Red River Hapkido Rank and Belt System

here are six gup (colored belts) and nine dan ( black belt) ranks. Students are promoted by taking a formal test. The examination is a means for you, as an individual, to become aware of those skills in which you need to work harder. Once you have the basic skills and understanding, you can start to train at a higher level.  The belt that is colored black does not necessarily mean you know everything, but rather that you have become competent enough in the art to start training seriously and understand the essence of hapkido. The ranking system is a means of monitoring our progress as individuals and not as a means of judging ourselves against our peers. It is of utmost importance to maintain a humble attitude toward your rank and never let it be an excuse for poor manners or discourteous behavior toward younger and less experienced students.

Yudanja (black belt) training guidelines

To train for chodan:

You are training to become a beginner, no longer just a guest in the dojang, but a student with very real responsibilities. One must study the basic technical form and theories of basic motion until the correct movement is automatic and feels natural.

To train for idan:

The power of movement must be emphasized and developed. The functional reality of technique must be explored and an understanding developed of what really works and why.

To train for samdan:

The student must develop an understanding of ki and begin to break out of technique.

To train for sadan:

The student must develop an understanding of the theories of hapkido and how they relate to technique. The technical form must be deeply refined according to this understanding and the student must seriously begin to develop the art of training others. Personal training is not enough.

To train for ohdan:

A complete spontaneity of technique must develop which is no longer technique but the principle that underlies technique. There must be at this point, a complete dedication to the art and a great social and spiritual growth. A growth that produces not a narrow local concern for one dojang or one area, but an active concern for all students. Throughout all these years of training, your physical, mental, social and spiritual understanding and power must steadily progress. The spontaneous application of ki must progress. If you stop training on any one of these levels, your hapkido will no longer grow.

Just putting in your time has no meaning. The quality and intensity of your training, the discoveries you make each day, these things have meaning.