: describe a concrete Amsterdam class situation (youth or senior) where this concept went wrong, which cue the sensei gave, and how the next three sessions were adapted. Write at least eighty words in your log; without that case theory stays floating. Then attach a measurable drill (time, reps or checklist) that applies only to this concept.

Practice block 8: mon-graden

Check moment for mon-graden: have a partner quiz you with five open questions that cannot be answered yes/no. Note gaps. Schedule a remedial drill within seven days. This check does not replace a federation exam but prevents discovering shaky definitions only on exam night.

Practice block 9: mon-graden

Integration with neighbouring concepts around mon-graden: pick two knowledge pages that logically sit beside it and write a paragraph on how they reinforce each other on the mat. Read that paragraph aloud to your sensei for correction. That builds a network of ideas instead of isolated lemmas.

Practice block 10: mon-graden

Quality bar for mon-graden: state when you are satisfied (for example three clean reps, a faultless etiquette sequence, or a clear parent explanation). Share that bar with your coach. Without your own bar, progress stays vague and you only compare yourself to others.

Practice block 11: mon-graden

Closing depth mon-graden (Amsterdam): tie this concept to a fixed moment in the weekly class — briefing, drill or randori — and protect that moment from ad-hoc tournament prep. Write a twelve-sentence letter to your future self about what you want to improve in three months around this exact concept, including ukemi limits, grip agreements and how you ask for feedback. Reread the letter monthly. Add a five-item yes/no checklist that applies only to mon-graden, have your sensei initial it, and keep it with your judogi. That moves the lemma from "read on a website" to "drilled behaviour".

Practice block 12: mon-graden

Second closing block mon-graden: run a fifteen-minute mini-clinic with two partners where you teach what you understand so far. Teaching exposes gaps faster than following. Note three questions you could not answer and schedule within ten days a look at the official sources at the bottom of this page plus a club question. End with a safe cool-down matching the load of mon-graden — no bonus throws after fatigue.

Examples

• Yellow tab on the white belt
• Two gradings per season at many clubs
• Tab grading as a step toward the belt exam

Our sources

• JBN — Judo graduaties
• JBN — Danexamens 1e–3e dan
• JBN — Danexamens