In Hapkido, students are promoted by taking a formal test. The ranking system is structured in Gup (also Keup)/ Dan levels, the Gup denoting the beginner and the Dan denoting the advanced and/or expert students.
|
Level
|
Colour
|
|
10th
Gup
|
White
belt Sigup
|
|
9th
Gup
|
White
belt Kugup
|
|
8th
Gup
|
White
belt Palgup
|
|
7th
Gup
|
White
belt Chilgup
|
|
6th
Gup
|
Green
belt Yukgup
|
|
5th
Gup
|
Green
belt Ohgup
|
|
4th
Gup
|
Green
belt Sagup
|
|
3rd
Gup
|
Green
belt Samgup
|
|
2nd
Gup
|
Green
belt Yigup
|
|
1st
Gup
|
Red
Belt Ilgup
|
After progressing through the ten Gup levels, a student can start earning a black belt. The black belt is reserved for advanced students who have typically practiced Hapkido for three to five years consistently. It is an indicator that the student has become competent enough to start training seriously and understanding the essence of Hapkido. There are nine black belt levels, called Dan; they progress from 1st Dan (chodan) to 9th Dan (kudan). A 1st Dan student can apply to be an assistant instructor, at 2nd Dan-5th Dan he can become an instructor, and after attaining 5th Dan, can become a "master" instructor.
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