Belt System

Belt Ranking System

The use of colored belts originated in Japan at the turn of the 20th Century, introduced into the martial arts by Jigaro Kano (founder of modern Judo) and has since been widely adopted by modern martial arts. This stemmed from Kano's earlier adaptation of white kyu (grade, gup in Korean) and black dan (level or degree) ranks to distiguish between beginners and advanced practitioners. He adopted that from the traditional method of ranking skill in the 2000 year old stratigic board game "Go" (wéiqí in Chinese).

The colors in the belt ranking system signify “Growth in Knowledge”. The belt colors chosen in San Kil Tang Soo Do are originally based on Hwang Kee's (founder of Moo Duk Kwan) philosophy for growth in knowledge. Study the meaning of each belt color and you will better understand and enjoy the feeling of growth as you progress in rank.

The use of Midnight Blue is unique to Tang Soo Do (and Soo Bahk Do) attributed to Hwang Kee. The Midnight Blue Belt is worn as a symbol of the wearer's humility (kyum son) and reminds one that perfection cannot be attained, the Black Belt in this instance being a symbol of perfection. Hwang Kee chose not to have a black belt in his system because it is a finite color - it cannot get any darker, hence it represents the end of a journey. A martial artist, on the other hand, never stops evolving.

Belt Color	Season	Meaning
White	Winter	Hidden potential, emptiness
Gold*	Winter Thaw	Awareness of potential (finding gold)
Orange*	Early Spring	Desire, planting seeds for success
Green	Spring	Growth, advancement, life, balance
Red	Summer	Ripening, heat, active, yang
Midnight Blue	Fall	Harvest, cool, passive, yin, maturity, success, endless potential

* Originally Tang Soo Do only used White, Green, Red and Midnight Blue. The Orange belt was added in 1975 and the Gold belt in 2005 as a means of improving student motivation and retention.

Minimum Time Requirements for Rank

Advancing in rank is a personal journey that varies widely and largely depends on individual effort as well as regular class attendance. New rank is assigned to individuals of good moral character, who have been accepted as members of OCKicks and San Kil Tang Soo Do. There are generally no age requirements but individuals must be members in good standing with San Kil Tang Soo Do, their studio, and their instructor. Regular weekly Dojang attendance is strongly encouraged and twice weekly attendance is required to be considered for promotion.

Rank	Belt & Uniform	Minimum Time	Total Time
10th Gup	White belt, plain white uniform	3 months	3 months
9th Gup	Gold Belt, plain white uniform	3 months	6 months
8th Gup	Orange belt, plain white uniform	3 months	9 months
7th Gup	Orange Belt, plain white uniform	3 months	12 months (1 year)
6th Gup	Green belt, green trimmed lapel	6 months	18 months
5th Gup	Green Belt, green trimmed lapel	6 months	24 months (2 years)
4th Gup	Green belt, green trimmed lapel	6 months	30 months
3rd Gup	Red belt, red trimmed lapel	6 months	36 months (3 years)
2nd Gup	Red belt, red trimmed lapel	6 months	42 months
1st Gup	Red belt, red trimmed lapel	6 months	48 months (4 years)
Cho Dan Bo	Red belt, red trimmed lapel	6 months	54 months
Cho Dan	Midnight Blue belt, midnight blue lapel, sleeve & border	6 months	60 months (5 years)


Minimum Time Requirements for Dans
The use of Midnight Blue is unique to Tang Soo Do (and Soo Bahk Do) attributed to Hwang Kee. The Midnight Blue Belt is worn as a symbol of the wearer's humility (kyum son) and reminds one that perfection cannot be attained, the Black Belt in this instance being a symbol of perfection. Hwang Kee chose not to have a black belt in his system because it is a finite color - it cannot get any darker, hense it represents the end of a journey. A martial artist, on the other hand, never stops evolving.
Degree	Belt & Uniform	Minimum Time	Total Time*
Cho (1^st) Dan	Midnight Blue; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	2 years	6 years
Ee (2^nd) Dan	Midnight Blue with 2 white tips; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	3 years	9 years
Sam (3^rd) Dan	Midnight Blue with 3 white tips; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	4 years	13 years
* Total times listed include time to reach Cho Dan.

Minimum Time Requirements for Ko Dan Ja
The use of Midnight Blue with a red stripe signifies re-igniting the fire within and achieving balance between Um and Yang. It's use started in 1960 and symbolized Neh Gang Weh Yu or Strong Inside, Gentle Outside Um/Yang philosophy. Martial artists who achieve these ranks are considered Masters of their art.
Degree	Belt & Uniform	Minimum Time	Total Time*
Sa (4^th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	5 years	18 years
O (5^th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	6 years	24 years
Yuk (6^th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	6 years	30 years
Chil (7^th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	6 years	36 years
Pal (8^th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	7 years	43 years
Ku (9^th) Dan	Midnight Blue with Red Stripe; Midnight blue lapel, sleeve and border trim	7 years	50 years
* Total times listed include time to reach Cho Dan.