How do you Test

[Kevin Janisse]

I was wondering what type testing you require for your students and what your instructor requires or required from you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Janisse

[Ryo]

My instructor requires us to fully memorize and recite the terminology appropriated to our belt level, usually centered around a core theme (humility, responsibility, sparring, etc.). We also have to demonstrate our kicking and striking techniques, a usually twenty to twenty-four count movement known as our form (poom se), an eight-count motion which combines our various techniques, one-step sparring, and sparring.

[Ollis]

Dan testing

I just took my second dan the other day (& I passed!), so I'll break it down what I had to do.

First up was the written test, well 55 multiple choice questions, mostly about Korean history, but a lot of it was about technique applications, theory of power etc.

We then went onto the breaking. Normally this is left till last, but my instructor knew this was the bit I was dreading the most, so he decided to get it out the way quickly. First hand technique. I had to break through about 30cm of roof tiles. For my first dan this was ten standard roof tiles & they broke pretty easily with a forefist punch, but they had a bit of a ledge on them which gave them a gap so the break was mainly caused by a chain reaction. This time we had to break these bigass mothas of tiles with a big arch on them & no gaps when stacked up. They were also twice as thick as the previous ones we used so we got away with only having to break six of them. Seeing as last time I used the forefist, this time I had to choose a different technique so I chose knife hand. The tiles were wrapped in a polythene bag to prevent dust going everywhere and stacked on a couple of house bricks. I lined myself up, focussed for a second then slammed my knife hand down on those bad boys with all I had, looked at them and they hadn't budged. It wasn't till the assistant opened the polythene bags that I realised that each tile in the stack was split in half.

Next up, we had to break three inch thick pine boards with a single kick. I opted for stepping up side kick, which probably wasn't the smartest move for me cos I still have a problem generating the neccessary power on this kick, & when I get nervous my technique suffers. Anyway, I managed to break the first two boards, but the third one was intact, so I lost marks there, but not enough to knock me out the game.

We then had to perform a twin flying kick on two boards. I decided not to take any chanced on this one & instead of going for a 360º jump side/back kick combo like I was planning, I played it safe & went for the easy twin jumping front snap kick.

After that it was straight onto kicking & striking combinations for about 10 minutes, then patterns. For my association we have to perform the standard ITF 2nd Dan forms (Kwang Gae, Po-Eun, Ge-Baek), as well as WTF's Koryo and any of the junior grade forms that the examiners decide to throw at us – I got Won Hyo. Apart from a couple of small descretions, I got through these ok, except on Po-Eun on about the 7th movement, I went to the wrong side, realised I'd ballsed it, stopped, bowed to the examiner, and waited to see if he would allow me to start again. My instructor generally has a rule of thumb that nerves play a huge part on your ability to perform to your best abilities, so will allow you ONE chance if you mess up a pattern to redeem yourself. I was lucky, & the 2nd go I got it right.

Then it was jumping kicks on the bags, & we were given usual like twinfoot side kicks, 360º jump & reverse turning kicks, 360º jumping turning kicks, twin jumping front snap kicks etc.

Next up, sparring. We had to fight three rounds of one on one sparring demonstrating control and good technique, then another three rounds of two on one sparring. This was without protective equipment, so control was very important, (we normally fight either full contact or hard (supposedly semi contact) continuous – we don't generaly bother doing point fighting). The 2 on one rounds were mainly concentrating on not letting yourself get into a corner, & lining your oponents up so you only have to fight one at a time.

After that it was my favourite bit self defence! My instructor is a 6th dan in TKD & a 3rd dan in Hapkido, so our syllabus combines both systems, (& before all you haters kick off saying our HKD is just an add on & not the real deal, we are under GM Sung Soo Lee who is a 9th dan in Jidokwan TKD & 9th Dan HKD from the KHF, & he has approved our syllabus & perhaps more importantly our instructor!) Anyway, we have 15 pre-arranged HKD self defence techniques to perform, as well as basic HKD skills such as all the variations of break falls. We then have to perform non arranged attack & defences, where simple block & punch or avoid & kick don't count. This bit is my favourite because I know this is hardly reality training (obviously the adrenalin rush is different) but you do have to be able to instantly react and be able to perform solid techniques under pressure. I have a judo background from my younger days, so I couldn't resist putting in the odd hip throw there, but finishing it off with a wrist lock & a knee on the head for extra discomfort. Me and my partner had practiced this a bit & we managed to avoid this looking too scrappy like this sort of thing often does, & we managed to make up a lot of the points that were lost earlier.

