The one thing every family should know: there is no common grading system in kung fu. Each style, and often each association or school, decides whether to grade at all and what the grades look like: coloured grades, karate style belts, numbered levels, or nothing. The , the UK's governing body, does not publish a student syllabus or grading scheme; each style association sets its own, and no UK body is known to run China's grades. So the first question for a club is simply: do you grade, and how? 57,80,100,102,121
No grades at all
- Traditionally there were none. A taught a small number of students, and a student's place came from seniority in the school family, not from a belt. Sifu is a title, not a rank like a black belt. 15
- Wing Chun, as one association explains it. The UK Wing Chun Kung Fu Association says Wing Chun traditionally had no grading system, that this changed as the style grew after the 1970s, and that every organisation now separates students in a slightly different way. 102
- Discipleship. In many traditional schools a student may later be accepted as a formal disciple in a ceremony called . It marks a closer bond, not a grade. 15
Side by side: what UK schools publish
| School or association | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| British Kung Fu Association, Lau Gar 100 | Eight sashes, white to black. First sash after about 12 weeks; 1st degree black sash after 4 to 5 years on average. Purple and brown sashes are mentioned, but the full order is not published. The has degrees, graded before a national panel |
| Yee's Hung Ga, with several Scottish clubs 110 | A standard ranking system. The level is a black sash and assistant instructor; Sifu 1st Dan needs two more years; nine dan levels above are named after the dragon lines of the first hexagram of the I Ching |
| Manchester Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan 121 | Numbered grades with belt colours, counting down: 9th white, 8th first yellow, 7th second yellow, 6th first green, 5th second green. Higher grades are not listed |
| UK Wing Chun Kung Fu Association 102 | Its own system. The comes after about 4 to 5 months; instructors pass 4 grading levels before three years of teacher training |
| Wing Chun Kuen UK 105 | A standardised grading system across its clubs; details not public |
| Shaolin Temple UK 17,119 | A three month Preparation class first; students are encouraged to take a grading every three months |
| Liverpool Hung Gar 112 | A grading system, but grading is not compulsory |
| Plum Blossom International Federation, Choy Li Fut 114 | A black sash and a higher black fringe sifu level, in one UK instructor's own account |
Both words are used: the BKFA's own FAQ asks how long it takes to get a black belt and answers in sashes. 100
China's Duanwei, and other duan schemes
- What it is. The runs a national scheme of nine . Kung Fu Wushu Australia, which agreed in 2014 to run it in its region, says a national body may grade up to 3rd duan itself, 4th to 6th only with Chinese examiners present, and recommend candidates to apply in China for 7th to 9th. 57 That is a national federation's description, not the CWA's own. 56
- Other federations run their own. The USA's national federation held its own 1st to 5th duan grading in December 2025, with minimum ages from 16 to 30 and fees of US$300 to US$950. A duan from one federation is not automatically the same as a CWA Duanwei. 58
- No world scheme yet. The IWUF set up a commission in 2017 to develop standard grading, and a finished scheme is not confirmed. 40
- Fake certificate sites. In April 2026 the CWA warned that a look alike website offering Duanwei certificate checks was fake; its official site is linked on the sources page. 56
- In the UK no BCCMA or other UK Duanwei grading is confirmed. 80
Titles are not grades
- Sifu is a title of respect, used for men and women. 15
- Master and Grandmaster are each association's own titles for its heads, not awards from any national body. 100,102,104 In 2020 the Chinese Wushu Association told practitioners in China not to give themselves the title of master. 14
- Lineage numbers, such as 34th generation disciple, describe a teacher's place in a line of teachers, not a grade. 117,119
- Coaching awards are separate. The BCCMA's Level 2 course, its Bronze, Silver and Gold coaching standards and its Professional Standard Coach course qualify coaches, not students. Its instructor insurance asks for "minimum Black Belt in the discipline being instructed or acceptable alternative", which shows black belt used as shorthand for instructor level, even in styles that use sashes. 80,83
Questions families ask
Will a grade carry over if we change club? Usually not: grades belong to the style and association that gave them. The UK Wing Chun Kung Fu Association asks students from other Wing Chun schools to start in a beginners' class and moves them up as appropriate. 102
How long to a black sash? Only one UK association publishes an average: 4 to 5 years to 1st degree black sash in Lau Gar. 100
Is there a children's scheme? No UK kung fu body is known to publish one. Schools group children by age instead: UK Shaolin in Southampton has groups for 4 to 7, 8 to 11 and 12 to 15; Liverpool Hung Gar takes children from 7; Shaolin Temple UK from 5. 112,119,120
Is a kung fu black sash the same as a karate black belt? There is no common standard between styles or associations; each sets its own. 80,100