Karate, with the grading system already built

Kyu and dan, not a generic level field

Karate ranks run in two directions at once — kyu grades descend toward first kyu, dan grades ascend from first dan. A system with a single numeric 'level' field forces you to choose which half to model properly. Both are held natively here, with the grade, the date awarded and the examiner recorded against the member, so a grading history is a record rather than a recollection. The same applies to Kempo and Kenpo programmes, which run their own belt orders and their own names for the grades — nothing here assumes a particular syllabus.

Grading fees are their own event

For most karate businesses, gradings are the second income stream after tuition, and they behave nothing like a monthly membership: they happen on a date, only some members are eligible, the fee varies by grade, and payment has to be collected before the panel sits. Charging a one-off fee to a member's stored card, tracking who has paid, and knowing who is eligible are three different questions and all three get asked in the same fortnight.

Families, and the sibling problem

Children's karate fills on siblings. Two or three children from one household, one payer, often different classes and different grades. Held as separate member records with a shared billing relationship, a sibling discount is a rule rather than a monthly act of mental arithmetic — and every child keeps their own attendance and grading history.

Questions we get asked

Can it handle more than one style or association?

Yes. Grade names, the number of grades and the order they run in are configurable per programme, so a Shotokan syllabus, a Goju-ryu syllabus and a Kempo or Kenpo syllabus can run in the same business without any of them being forced into another's shape. Styles that grade on kata rather than time, or run parallel weapons ranks, are configuration rather than a special case.

What about members who train in two programmes?

One member record, two enrolments. Attendance is recorded against the class actually attended, and billing can be a combined rate rather than two full memberships.

We teach Kempo rather than karate. Does this page apply?

Yes — the operational picture is the same one. Kempo and Kenpo programmes run kyu and dan grades, gradings as a scheduled event with a fee attached, and children's classes that fill on siblings, which is why they share this page rather than getting a thinner one of their own. Your belt order and grade names are yours to define.