All in all the actual grading lasted about 2 & a half hours, and that was just two of us taking it. Our instructor congratulated us at the end & told us we were successfull in achieving 2nd dan. I know our club tends to do things different to a lot of other associations, & dan grades are definately not just given away. I failed my first dan on my first attempt because I messed up with the breaking, so that is why I get so nervous about it. Ths also made me appreciate it a lot more when I did pass, as well as made those who passed on the first attempt not feel complacent. I was given 100% support from my instructor as well as the rest of the club after that dissapointment, & I hope going up for a second attempt (this time in front of our GM) earnt me a good deal of repect for displaying a couple of the tenets (I hope!)

I've now been training at this school coming up to eight years now, & I still feel like a beginner, but I've got to admit, 2nd Dan feels like a slightly more advanced beginner now. We'll see if in a couple of years time I'll be ready to go for 3rd dan. I'm definately in no rush at the moment, but seeing as I'm teaching now (I do a kids class) I guess it's good for them to have an instructor who is working towards becoming a master.

How does this compare to others grading experiences?

[electrorok]

our grading consist of sparring, destruction and patterns. usaully starts with sparring 2 onto 1 for as many round as Master Rhee likes then while we are sparing he gets other instructors to set up destruction( 2 board side kick,2 board turning kick , 2 board spinning heal kick ,2 board jumping back kick) he will stop us then get us straight into breaking while we r fatigued and rattled. this will show if our technique is good or not. after that we might do a bit more of sparring then he will sit us down and continue with other belts grading. he will finally get us up for more sparring, after a while he will stop us and make us do our pattern. then a bit more of sparring , then finally get to do our tile( 7 tiles punch , 7 tiles chop) we r pretty much done after that.

It really all depends on the day but this is kind of what usually happens, but in saying that ive seen him make some guys do 1 step sparring aswell. and ive seen him get people to do there pattern and they get through 2 moves and he stops them( as to say i dont need to see anymore) and get them to go onto to the next thing.

for second degree and above, firstly u have to be a 1st dan for at least 10yrs before u can even b thought about going further. but u also have to running your own rtkd shcool for quite a while. he will then only think about letting u go for your 2nd dan. Once Master Rhee has decided your ready he will tell u at the next grading, but he wont say when u will go for it,only u will be tested sometime this yr. this means u have to train like crazy all yr round. He will spring it on u at a future grading and u will go then and there,but this grading will be over 2 gradings( 3 months in between) first test will be more technical( patterns and self defence techniques) then the next grading will be destruction and sparring.

It does take a long time to get further than 1st dan in rtkd but i wouldnt want it any other way.
Our master Rhee is Chong Chul Rhee not Jhoon Rhee. they both were trained together under General choi in Korean army and were among his first eva black belts. he sent jhoon to america and chong chul to australia, malaysia and new zealand. He is one of the only masters who will grade every single student of Rheetkd. he flys pretty much 9 or 10 months a yr to all his schools holding gradings every 3 months.
If anyone is interested in our website its rheetkd.com, If u do check it out defineatly read the Master Rhee interview. it explains everything about our tkd.

[Hardball]

Ollis, good persistence on the 1st Dan. {I would have been crushed had I failed shodan} How long did you have to wait to retest for 1st dan? How long did the 1st dan test last? Kudos on 2 dan!!

[Andrew WA]

That Rhee TKD doesnt make sense. Those tests look really easy like he just rushes you through everything.

Being a 1st DAn and owning your own school is not suppossed to happen. YOu should at least be 3rd dan. And it makes no sense to wait 10 years for further rank. It seems like he just wants more Rhee TKD schools or something...

[Ollis]

Hardball, yeah, I was pretty gutted about failing, but took solace in the fact my instructor also failed his first attempt at first dan and now he is a 6th dan. However, there was no way I was going to write off 5 years training for this set back. At the time my life was going through some complications & my training suffered, but I thought I should at least give it a go & take what comes. I was lucky that I only had to wait 6 months to re-test because our GM was coming over from Australia, otherwise I would have had to wait a year. Anyway, for that 6 months I made sure I put in the time, worked on my conditioning and did plenty of breaking practice.

