At present, my Tang Soo Do school judges techniques at tests on an 8 point scale (8 being highest with 0 being the lowest). I'm presently enumerating what criteria we judge on: General Motion (a very easy point to get, does the student recognize the technique well enough to attempt it). Balance Proper Striking/Blocking Surface Stance/Foot Position Body Alignment Hip Usage Synchronization (are the right parts of the body moving in the right order) Focus (intent) Is there anything I'm missing? Feedback is very welcome.
That was somewhere in my mind merged with focus, but it really should be something seperate. Thank you very much for your input!
Flexibility is one too. How high or low you can kick while still retaining technique. I suppose this might go under proper striking because it has to do with "how high of a target can you strike with decent technique"
For me that is covered by balance and body alignment. If you're not flexible enough to do it properly to a valid target, one (or both) of those is going to dissapear.
How would one gauge "spirit"? I think Korean arts put too much of an emphasis on "indomitable spirit," probably from the Hwarang Code of conduct. Power, speed, and technique should be higher on the list... I guess I'm just a bit frazzled with the TSD/SBD I've seen, too many people are passed/graded based on whether they give their best shot with "good spirit."
To me I've always defined spirit overall as the attitude and perserverance you bring to what you do. On an individual technique level I've seen spirit as the confluence of intent (do I REALLY believe you are trying to hit me) and focus (are you picking a proper target and trying to hit it with a proper technique). I would never pass someone based on overall spirit alone, but it is that little tiny bit of extra credit that might make a difference (on the other hand, I would seriously consider failing someone for a total lack of spirit). I have been frustrated as well with the martial artists I've run into from a number of places whose technique takes second place to enthusiasm.