The sash path
Four sashes, white to black
Each color adds a few skills to the last. Students of every age work toward the same sashes, and every student moves at their own pace.
White sash
Ages 7 and upSkillsHorse stance and bow stance
Bowing in and bowing out
The first short form
Yellow sash
SkillsStance changes and footwork
Blocks and hand strikes on pads
A second short form
Moving upWhen the instructor sees the skills, at a sash test
Green sash
SkillsKicks and kick combinations
A first partner set
A longer hand form and a staff form
Moving upWhen the instructor sees the skills, at a sash test
Black sash
SkillsTeaching a stance or a form to the whole class
Every form taught here
Drum and cymbal timing for the lion dance team
Moving upWhen the instructor sees the skills, at a sash test
Sample levels.
Stripes on a sash mark the steps between colors.
Sash tests
How a student moves up
The teacher decides
A student tests when the teacher sees the skills for the next sash in class. Nobody is asked to test to fill a calendar.
A test is a class
A sash test follows the shape of a regular class: a bow, a warm-up, the forms for that sash and a drill with a partner. Parents sit quietly on the bench.
Every pace is welcome
Some students stay at one sash for a long time, and that is fine. The same forms get a little deeper each time.
Where do I start?
Everyone starts at white sash, whatever you have trained before. A first class shows you the floor and the first form.