The original first dan test lasted pretty much the same ammount of time (2 & a half hrs-ish) but for my re-test I got it a bit easier. I didn't have to re-do the written test because I had quite a repectable mark last time. I was however tested at the end of a training weekend with Master Lee, so I was pretty exhausted, but for the test I had to perform my forms, combinations, self defence & finnished off with breaking (first a hand technique followed by any kick of my choice followed by any jump kick of my choice –*but performed in quick succession without time to compose myself.) Then it was the roof tiles which were much easier than this time round. I think I was done in about 45 mins but there was the extra pressure of being watched by a handfull of masters who had travelled from all over the country to attend the seminar.

To be honsest, my own instructor is a much tougher examiner then our grandmaster. I don't think I performed my patterns as well as first time round, but I think it was really my breaking that was being tested that day more than anything else. Anyway, getting that belt definately was all the more satisfying knowing that it had been earnt.

[electrorok]

hey andrew, i dont know what u mean by easy? what more do u think u need to do? remember u r only a black tip going for 1st degree. first degree means your now ready to start learning the true martial way. Or do u think once you have become a 1st degree u dont learn anymore? i think its good to have to wait for so long before u move further than 1st dan because then you train to get better and to learn more about the art,and your not constantly thinking 'ok i need to know this , this and this so i can go for my 2nd degree'. coz its so far away u forget about those thing and just train.
the other thing about u shouldnt be owning a gym? we dont own our gyms. u r a branch instructor for that gym but the school is called Rhee tkd so he owns them. U also have to be a instructor to become a branch instructor. This is 3yr at least on 1st degree but also u have to be able to show your branch instructor and Master Rhee that u are capable of teaching kids and adults. It all comes down to what type of tkd u do i guess. theres traditional and there competition. we r purely traditional( non competitive) At the end of the day Master Rhee has been doing this tkd thing for more yrs than most people and what he says goes. I mean hes not forcing me to do rtkd.i choose to so i have no problem doing it the way he says.

[Kevin Janisse]

Congratulations Ollis KSN on your promotion. It sounds like you had a good test.
This past weekeknd I tested for (and passed) my 5th dan in Kuk Sool Hap Ki Do. It started with a 45 min workout with hundreds of crunches, stride jumps, push ups (fingers-wrists-thumbs-wide-overhead-rolling), & burpees. From there we went into hand strikes from a horse stance (60 each strike x 23 different strikes). Then Kicking (30 each x 23 different kicks). From there we started forms from white belt up (18 patterns 2x each). Then weapons from basic staff spinning to the forms (9 patterns) including short staff, long staff, short sword, long sword, & double long sword. After weapons we went into techniques from one steps to, throws and weapons (defensive and offensive too many variations to list).
After hitting the mat for about an hour we did some breaking. Boards and patio blocks. The most trouble I had was a double wrist strike break (simutaneous right and left). The right broke but the left did not, I ended up breaking with another strike and found the board had criss-crossing grain, (ouch). The fifth dan test also requires an essay on "You-Won-Hwa" and "Ki Bup" theory.
An additional part of the requirements includes running a challenge course (not the same day as the test). The challenge course includes a 2 mile run, a wall climb, cable cross (standing and under), pole toss, ect...It ends with a submersion in Lake Huron after breaking through any ice that has formed.

The amazing thing about testing is that you are able to pick up on the areas that need the most work.

[ChunGi]

In My school it goews like this:

You have to score an 70% overall to pass.
you demonstrate:

First they ask you any 3 questions about TKD, meaning history theory, use of a pattern, meaning of a belt or color, meaning of Korean flag, pretty much anything, u need to get 2 right to be able to take your test, if you only get one u have to wait 6 months to test again.

Your pattern, and 2 of any other randomly selected pattern from any previous belt level (there are 12 patterns by the time your testing for black). You also have to know the meaning of the pattern (eg. Dangun was the legendary founder of korea in 2333 BC, and soon, ChunGi is the most basic pattern in TKD, roughly translated it means "the heaven, the earth" which demonstrates the basic nature of our physical world. This also introduces the basic strikes and block sthat become an essential part of TKD. Each pattern has a different name and significance)

Next you have prearranged sparring, which i have come to learn some schools call "self defence", this is none of the sort. It is a set of prearragned attacks and counters. there are 4 sets of prearranged attacks, 3-step (45 attacks/counters), 2 step (22 attacks/counters) 1 step (16 attacks/counters) and model (8 attacks/counters). You are tested on 4 attacks/counters choosen at random depending on your belt level (eg. Do 2-step, #16, 11 and model sparring, #5) I never tested for black because i couldn't remember all these.

