If it's your birthday, you should be bounced . You buy this after about a month. Drinks can cost a lot as you need a few to recover each week. You get some of the money for gradings, regional courses etc. Everyone progresses at different rates but it's possible to get to black in 4 years.
Instructors wear black skirts called hakama .
They train for years to become an instructor and then complain about how awkward the hakama are. For more information on the grading system, see York's website . By going to gradings, which are basically one long, tiring session where you try to impress a really high-up Dan. 13. Regional courses where all the clubs from the region get together. Click for TJF's website.