The Tebbutt Karate and Kickboxing Academy held its annual grading at Afrikaanse Hoërskool on August 1, putting students through a demanding day of physical training, practical self-defence and fighting.

The highly anticipated grading was open to students working towards their second brown belt and below, with 33 students progressing through the grading levels from white to brown belt.

The day began with an intensive physical training session, which kancho Alex Tebbutt said helped prepare the students for the second and more demanding session, the actual grading.

ALSO READ: Elspark karateka shine at South African championships

At 13:00, the grading officially started and included fighting, which proved challenging for some students as it required physical contact.

“Some students cried during the fighting but laughed afterwards. The spirit of the dojo is to cry and laugh together,” said Tebbutt.

He said physical contact remains an important part of the academy’s training because students need to be prepared to defend themselves in real-life situations.

“We emphasise self-defence and physical contact because out there one needs to defend themselves. That’s the essence of karate,” he said.

ALSO READ: Tebbutt Academy honours karateka for outstanding 2025 achievements

Among those taking part was five-year-old Sebastian Peters, the youngest student to grade on the day. Peters progressed from a yellow belt to an orange belt.

“Yellow belts are the beginners’ belts. We graded until 17:00. Everyone left having learnt something,” said Tebbutt.

The academy is now turning its attention to two upcoming competitions in September and October, where students will have an opportunity to test the skills they have developed during training and the recent grading.

Tebbutt said the academy is hoping to carry its momentum into the competitions and once again dominate the competition mats.