Then you have to do Seld defence. THis is done randomly according to your belt level and what you have been taught so far. A knife technique for instance is done like this:
Your partner tries to stab you in anyway that they see fit with a plastic training knife that is inked so you can see if your hit. You have to defend yourself, incapacitating your attacker and recieve no vital wound, defencive wounds are allowd to a degree, like small slashes to hands or arms.
They may choose any weapon or attack based on what you know already.

You then have to demonstrate a number of vital/pressure pionts on a person, simply by pionting them out. There are 160 by the time you get to first degree black testing.

Then there is sparring, 3 rounds, you have to fight a lower belt, a same belt and a higher belt level guy. You are graded on yoru ability.

Next, for higher belt level you must spar multiple attacker, and demonstrate and ability to defend yoru self in that situation.

Lastly, you do a board bread, using one inch pine slabs (if you are over 16 yr old, younger use 1/2 inch). You do 3 ,one hand ,one high section foot
and one flying over a number of people/number of woods is choosen by your master, taking into consideration yoru ability.

in the end you get your test sheet back, if you get above 70% you passed, you get a new belt/stripe.

pretty long sounding but it only takes abotu an hour.

[Hardball]

Congratulations Ollis KSN on your promotion. It sounds like you had a good test.
This past weekeknd I tested for (and passed) my 5th dan in Kuk Sool Hap Ki Do. It started with a 45 min workout with hundreds of crunches, stride jumps, push ups (fingers-wrists-thumbs-wide-overhead-rolling), & burpees. From there we went into hand strikes from a horse stance (60 each strike x 23 different strikes). Then Kicking (30 each x 23 different kicks). From there we started forms from white belt up (18 patterns 2x each). Then weapons from basic staff spinning to the forms (9 patterns) including short staff, long staff, short sword, long sword, & double long sword. After weapons we went into techniques from one steps to, throws and weapons (defensive and offensive too many variations to list).
After hitting the mat for about an hour we did some breaking. Boards and patio blocks. The most trouble I had was a double wrist strike break (simutaneous right and left). The right broke but the left did not, I ended up breaking with another strike and found the board had criss-crossing grain, (ouch). The fifth dan test also requires an essay on "You-Won-Hwa" and "Ki Bup" theory.
An additional part of the requirements includes running a challenge course (not the same day as the test). The challenge course includes a 2 mile run, a wall climb, cable cross (standing and under), pole toss, ect...It ends with a submersion in Lake Huron after breaking through any ice that has formed.

The amazing thing about testing is that you are able to pick up on the areas that need the most work.

Thanks for sharing this experience. I really enjoyed reading about your 5th dan.

[Hardball]

I took and passed my Shodan in Japanese Jujitsu back in april 04. The test lasted from 9:00 am to 3:30 p.m. With a short lunch break at mid day. I had to do pushups and situps all day in between testing techiques.. The test started with demonstrations of striking and kicking techniques. Next I had to demonstrate every breakfall known to man. Soft throws, kata, hard throws and randori lasted a couple of hours. I had to demonstrate sweeps, foot throws, wrist locks/breaks, arm bars/locks and take downs as well as half hip throws. There was ground work and kneeling techiques which lasted about an hour. {Give me twenty more pushups while you're at it}. I demonstrated finger locks/breaks, neck breaks/locks and shoulder breaks/locks. Coming to the end of the day I had to demonstrate my sacrafice throws, sissor throw and weapons defenses. The weapons defense was against a samauri sword, 3 foot staff, 6 foot staff, plastic training knives and an unloaded .40 caliber glock. {ok. give me twenty pushups........I heard this all day long} At the end of the test I had to spar 3 black belts in a multiple attack situation in spite of being in complete exhaustion. The instructor was looking for an outer body experience or a black out in which you are just reacting........Finally my test is over. (give me 40 more pushups)

I get my black belt during a ceremony and then we have an official Japanese Tea cermony for all the spectators and dojo members. There were two shihans at my test from the american jujitsu association and 4 black belts on the panel. I was exhausted and wiped out by 3:30. They took me out to a Korean resturaunt for my celebration dinner immediatly afterwards.

[electrorok]

man that sounds awsome hardball. its great that they have official tea ceremony as well.how long have u been studing for?

[Hardball]

man that sounds awsome hardball. its great that they have official tea ceremony as well.how long have u been studing for?

Thanks, it took me 6 1/2 years to get to that day. This includes illnesses and injuries.