Please go through the following most asked questions listed below and click on it to get the answer. If you don't find your question listed give us a call. DO NOT send e-mail as of yet, we are not replying via e-mail. Phone (716) 763-1111.

1. What's the difference between NBL and SKIL?
2. How do I become a member of NBL?
3. How do I earn points in NBL?
4. Who takes care of my NBL point tabulation?
5. How can I verify the sanctioning of a tournament?
6. When does the NBL season start?
7. What's the difference between event and division?
8. What are the NBL rated divisions?
9. What’s the NBL age rule?
10. How do I compete for the NBL World Titles?

1. What's the difference between NBL and SKIL?
NBL - The National Blackbelt League (NBL) is the only international sport karate league based upon a series of open tournaments which rate and qualify blackbelt level players to become official sport karate world champions at a year-end championship called the “Super Grands World Games”. NBL ratings are free (no membership fee) to all players who attend and place in NBL divisions at NBL tournaments. NBL players can earn points in forms, weapons, self-defense, breaking, point sparring, continuous sparring and team sparring divisions. NBL tournaments have divisions for all ranks, however. Every NBL tournament is also sanctioned “AAA” with Sport Karate International (SKIL) Ratings (which rates both blackbelts and under blackbelts), so all ranks following SKIL can get the most points by competing in NBL tournaments (see SKIL ratings information in the back of any Sport Karate Magazine or Section 3 of any SKITA Handbook). The NBL has been designed over a period of many years to help develop and ensure the continuing professional and efficient direction of martial arts as a world-wide sport.
The NBL ensures true world championship status to players of the sport by a unique system of conference competition leading up to the Super Grands to crown each year’s world champions. The NBL conference season runs from late February through September 30. Each NBL regional conference consists of large sectioned areas of a continent and may have up to one (1) tournament per month during this season for a maximum of six (6) tournaments per conference per season. There are also four (4) national conferences which consist of up to six (6) of the regional conferences’ largest tournaments. These conferences are for individuals and teams that want stiffer competition by traveling to different areas, instead of just one regional area, and for those who want to earn a higher seeded position for the Super Grands World Games. The competition in each of the conferences is a points race within that conference, and competitors are rated in Sport Karate Magazine during those months of competition. You can accumulate points in as many conferences as you wish.
As a player, your participation in the NBL will provide the best recognition at an affordable cost to achieve true sport karate world championship status.

SKIL - Sport Karate International (SKIL) rates both blackbelts and under blackbelts. A SKIL member that competes at any karate tournament that is sanctioned by SKIL can earn points towards their SKIL ratings. A member who places in the top three places at a C sanctioned event or top four places at B, BB, or BBB sanctioned events or the top eight places at A, AA or AAA sanctioned events receives points toward their ratings. A member can accumulate points in sparring, forms, weapons, and self defense. SKIL does not rate grand championships, breaking and team sparring competition. Player’s ratings are published in Sport Karate Magazine - SMASH, four (4) times a year, February 1st, May 1st, August 1st, and the final ratings in October.
When a player joins SKIL Ratings, he/she may back track to the beginning of the season (July 1) and credit him/herself for any points he/she has earned at previous SKIL sanctioned tournaments. It is the responsibility of the member to tally his/her rating points on an official SKIL / NBL point chart and send it in according to the chart instructions and deadline dates.
A player can only earn points at tournaments that have officially been sanctioned with SKIL despite what may be printed on their tournament brochures or elsewhere. The official listing of SKIL sanctioned tournaments is included in the tournament listings in the back of Sport Karate Magazine. Any tournament claiming to be sanctioned by SKIL but not listed in the magazine can only be verified by phoning SKIL executive offices.
The season begins July 1 of one year, and ends June 30 of the following year. A member can retain his/her eight (8) highest scores from the tournaments he/she has competed in for each division during the season. By using this system to obtain rating points, a competitor is rated more by his/her ability of performance than by the quantity of tournaments that he/she attends. This helps cut down on the "burn out" factor of tournament competition and allows for more competitive competition since the cost factor is greatly reduced.

2. How do I become a member of NBL?
NBL ratings are free (no membership fee) to all players who attend and place at NBL tournaments. NBL tournaments have divisions for all ranks.

3. How do I earn points in NBL?
You must compete in at least one conference tournament and will receive points for any NBL divisional win up to eight (8) places (top four (4) for NBL 10 point sanctioned tournaments). This will earn you points toward one of the ninety-nine (99) divisions that the NBL rates for blackbelts. Competitors within the top five (5) rated positions in the NBL ratings in any of the ninety-nine (99) NBL rated divisions, as listed in this Sport Karate Magazine, at the end of the conference season are seeded according to their placement at the Super Grands World Games. The ratings are published in the September/October (appearing August 1) and the final standings in the November/February (appearing in October) editions of Sport Karate Magazine (SMASH).

4. Who takes care of my NBL point tabulation?
NBL - The NBL ratings office takes care of and tabulates NBL players points. Corrections can be made by players that submit a point chart. All point chart corrections or verifications must be postmarked by September 30 each year or the player will be subject to a fee to have their rating corrected to use it as a seed for the Super Grands. (See Point Chart in the back of any Sport Karate Magazine)

5. How can I verify the sanctioning of a tournament?
A frequent complaint we receive from competitors and parents is that they went to a tournament which they thought was sanctioned, but found out that it was not. If the tournament brochure advertises being sanctioned by us, then most of the time it is. However, the only way to be certain is to check the NBL Tournament Schedule in the front of Sport Karate Magazine or the tournament listings in the back of the magazine or give us a quick call. Always keep a brochure of the tournament you compete in and the place you took for reference if there are any problems. We cannot honor points from non-sanctioned tournaments that have falsely advertised that they were sanctioned.

6. When does the season for NBL start?
The NBL tournament season to earn rating points and qualify for world title competition runs from March (occasionally late February) through September. The NBL Super Grands World Games (which is the final championship to ascertain the year’s sport karate world champions) takes place in November, December or January of each year.

7. What's the difference between event and division?
Event - An event is an overall category including but not limited to forms, weapons, self-defense, breaking, point sparring, continuous sparring and team sparring.
Division - A division is a breakdown of an event. For example, divisions of Forms could include Japanese forms, musical forms or creative forms. Divisions may break down into rank, age, and sex.

8. What are the NBL rated divisions?
For 1999 and 2000, the NBL rates ninety-nine (99) standard divisions for juniors, adults and seniors, as listed in the NBL Membership in the front of the Sport Karate Magazine. The Super Grands has the same ninety-nine (99) divisions to determine the yearly world champions. Starting in 2000 all NBL tournaments have a minimum standard fifty-five (55) NBL divisions which closely resemble the expanded ninety-nine (99) rated divisions. All of the NBL international and national conference tournaments must run the minimum ninety-nine (99) divisions. Players may compete in as many different divisions at a tournament as they qualify for and wish to enter.

9. What’s the NBL age rule?
Continuing at an age-NBL divisions - The NBL season starts on January 1 and ends December 31 of every year and includes the season's year-end competition at the Super Grands even if they are after December 31.
- All players must compete at the age they were on January 1 at 12 am from January 1 to December 31 in NBL divisions at all NBL tournaments and at the Super Grands for that season even if the Grands are held after December 31.
- The exception to this rule are those players who will be turning 18 during the calendar year of the NBL season (January 1 to December 31). They are allowed to compete in either 17- or 18+ at each NBL tournament during that entire NBL circuit season - even before they turn 18. They cannot compete in both 17- and 18+ at the same tournament and points will stay in the age group the player competes in at each tournament. The same applies for those that will be turing 35 or 42 during the circuit season except they can compete in both age divisions at the same tournament and retain points in both.

10. How do I compete for the NBL World Titles?
The Super Grands is a six (6) day tournament held in November, December or January in a different world class location each year. It is held simultaneously with the Sport Karate Amateur Internationals, which is the final championship for the Sport Karate International (SKIL) rated players for both blackbelts and under blackbelts. The Super Grands is a closed competition that is only open to seeded players, or those players winning a wild card position at the tournament. NBL Championship awards in each division include the NBL World Championship blackbelt and coveted specially-struck world champion 10 karat gold ring. Over-sized plaque certificates are awarded for the Sport Karate Amateur Internationals champions. The Super Grands World Games/Sport Karate Amateur Internationals ends with the NBL and Sport Karate International Awards Banquet. The NBL Super Grands World Games champions and Sport Karate Amateur Internationals champions are featured in the March/May edition of Sport Karate Magazine appearing February 1 of each year.